News Focus
- Paris Saint-Germain require only a draw to clinch their fifth consecutive Ligue 1 championship
- Luis Enrique will rotate heavily ahead of the Champions League final against Arsenal
- Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are set to start in attack despite the squad changes
- RC Lens face a near-impossible task with a six-point gap and a fifteen-goal difference to overcome
- Younger players expected to feature in defence and midfield for the league leaders
Paris Saint-Germain stand on the brink of history. The French giants need just one point from their clash with RC Lens on Wednesday night to secure a fifth straight Ligue 1 crown.
Manager Luis Enrique faces a delicate balancing act. The Spaniard wants to keep his key players fresh for the Champions League final against Arsenal later this month. He plans to rest several regular starters for this domestic fixture. However, the attack will retain its cutting edge. Both Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are set to feature from the beginning.
The Parisians hold a commanding lead at the summit. Their nearest challengers, Lens, trail by six points with only two games remaining. The gap in goal difference stands at fifteen. This makes it almost impossible for Pierre Sage’s side to overthrow the leaders.
Rotation will hit the defence and midfield hard. Younger and less-used squad members should get minutes in these areas. The forward line tells a different story though. Enrique clearly wants his star wingers to maintain their rhythm before the European showpiece.
The predicted starting eleven sees Matvey Safonov in goal. Lucas Hernández, Lucas Beraldo and Illia Zabarnyi should form the back three. Senny Mayulu may also feature in the defensive unit. In midfield, Dro Fernández could join Vitinha and João Neves. Up front, Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia will likely flank Désiré Doué.