PSG hopes to reverse its recent fortunes as the Ligue 1 leaders host relegation threatened Lorient in the French top flight.
The Parisians have fallen apart since the Champions League exit to Real Madrid, with a 3-0 thrashing by Monaco last time out painted as a further referendum on the team’s dysfunction. While victory over the 16th placed side would hardly quiet the noise, any more dropped points against lesser sides would only further to heighten the tension around a team in disarray.
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in particular has been at the forefront of PSG’s struggles, but he may get another shot as Keylor Navas does not appear in the squad after suffering an injury while on international duty against the United States.
Lionel Messi has also been heavily criticized, with the Argentine failing to bring his usual attacking third presence with him in his first season in Paris. Messi has not integrated well into the star-studded PSG side, struggling to share the spotlight with other world-class players in the squad. Neymar, finally back from a long-term ankle injury, has also struggled to recreate his former attacking presence of him.
This has left all the heavy lifting to Kylian Mbappe, who was able to push the side over the line in the Champions League first leg matchup against Real Madrid, but has been unable to recreate that magic since.
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Sporting News will be following the match live and providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
PSG vs. Lorient live score
| 1 HOUR | 2H | Final | |
| PSG | – | – | – |
| FC Lorient | – | – | – |
goals:
None
(All times Eastern)
1:48 p.m.: Lineups are in, and as expected for PSG, the big trio of Mbappe, Neymar, Messi starts, and behind them it’s Paredes, Gueye, and Danilo in midfield with Marco Verratti out.
12:56 p.m.: FC Lorient celebrated the club’s 96th birthday yesterday. Can they secure a late birthday present in Paris?
The only time these clubs met on Lorient’s birthday, they played to a 0-0 draw on April 2, 2011. The visitors would absolutely take that today!
C’est notre anniversaire aujourd’hui ☺️
9⃣6⃣ 𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗱’𝗲́𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀! 🧡 pic.twitter.com/vTNRsaI9Ib— FC LORIENT 🐟 (@FCLorient) April 2, 2022
12:45 p.m.: It looks cold in France! PSG got ready for today’s match with an early morning training session.
🎥 𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙸𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚂𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙾𝙽
preparing for #PSGFCL!⚽️pic.twitter.com/Mkpy44D9FK
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) April 3, 2022
PSG vs. Lorient lineups
PSG has a number of injury issues stemming from March international duty. The biggest miss is goalkeeper Keylor Navas who departed Costa Rica’s final match against the United States with an adductor injury and was not included in today’s squad. that leaves Gianluigi Donnarumma to continue in goal, despite his recent struggles.
Marco Verrattiwho was excellent for Italy despite the shock loss to North Macedonia, has also picked up a hamstring problem on international duty and does not appear in the squad.
Andrew Herreradespite appearing in PSG’s matchday training, was not included in the squad either thanks to a hamstring injury. Angel Di Maria will not take part after picking up a muscle injury on duty with Argentina, but Sergio Ramos returns to the squad after two months on the sidelines, but he will likely need some time off the bench before spelling Marquinhos who played the full 90 minutes in both of Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers.
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PSG starting lineup (4-3-3): Donnarumma (GK) — Hakimi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Mendes – Pereira, Paredes, Gueye – Neymar, Mbappe, Messi.
PSG subs (9): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
For Lorient, midfield anchor Bonke Innocent is suspended due to yellow card accumulation, giving him time to recover from an injury he picked up on international duty with Nigeria. Fabien Lemone could come in as a replacement if recovered from his own cal f injury, but Enzo LeFee and Quentin Boisgard are both options as well.
To help deal with the beefy PSG attack, there was speculation Lorient would deploy a five-back system, but instead they choose a more traditional 4-5-1.
FC Lorient starting lineup (4-5-1): Dreyer (GK)—Le Goff, Laporte, Petrot, Mendes—Abergel, Monconduit, Le Fee, Moffi, Ouattara—Kone
FC Lorient subs (9): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
How to watch PSG vs. Lorient
- Date: Sunday, April 3
- Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
- TVChannel: BeIN Sports
- streaming: fuboTV
Sunday’s Ligue 1 match between PSG and Lorient can be watched on BeIN Sports in the USA, and can be streamed on fuboTV, which new users can access via a free trial.
PSG-Lorient betting lines & odds
Despite the dip in form, PSG is still massive favorites in this match against a relegation candidate.
Lorient, sitting 16th in the table just a point above the drop, has not won at Parc des Princes since 2011, but there are signs that this match could be closer than advertised.
The visitors suffered a 12-match losing streak against PSG in all competition between 2013 and 2020, but in their last two meetings, Lorient has collected four points, winning at home last January before a December draw in this season’s reverse fixture. In addition, Lorient has turned around its league form, with wins over Clermont Foot and Brest over its last three matches.
- money line: PSG -575 / Draw +700 / Lorient +1500
- Spread: PSG -2 (-120) / Lorient +2 (+105)
- O/U 3.5 total goals: Over-110 / Under-110
- Both teams to score: Yes -110 / No -115
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism