PSG Inches Closer to Ligue 1 Triumph in Pursuit of Historic Treble
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is on the brink of clinching the Ligue 1 title, advancing their quest for a historic treble following their impressive comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League.
PSG knows that a win might offer them the opportunity to secure the title with four games remaining when they visit Lorient on Wednesday. They take on a resurgent Lyon on Sunday.
After their Champions League comeback triumph against Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain might win the Ligue 1 championship as early as next week, securing the first prize of what they hope will be a historic treble. On Sunday, Luis Enrique’s team takes on a revitalized Lyon, and if they win, they could have a chance to secure the championship with four games remaining when they play Lorient on Wednesday.
After defeating Barcelona, PSG advanced to the semi-finals where they will play Borussia Dortmund in an attempt to win the Champions League for the first time. On May 25, they will also play Lyon in the French Cup final.
After scoring twice in Tuesday’s 4-1 victory over Barcelona in the second leg, Kylian Mbappe, who is expected to depart the team at the conclusion of the season, cautioned his teammates not to get ahead of themselves. Mbappe said to PSG TV, “We have to stay focused and on track towards our goal.”
“I wish to support my group. The fact is, I want to support the team no matter what. Setting objectives is helpful, but they’re not the sole benefit in this era where attention to detail is crucial.
“I want to try to help the squad as much as I can by making a contribution on both sides of the ball. to be completely selfless and regret nothing.”
Last season, PSG was expected to win Ligue 1 handily, but a string of missteps meant that they needed to win the final game to seal the victory and ended up finishing only one point clear of Lens in second place. The capital club will be eager to avoid making any mistakes of that such this season, but they will have a difficult test when they play Lyon, who under Pierre Sage have gone from being relegation-threatened strugglers to European contenders.
Last weekend’s 4-3 victory against Brest in second place brought Lyon to within two points of Lens in sixth place and the Europa Conference League slot. The competition for spots in the group stage of the Champions League for the following season is also drawing to a close, with Brest, Monaco, and Lille, trailing leaders PSG, separated by just four points.
In the French top flight, the top three teams advance directly to the group stage, while the fourth-place team advances to the qualification rounds. Sunday sees Brest play Monaco, hoping to maintain their one-point advantage over their third-place rivals.
Lille will play Strasbourg earlier that day, and a victory would put them in third place.
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Player To Watch Out For: Vitinha (PSG)
Since joining PSG from Porto at the beginning of the last campaign, the Portugal midfielder has been an essential member of the team and is now improving his goal total. The 24-year-old has four goals in his previous five games and scored in both legs against Barca, including a superb long-range goal in Spain to square the score.
This season, Vitinha has scored nine goals across all competitions. His previous campaign high of four with Porto in 2021–2022 stands.
Important Stats
106: Since Opta started compiling statistics in 2003, the most recent goal scored in Ligue 1 was Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ winning penalty for Lyon against Brest last Thursday in the 16th minute of extra time.
11: After winning just one of their first 15 league games this season, Lyon has won 11 of their last 14 Ligue 1 games.
2: Ousmane Dembele scored twice as many goals for PSG against his old team, Barcelona, in their Champions League match than he had in his 23 Ligue 1 games this year.
