French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain looks to extend is lead atop Ligue 1 when it hosts seventh-placed AS Monaco on Sunday. Behind superstars Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, PSG is a big favorite on the Mybookie Ligue 1 Odds.
PSG vs Monaco 2020 Ligue 1 Odds, Preview & Expert Pick
- When: Sunday, 3 PM ET
- Where: Parc des Princes in Paris
- PSG vs Monaco Odds: PSG -434 (Total 3.5 goals)
PSG vs Monaco Last Meeting
The clubs haven’t met since April 21, 2019, when Paris Saint-Germain prevailed 3-1 – it has taken four of the past five in the series in all competitions. That April 21 clinched last season’s Ligue 1 title for PSG. Kylian Mbappe scored twice before halftime — his first goals against his former team – and then completed the hat trick in the 55th minute. Dani Alves assisted on Mbappe’s second and third goals. Aleksandr Golovin had the lone goal for Monaco in the 80th minute.These teams were to play earlier this season but the match was postponed. Torrential rain and the risk of flooding prompted local authorities to issue a red warning in the region.
Why Bet on PSG?
PSG lead Ligue 1 comfortable with 45 points and have by far the best goal differential in France’s top league at plus-33. The squad’s last Ligue 1 match was back on Dec. 21 – the league goes on holiday break – and it beat SC Amiens 4-1. PSG took the lead when an Amiens attack broke down and a precise pass from Neymar found Kylian Mbappe, the 21-year-old French international sprinting forward and coolly chipping the ball past keeper Regis Gurtner in the 10th minute.Neymar added a goal in the 46th minute, and Mbappe’s second goal came from another perfect pass, this time from Angel Di Maria, and he fired a superb first-time shot to make it 3-0 to the home side in the 65th minute. Mauro Icardi had the fourth goal in the 84th minute.
Paris Saint-Germain unsurprisingly finished top of the attacking rankings in 2019 in Ligue 1. With Argentine Mauro Icardi joining an already star-studded front line, the capital club scored 98 goals over the 2019 calendar year. Paris scored in 38 games in Ligue 1 in 2019, highest tally in a calendar year in the history. Mbappe’s 31 goals, or 31.6 per cent of the total, made a major contribution to that impressive figure. With an average of 2.51 goals per game, PSG finished well ahead of second-placed Olympique Lyonnais.
Golden Boy
Mbappe, 21, is having another remarkable season with Paris Saint-Germain and has scored 18 times in all competitions this season. The France World Cup winner continues to be linked with a transfer though amid reported interest from Liverpool and Real Madrid. The CIES Observatory have looked at the players with the greatest estimated transfer values in Europe’s elite leagues, and Mbappe tops the list with an estimated value of €265 million.Mbappe finished second behind Lionel Messi in the race for the 2019 European Golden Shoe and was ranked sixth in the 2019 Ballon d’Or. Neymar and Mbappe have created 11 goalscoring chances for one another in the Champions League this season; the most of any combination in the competition. PSG was knocked out by Manchester United.
PSG did play Wednesday in the French Coupe de la Ligue, otherwise known as the French League Cup. The tournament was established in 1993 and is only open to professional clubs in France which play in country’s top three football divisions. PSG routed Saint-Etienne 6-1 behind a hat trick from Icardi. The Argentine, on loan from Inter Milan, has scored 17 goals in 19 games for PSG.
Expected Line-up
- 1-K. Navas
- 2-Thiago Silva
- 12-T. Meunier
- 5-Marquinhos
- 14-Juan Bernat
- 22-A. Diallo
- 11-Á. Di María
- 8-L. Paredes
- 10-Neymar
- 18-M. Icardi
- 7-K. Mbappé
Why Bet on Monaco?
AS Monaco sit seventh in Ligue 1 with 28 points and have a goal differential of plus-5. Its last Ligue 1 game was also Dec. 21 and it routed Lille 5-1.AS Monaco did play Saturday in the French Coupe de France and beat Stade de Remis 2-1 on two goals from Keita Balde, including one in second-half injury time. With 14 goals in 44 appearances in the red and white jersey (31 starts), Balde scores an average of 1 goal every 3 games with AS Monaco. With 6 goals already in 2019-2020 and an increasing scoring pace since December, he is well on his way to the second-best season of his career, having scored 19 times in 2016-2017 with Lazio.
That win was the debut of new AS Monaco manager Robert Moreno. It’s the former Spain national team manager’s first at the helm of a club, having spent the majority of his career as an assistant to Luis Enrique at Roma, Celta de Vigo, and Barcelona. Moreno coached Spain for six games, helping the team qualify for next year’s European Championship. Moreno is keen to prove himself as a head coach following his acrimonious removal as Spain manager and replacement by Luis Enrique.
The Barcelona influence is particularly strong as Moreno espouses possession football and a vigorous pressing game.
Some Prove
Said midfielder Cesc Fabregas, the former Barcelona player, of his new manager: “The method is different to what we had here before, that’s for sure. He comes from the Barcelona school and his training sessions are similar to those I was used to under Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova. That’s good for me but he’s made me no promises that I’ll play, and that’s honest of him. I understand his ideas, but it demands a lot of work physically because he wants us to run a lot, a lot, a lot.”
Signed from Chelsea in January 2019, Fabregas, also a former Arsenal player, at times struggled for first-team minutes under previous coach Jardim. Fabregas has started seven of Monaco’s 18 league games to date this season.
Moreno named Fabregas in the starting midfield in a 4-3-3 formation and getting the best out Fabregas is one of the biggest challenges Moreno faces as he attempts to build on the 26 points gained in the last 13 league games under Leanardo Jardim, who was dumped the end of last month. Jardim previously led Monaco to the French title and a Champions League semifinal in 2017.
Nigeria international Henry Onyekuru has completed a move to Turkish giants Galatasaray on loan from Monaco until the end of the 2019-20 season. Since Onyekuru completed his move to Monaco from Everton in June 2019, the 22-year-old struggled in France as he failed to command regular playing time. Last season while in Turkey, Henry Onyekuru scored 16 goals in 44 games for Galatasaray in all competitions.
Expected Line-up
- 40-B. Lecomte
- 25-K. Glik
- 12-R. Aguilar
- 3-G. Maripán
- 5-Jemerson
- 6-T. Bakayoko
- 17-A. Golovin
- 9-W. Ben Yedder
- 11-Gelson Martins
- 14-K. Baldé
- 31-Gil Dias
