Dijon vs PSG: Can reigning champs regroup after loss?
Reigning champions PSG will look to get back on track when they travel to face relegation candidates Dijon on Saturday.
Although Les Parisiens have been excellent in this season’s Champions League, the same can’t be said as they attempt to defend their league crown. Now under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino after Thomas Tuchel’s sacking, the ambitious capital club are again seeking to win multiple trophies both domestically and on the continent. However, despite planting one foot firmly in the quarter-finals after getting revenge on Barcelona, their Ligue 1 title prospects took a huge hit as they succumbed to a 2-0 loss to Monaco last round.
Fortunately perhaps, PSG have an opportunity to make up some ground in this upcoming tie. Dijon, who sit in 20th place, have won just two games all season and are presently on a five match losing streak. With just 15 points – nine from 17th-placed Nimes – David Linares’s side are looking set for a demotion to Ligue 2 at the end of this season. While it’s still possible that Les Hiboux could escape the drop, their revival is highly unlikely to start when PSG arrive at the Stade Gaston-Gerard. Dijon lost the reverse fixture 4-0 earlier this season; however, they did beat the French champions 2-1 in this same match last campaign. That also happens to be their sole win from their last 13 meetings, and PSG do come into this tie missing quite a few players due to injury. Stars like Neymar and Angel Di Maria remain on the treatment table, along with players including Italian duo Alessandro Florenzi and Marco Verratti as well as former Inter and Sampdoria striker Mauro Icardi.
However, it doesn’t look like Dijon will be able to take advantage of a weakened PSG. After all, PSG were missing both Neymar and Di Maria when they traveled to the Camp Nou and they had no problems dispatching Lionel Messi and company. Kylian Mbappe’s impressive hat-trick, plus a goal from the recently in-form Moise Kean were enough to shock the Catalan powerhouse and make amends for PSG’s humiliating 6-1 defeat at the same ground in 2017.
While everyone knows about Mbappe’s talents, Kean in particular has been especially impressive in the absence of Neymar. The 20-year-old, who struggled during his time at Everton has finally found his footing and is the second highest goal-scorer on PSG’s books, with ten goals across all competitions. Given Dijon’s leaky back-line – the hosts employed a five man defense in their last match and still lost – this match presents a great opportunity for him to add a goal (or two), while Mbappe certainly will seek to put some distance between himself and Lyon’s Memphis Depay in the race for the top scorer’s prize.
Simply put, it’s going to be a case of damage control for the floundering hosts, who, barring a miracle, will be in for a long evening. In short, following their 2-0 loss to Monaco, PSG have been given a golden opportunity to get back on track, and with Lyon facing Marseille on Sunday, they could possibly close the gap on league leaders Lille if they slip up against Strasbourg.
