Paris SG vs Strasbourg prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-10-20 15:00.
After a humiliating 4-1 UEFA Champions League defeat in Newcastle, PSG fans were eagerly awaiting how they would respond in their following Ligue 1 match, and the Parisians delivered. Following that 3-1 victory against Rennes, PSG spent the international break in Ligue 1’s top-three, trailing league leaders Monaco by just two points, although it still marks their worst eight-round start to a top-flight season since 2014/15 (W4, D3, L1).
With 17 PSG players on duty for their respective national teams over the last two weeks, Luis Enrique's men have recently struggled to manage the workload by following up the previous two international windows with a home league defeat, most recently against Nice (3-2) in September. Although that statistic suggests they ought to be cautious, PSG has never lost against next opponents Strasbourg at Parc des Princes in 35 H2Hs (W27, D8).
Strasbourg will consequently need to make history to put an end to their first run of consecutive Ligue 1 losses since early April and move back into the top half of the table. The 2-1 home defeat against Nantes before the international break left coach Patrick Vieira with a bitter feeling, describing that result as “the worst match” since his summer appointment.
That loss continued a peculiar trend where the Blue-and-Whites remained the sole Ligue 1 team yet to find the net before half-time, emphasising their difficulties with beginning matches strongly (HT: D4, L4). As a result, they are likely visiting their much decorated hosts with limited expectations, particularly after losing ‘to nil’ in both of their away league matches this season against the league’s current top two sides (Monaco and Nice).
Key battle: With three goals and two assists from eight Ligue 1 starts, Achraf Hakimi boasts the highest average Ligue 1 Flashscore rating (7.7) of his club this season. However, he will need to contain Habib Diarra, who has been involved in Strasbourg's last two goals (G1, A1), both coming after the 80th minute.
Hot stat: Each PSG’s last three home Ligue 1 matches have witnessed one of their players score a brace (Mbappé x2, Ramos).