Paris Saint-Germain will aim to take another step towards the Ligue 1 title on Sunday as they welcome Stade Rennes to the Parc des Princes.
Luis Enrique’s side have kept the rest of Ligue 1 at more than arms length this season and they could be 16 points clear at the top by the end of the weekend. They have lost just once in the league this season but they face the only team in better form.
Rennes have won their last six Ligue matches, and they will look to take advantage of PSG’s defensive injuries that see Marquinhos, Milan Skriniar and Presnel Kimpembe sit this one out. As well as that, Sergio Rico and Layvin Kurzawa are also out of action.
With that in mind, here is the PSG team that Enrique may choose against Rennes.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – The Italian goalkeeper is playing better than last term, making 6.9% more saves over the season and he is getting more clean sheets. Many think his limitations with the ball at his feet mean he will be eventually replaced, though.
RB: Achraf Hakimi – Rumours have been building around Hakimi’s future and the Moroccan could follow Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid. A move to Chelsea has also been suggested, but every player gets linked with Chelsea.
CB: Danilo Pereira – In the absence of better defenders, Danilo Pereira will have to fill in at centre-back rather than his favoured midfield role. He has now played over 100 Ligue 1 matches for PSG since joining from Porto.
CB: Lucas Beraldo – The young central defender could get a run of games with Marquinhos not fit, although the Brazilian could be back before the next match. Beraldo found the Champions League match against Real Sociedad very tough.
LB: Lucas Hernandez – This has proved to be a very good signing for PSG, and they are now being linked with a move for his brother Theo Hernandez. That could cause some awkwardness given they are both left-backs.
CM: Lee Kang-in – The Asian Cup ended dramatically for Lee Kang-in. He was involved in an argument with Son Heung-min which caused a media storm in South Korea, but he is back in Paris now and could start as a central midfielder here.
CM: Manuel Ugarte – He made the Ligue team of the week for his performance against Nantes and his importance to PSG seems to be growing with each passing game.
CM: Vitinha – The Portuguese midfielder has slowly been improving for PSG and starts regularly, which is impressive when you consider players like Warren Zaire-Emery, Marco Asensio, Fabian Ruiz and Carlos Soler are in the team.
RW: Ousmane Dembele – Having recently talked about how he ‘suffered a lot’ while at Barcelona, Dembele is becoming a key player for PSG and looks like he has found a more settled home.
ST: Randal Kolo Muani – His first season at PSG has not gone as well as hoped, but he is a young striker and it can take more than a few months for the goals to start flowing. He will be nervous about who comes in after Mbappe’s departure, though.
LW: Kylian Mbappe – The Frenchman did not start against Nantes but that was thought to be load management after the Champions League match against Real Sociedad, rather than some sort of punishment amid constant headlines around his future.
