League 1 | Sunday February 09 | Stade Louis II | 22:00
CLASH OF THE TITANS
AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain, the two financial heavyweights in the French Ligue 1, will go head to head in a clash that could be vital in deciding the title winner come end of the season.
With their star players and wealthy foreign owners, the new rivals are expected to dominate French football for years to come.
PSG go into Saturday’s away meeting with Monaco looking to extend their lead to 8 points while a win for second place Monaco will keep them within in touching distance of the title.
And as though the parallel between the two clubs couldn’t get any closer, their coaches too have a common history.
PSG’s Laurent Blanc played under Monaco’s Claudio Ranieri at Italian club Napoli in 1991-1992.
They know each other well and share the same approach to playing entertaining attacking football.
To Win (90mins)
Monaco 23/10
Draw 9/4
PSG 5/4
AS MONACO
Monaco’s hopes of challenging Paris St-Germain for the Ligue 1 title suffered a major blow with a draw against Lorient last Saturday.
Claudio Ranieri’s side recently bounced back from two poor results against Montpellier and Valenciennes with two straight wins but were left with their heads in their hands after sharing the spoils against a stubborn Lorient side.
Monaco appear to be the only realistic threat to PSG’s dominance.
Promoted back to Ligue 1 after a two-year absence, their billionaire Russian owner Dmitry Rybolovlev has splashed the cash and it has paid off with successive victories.
Monaco will look to rely on Emmanuel Riviere who has played an important role in the Red and Whites season so far.
The Frenchman has netted nine goals in 18 appearances in all competitions this season, leaving much of Monaco’s goalscoring responsibility on the 23-year-old’s shoulders heading into this weekend’s action.
The hosts are without star striker Radamel Falcao, following the long-term injury the Colombian forward picked up in Monaco’s cup win against Monts Or Azergues.
Midfielder Joao Moutinho pulls the strings in midfield and Falcao’s movement up front will surely be missed.
We could see Dimitar Berbatov make his debut.
The 33-year-old Bulgarian has joined the Ligue 1 title contenders until the end of the season and will be raring to go against the champions.
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
The Champions piled pressure on Monaco at the top of Ligue 1 by beating Bordeaux 2-0 to move five points clear.
PSG face a stern test against a luxurious Monaco side that will be eager to get back to winning ways with a strong performance at home.
Paris and Monaco produced an excellent match of football in the reverse fixture with both sides cancelling each other out at 1-1 at the Parc des Princes.
Laurent Blanc’s midfield options include new signing Yohan Cabaye, Thiago Motta, Jeremy Menez, Marco Verratti, Javier Pastore and Lucas Moura which is by far the best in France and up there in the whole of Europe.
Verratti is without doubt one of the rising stars of Europe.
The 20 year old is already imposing himself in PSG, as well as the Italian national team.
The kid is a Pirlo in the making, due to his impeccable passing and outstanding technique.
On top of everything, PSG do not lack in defence.
Alex is a world class defender, having played in Chelsea as a star defender.
Also, Thiago Silva is arguably the best defender in the world.
His interventions are flawless, but what shows that he is exceptional is his ability to make a great pass even under pressure.
You very rarely see Silva clearing the ball as he always searches for the best option to launch an attack.
His attacking capacities are equally useful, much like Alex.
The pair managed to score more than 5 goals each in all competitions last year.
Cabaye may be handed his full debut after coming off the bench and impressing in Les Parisiens’ vital win over Bordeaux.
The former Newcastle United playmaker is renowned for his outstanding shooting from distance and is a free kick specialist, giving PSG that extra bit of firepower that it lacked in a workmanlike midfield featuring ball-winners Blaise Matuidi and Thiago Motta.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been in red hot form, scoring 18 league goals this season.
The Swedish striker has been tearing defenders to shreds and will look extend his goal tally.
Club record signing Edinson Cavani is set to miss at least three weeks after picking up a hamstring injury in last Friday’s win.
Betting Prediction: PSG 5/4
Betting Verdict: PSG look like an irresistible force both at home and abroad and few would bet against them winning a second successive title and making another big impression in the Champions League this year. Monaco will struggle to prevent PSG from doing what they do so brilliantly and that’s destroy their opponents with ease. The away side are tipped to come out strong.
Written by Chadley Nagel for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
Bet on this match now at Hollywoodbets.net! Haven’t got an account? Open one here now!