PARIS: Ligue 1 leader Paris Saint-Germain host third-placed Strasbourg on Friday with just one point separating them.
While PSG’s position at the top is no surprise, Strasbourg — owned by Chelsea’s parent company BlueCo. since 2023 — are exceeding expectations.
The team feature homegrown talents and have been flourishing since English coach Liam Rosenior took over. This season, Strasbourg became the first team in the history of the five major European domestic leagues to field 11 starters born in 2000 or later, according to Ligue 1 statistics.
The faith in youth is bringing dividends. With 14 goals in seven matches — the third best attack in the league — and the competition’s top scorer, Argentine forward Joaquin Panichelli, Strasbourg travel to the Parc des Princes full of confidence after routing Angers 5-0 before the international break.
Key matchups
Behind PSG, Marseille and Lyon are level on points with Strasbourg. Combining defensive stability and attacking efficiency, Marseille will chase a sixth win against Le Havre on Saturday.
Lyon look to bounce back at Nice following a home loss against Toulouse.
Monaco’s new manager Sébastien Pocognoli gets his first taste of Ligue 1 at Angers. Monaco are fifth, three points behind PSG.
Players to watch
After struggling to live up to the early hype of becoming the next Lionel Messi at Barcelona, Ansu Fati has found a new lease on life at Monaco.
Fati joined the Principality side this summer on a season-long loan in a bid to revive his injury-hit career and, so far, it’s paying off.
Fati scored twice from the penalty spot in a 2-2 draw against Nice before the international break and set a new record: Since the 1947–1948 season, no player had needed so little time — just 126 minutes — to score five goals at the start of a Ligue 1 career with a new club.
He surpassed Johan Audel, who took 137 minutes for Valenciennes (2007–08) and Emmanuel Rivière, who needed 174 minutes for Monaco (2013–14).
Fati also is the league joint top scorer with Panichelli,
Out of action
Marseille striker Amine Gouiri could miss the Le Havre match after suffering a right shoulder injury in a collision with Uganda’s goalkeeper while playing for Algeria.
PSG will still be without captain Marquinhos but forward Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé could return in time for the Strasbourg match.
Off the field
The hot topic of the week is Dembélé’s future at PSG ,and the club’s need to re-evaluate his wages following his Ballon d’Or win.
According to L’Équipe newspaper, PSG plan to capitalize on the 28-year-old’s achievement to boost their global image and attract new sponsorships. However, the club must renegotiate his contract which runs until 2028.
L’Équipe estimates Dembélé earns more than 1.5 million euros ($1.7 million) per month — the highest salary in the squad — and reported that his representatives are seeking a raise that reflects his new status, his impressive 2024 season (35 goals, 16 assists), and his growing influence within the team.
But with tighter financial fair play rules and reduced TV revenues, PSG are wary of returning to the wage levels once paid to Messi and Neymar (around 30 million euros net annually).
Exciting Strasbourg youngsters face PSG test in Ligue 1
https://arab.news/peq8r
Exciting Strasbourg youngsters face PSG test in Ligue 1
- While PSG’s position at the top is no surprise, Strasbourg are exceeding expectations
- This season, Strasbourg became the first team in the history of the five major European domestic leagues to field 11 starters born in 2000 or later
NEOM concede at the death for the second week in a row as Al-Taawoun salvage late draw
- NEOM narrowly lost to Al-Nassr 1-0 last weekend after Mohamed Simakan scored an injury-time winner
- Al-Taawoun followed up with a late equalizer by Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi to deny them three points
RIYADH: The Saudi Pro League returned for Matchday 26, with the table beginning to take its final shape as the season enters its final quarter. The title contenders kick off on Friday and Saturday, but Thursday’s action focused on a clash between upper mid-table sides NEOM and Al-Taawoun, alongside three relegation-battlers — Al-Najma, Damac and Al-Kholood — attempting to improve their standings.
In Tabuk, NEOM played out a 2-2 draw with Al-Taawoun, this season’s surprise package under the returning Pericles Chamusca. After a brilliant start to the campaign that saw them spend much of the season in the top four, a poor run of just one win in their last eight games has followed.
Al-Taawoun’s late equaliser was vital in their bid to maintain a spot in the top five. With Al-Ittihad lurking just three points behind and yet to play this weekend, every point matters for the Wolves of Qassim. Regardless, it has become a painful second half of the season for Chamusca’s side, as they now sit 12 points behind the top four.
After a heroic performance from Luis Maximiano against Al-Nassr last weekend, NEOM were unfortunate to leave Riyadh empty-handed after conceding at the death. There were still plenty of positives from the defeat, as Christophe Galtier’s squad appear to have finally hit second gear this season.
Calm and collected against Al-Nassr, they repeated the same approach against Al-Taawoun. Knowing their opponents thrive on space in the transition, NEOM prevented them from accessing wingers Marin Petkov and Biel, leaving star striker Roger Martinez isolated for most of the match.
Amadou Koné and Abdoulaye Doucouré did their part to disrupt the centre of Al-Taawoun’s block, with the former driving forward and the latter drifting in between the lines to create the opener. In the 23rd minute, Al-Taawoun’s defence were pulled apart as Luciano Rodríguez met Doucouré’s precise through ball to slot home.
NEOM maintained their composure throughout the match, but it took a wonder strike from Martinez to bring the visitors level in the 70th minute, the Colombian producing a superb strike from distance.
It only took six minutes for NEOM to respond. Saïd Benrahma broke down the Al-Taawoun defence once again, releasing Alexandre Lacazette for a powerful finish to restore the hosts’ lead.
Despite the strong performance from NEOM, they ultimately fell victim to another late setback. Substitute Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi surged down the flank in stoppage time before cutting inside and curling a precise finesse shot beyond Maximiano to salvage a point.
Elsewhere, Damac continued their resurgence under Fabio Carrille with a 3-1 victory over Al-Najma, who remain rooted to the bottom of the table. The win moves Damac six points clear of Al-Riyadh in the relegation zone, while Al-Najma sit 14 points from safety with eight matches remaining.
Meanwhile, Al-Hazem secured a late victory after Abdulaziz Al-Dwehe netted an 86th-minute winner in a 2-1 triumph over Al-Kholood. It was a frustrating night for the Saudi Pro League’s all-time leading scorer Omar Al-Somah, who missed a penalty for the winners in the 60th minute.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Friday, with Al-Fayha hosting Al-Ettifaq and Al-Riyadh welcoming Al-Ittihad at 10:00pm. The headline fixture of the evening — kicking off at the same time — sees second-placed Al-Ahli travel to face fourth-placed Al-Qadsiah. Victory for Al-Ahli against tough opposition would strengthen their title push, while defeat for Al-Qadsiah could effectively end their unlikely championship hopes.
