Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Ligue 1 match.
Paris Saint-Germain
In Toulouse, João Neves dictated play for Paris Saint-Germain, scoring a hat-trick that included two overhead kicks. Ousmane Dembélé scored twice from the spot. However, the Ballon d’Or front-runner will not play on Sunday: he suffered a hamstring injury in a France match against Ukraine and has been ruled out for six weeks. Luis Enrique Martínez García will name a replacement, but will the stand-in be as effective?
RC Lens
Last season Lens fell just short of European qualification, which may yet prove a blessing. A more streamlined league schedule should reduce the risk of injuries. Lens have made a promising start and sit fifth, despite having only the 10th-best squad on paper. The uplift comes not only from the arrival of Florian Thauvin (one goal), but also from Mamadou Sangaré, a strong dribbler averaging two successful take-ons and a product of the Red Bull system. Even in the defeat to Olympique Lyonnais (0:1), Racing Club de Lens were the better side: 18-11 in shots, 4-2 in big chances and 1.38-1.41 in xG. That has been even more apparent in the matches they have won.
Paris Saint-Germain vs RC Lens Prediction
Last season Paris Saint-Germain had to work hard against Lens. In Ligue 1, they won twice by a one-goal margin (1:0, 2:1), and in the Coupe de France they advanced only after a penalty shoot-out. A similar scoreline looks very likely again, even if it carries a degree of risk.
