Unbeaten Bordeaux next test for swaggering PSG

The capital club leads defending champions Monaco by a point after seven matches while Bordeaux, which last won the French title in 2009, is only four points adrift in third.

Published : Sep 29, 2017 12:15 IST , Paris

 PSG responded to dropping its first points in Ligue 1 at Montpellier last weekend by sweeping aside Bayern 3-0 at the Parc des Princes last Wednesday.
PSG responded to dropping its first points in Ligue 1 at Montpellier last weekend by sweeping aside Bayern 3-0 at the Parc des Princes last Wednesday.
lightbox-info

PSG responded to dropping its first points in Ligue 1 at Montpellier last weekend by sweeping aside Bayern 3-0 at the Parc des Princes last Wednesday.

 

After ruthlessly disposing of German heavyweight Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain will look to shatter Bordeaux's unbeaten start to the French season on Saturday.

READ: Emery lauds perfect PSG after Bayern success

PSG responded to dropping its first points in Ligue 1 at Montpellier last weekend by sweeping aside Bayern 3-0 at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, with Neymar scoring on his return from a toe injury.

The Brazilian was on target along with Edinson Cavani and compatriot Dani Alves as Unai Emery's team fired an early warning to its European rivals after the club's record-breaking summer spending spree.

But it was Kylian Mbappe who was singled out for praise after the 18-year-old created the second and third goals for his side's superstar attack. "I feel privileged to play alongside him. He's still a kid, but he's a great player," Neymar said.

"On the pitch it looks like he's already 30 years old. I think he's a player who will do great things and definitely aspire to the Ballon d'Or."

 

The capital club leads defending champions Monaco by a point after seven matches while Bordeaux, which last won the French title in 2009, is only four points adrift in third.

Bordeaux rewarded Brazilian forward Malcom this week for his excellent form — he has three goals and four assists already this term — with a contract extension until 2021.

The 20-year-old is relishing testing himself against PSG's notable Brazilian contingent, many of whom he grew up idolising as a youngster at Corinthians in Sao Paulo.

"It will be a huge match. It's a difficult fixture ahead of us but we'll give everything to come away with a result in Paris," Malcom said.

"They are exceptional players, my idols. I hope to have a big match. The goal is to get a good result. I work every day to help the team and I hope it will pay off on Saturday."

'No euphoria, no depression'

Monaco will attempt to shrug off Tuesday's chastening 3-0 home defeat to Porto in the Champions League when it welcomes Montpellier to the principality on Friday.

Leonardo Jardim's side has made a fine start to its domestic title defence, fuelled by Radamel Falcao's league-leading 11 goals, but is struggling in Europe with just one point from its opening two group matches.

Marseille is hunting a third straight league win when it travels along the Cote d'Azur to face Nice on Sunday.

"We've climbed a rung on the ladder and now we're just one point shy of fourth, two points shy of third. But we need to stay humble: no euphoria when we win and no depression when we lose," said Marseille coach Rudi Garcia following last weekend's 2-0 defeat of Toulouse.

Nice has seemingly turned the corner after a woeful start, collecting seven points from its past three games, but needs to recover from two goals down at home to Angers last week to salvage a 2-2 draw.

Mario Balotelli's return to form has helped spark its resurgence, with the Italian striker scoring five times over his last four appearances.

Lyon visits Angers, who has drawn five of its seven matches, while Claudio Ranieri's Nantes go in search of a fifth win in six at home to bottom side Metz.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment