Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Ligue 1 clash between Monaco and Paris FC, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Meeting for the first time in a Ligue 1 contest in over 45 years, Paris FC will visit the Principality on Saturday for a date with Monaco at Stade Louis II.
A memorable 5-3 victory over Nantes lifted Les Monegasques up to second in the table this week, while Paris are 12th after coming back to draw Lyon 3-3 on matchday 10.
Match preview
It rarely seems to be straightforward, regardless of who they are playing, but Monaco have gotten the job done lately, winning their last two matches in this competition.
Their five goals scored on matchday 10 were one more than they had managed in their previous four domestic affairs combined in this competition, putting them a point behind Paris Saint-Germain for first in the table.
Sebastien Pocognoli has yet to lose since taking charge of this team, and this weekend his squad can equal their longest league winning run of the season (three).
Les Monegasques have not conceded in successive competitive fixtures at Stade Louis II, and on Saturday, they can earn consecutive top-flight clean sheets at home for the first time since April to May of last season (three).
Since drawing Clermont 1-1 in October 2022, Monaco have not dropped a single point at home when leading at the half, winning three times in the Principality this year in that scenario.
The last five meetings between themselves and Paris FC have all gone the way of Les Monegasques, including a 7-1 hammering the last time they played them in Paris in 1979.
Resilience and late drama were two key themes on matchday 10 of the Ligue 1 campaign, and both were on display in abundance at home for Paris FC.
Down 3-0, the newly promoted side netted three times in under 20 minutes to earn their second point domestically this season from a losing position.
Stephane Gilli’s men are currently on a three-match winless run in the league, and this weekend could drop points in four consecutive league games for the first time since 2024.
Paris have a lot of work to do when it comes to fixing their leaky defence, who have allowed 20 goals in 2025-26, the third-most in the competition, with half of them occurring on the road.
They have not lost a single Ligue 1 or 2 affair this year when leading after 45 minutes, with their only triumph as the visitors this season coming at Stade Francis-Le Ble against Brest in September (2-1).
Their only win against Monaco in the top-flight came back in 1973 in the French capital (4-0), while Paris FC have lost their previous two visits to Stade Louis II by a 2-1 score.
Monaco Ligue 1 form:
Monaco form (all competitions):
Paris FC Ligue 1 form:
Team News
We are unlikely to see Monaco skipper Denis Zakaria return from a groin strain his weekend, Vanderson has a knock, Lamine Camara is recovering from a sore ankle, Eric Dier is nursing a muscle problem, while Caio Henrique remains doubtful due to a foot injury.
We may finally see Paul Pogba feature on Saturday for the first time since his doping ban, while Lukas Hradecky could return between the sticks having missed several games because of a knee issue, but Christian Mawissa suffer an injury setback this week.
Aleksandr Golovin scored a late brace to give them a dramatic win on Wednesday, with their other goals coming courtesy of Maghnes Akliouche, Folarin Balogun and Mamadou Coulibaly.
Do not expect Pierre-Yves Hamel or Nhoa Sangui to be available for Paris FC on Saturday due to hamstring strains, while Julien Lopez is dealing with a calf problem.
Adductor pain may prevent Mathieu Cafaro from featuring in this one, and Thibault De Smet will have to sit out on Wednesday because he received two cautions in their previous match.
Adama Camara, Ilan Kebbal and Vincent Marchetti all found the back of the net for Paris FC on matchday 10, leading them to an improbable single point.
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Kehrer, Salisu,Teze; Diatta, Idumbo, Golovin, Ouattara; Akliouche, Fati; Balogun
Paris FC possible starting lineup:
Nkambadio; Chergui, Mbow, Otavio, Ollila; M. Lopez, Lees-Melou, A. Camara; Kebbal, Geubbels, Krasso
We say: Monaco 3-1 Paris FC
Neither side are terribly stable defensively, and both tend to play very open, which should favour Monaco, who have many more consistent match-winners they can rely on at this level.
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