Paris Saint-Germain host FC Nantes on Saturday in Ligue 1 with an eight-point lead coming into this weekend. Christophe Galtier's men have raised their game recently to beat both Lille OSC and Olympique de Marseille, scoring a combined seven goals which bodes well ahead of Bayern Munich away in the UEFA Champions League next week. Nantes have just one win from their last five across all competitions but that win over RC Lens was enough to book a Coupe de France semifinal berth for the holders. Both PSG and Nantes have had three-game losing streaks of late with Les Canaris' including their UEFA Europa League exit to Juventus.
Galtier confirmed in Friday's press conference that Neymar will be absent for the trip to Bavaria despite the club's medical update saying that the Brazilian will be reassessed come Monday: "He will be out," said Galtier. "I think that he will miss out against Bayern. His absence will be detrimental to us."
"We remain determined," added Galtier. "We were on a bad run and the last few minutes against Lille did us good. The team expressed itself at their level in Marseille and with a strong state of mind. Nantes did well in the Coupe de France against Lens -- they will play with their qualities and go for everything. I hope that they players are not already thinking of Bayern. It is important to string a third consecutive win together."
Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, Mar. 4 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Parc des Princes -- Paris
- TV: beIN Sports USA | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
- Odds: PSG -350; Draw: +450; Nantes +850 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Team news
PSG: Neymar is out for this one and Galtier expected him to miss Bayern too. Presnel Kimpembe is out for the remainder of the season after a ruptured Achilles which will necessitate the use of either Nordi Mukiele or Danilo Pereira in the back line. Mukiele himself has been undergoing light training ahead of the Nantes clash. Marco Verratti is suspended while Renato Sanches is only due back in training next week. Achraf Hakimi will not yet play amid the rape charges made against him this week with PSG supporting their player and his lawyer denying the accusations. The Moroccan is expected to be available to Galtier from the start of next week, though. The full squad list is here.
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Nantes: Nicolas Pallois is doubtful with a knee issue while Quentin Merlin and Charles Traore were also missing against Lens. Jaouen Hadjam should continue in the starting XI and Ludovic Blas, Mostafa Mohamed and Marcus Coco could all start too. Evann Guessand could make way for one of them as Antoine Kombouare tries to engineer a surprise against his former club.
Prediction
Now that they are back in winning form, PSG should be able to see off Nantes relatively easily ahead of their big showdown with Bayern. Expect a few goals but the hosts' defensive woes are unlikely to ease. Pick: PSG 3, Nantes 1.
