Monaco v PSG: Key facts before top of the table clash

All the noteworthy stats ahead of AS Monaco's home match against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

Deadly duo: Monaco defence must nullify the Neymar-Mbappe threat

First-placed Paris Saint-Germain visits Stade Louis II to take on the defending champion Monaco, who is currently second in Ligue 1, on Sunday. With a six-point gap already, any result other than a defeat will be welcome for Unai Emery's side.

Kylian Mbappe will return to his former club, as part of a fearsome front three with Neymar and Edinson Cavani who have ripped many a defence apart already this season.

Read: Monaco v PSG match preview

Here's an inside track from Opta to examine one of France's biggest fixtures.

Top scorers

Former DR Congo international Shabani Nonda enjoyed five fruitful years as a Monaco striker, during which time he won a Coupe de la Ligue medal and was part of the side that reached the Champions League final in 2004.

And Nonda particularly enjoyed playing against PSG, scoring six goals against the capital city club, bettering the tally of five that former France striker David Trezeguet enjoyed versus PSG.

Edinson Cavani is fast closing on Nonda, though. This PSG star has four goals in matches against Monaco.

Longest winning runs and losing streaks

Somewhat surprisingly given PSG's newfound wealth this decade, it is Monaco that hold the longest winning streak in matches between the two teams, having won four in a row on three occasions, the most recent of which came over 1999 and 2000.

Indeed, Monaco went 11 matches unbeaten against PSG between 2008-2015, with PSG's longest winning run standing at three games between 2006 and 2007.

Biggest results

Games involving these two Ligue 1 giants are often tightly contested, but again it is Monaco that can boast the biggest margin of victory over their rivals – that coming courtesy of a 4-0 triumph in August 1980.

The biggest victory PSG has enjoyed is 3-0 on two occasions, which happened most recently in August 2015, when a Cavani double and an Ezequiel Lavezzi strike did the damage.

Most appearances

One man stands alone when it comes to the most matches played in this classic fixture, with Monaco's one club-man Jean-Luc Ettori racking up 33 during this time period.

Claude Puel, who has two Ligue 1 titles as a player and another as a manager with Monaco, is his nearest rival with 22 matches.