Last week wasn’t great for PSG penalties. First, Lionel Messi had his saved by Thibaut Courtois in the UEFA Champions League, and a few days later, Neymar took one of the worse penalties you’ll ever see. The Brazilian superstar stuttered his run to see where Alban Lafont would dive. The FC Nantes goalkeeper stood his ground and fell onto Neymar’s tame effort.
If they get a spot-kick against their opponents this weekend, Saint-Étienne surely Kylian Mbappé is the player you trust to put it away?
The game is scheduled to kick off on Saturday at 3 PM EST and will be shown live on beIN Sports from the Parc des Princes in Paris. You can always hit me up on Twitter @AlexJBlowers for advice, your picks, and thoughts on what’s happening in the world of soccer.
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LIGUE 1 2021/22 SEASON GUIDES
How To Bet The Ligue 1 In The U.S.
How To Stream Ligue 1 In The U.S.
PSG VS SAINT-ÉTIENNE BETTING LINES
*Odds Taken from DraftKings Friday, February 25th, 3:20 AM EST
PSG
| Competition | Opponent | Home/Away | Goals For | Goals Against | Total Goals | xG For | xG Against | Total xG | xG Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coupe de France | OGC Nice | Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Ligue 1 | Lille OSC | Away | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 4.1 | +1.7 |
| Ligue 1 | Stade Rennais | Home | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.7 | +0.3 |
| UEFA Champions League | Real Madrid | Home | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2.6 | 0.1 | 2.7 | +2.5 |
| Ligue 1 | FC Nantes | Away | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4.0 | 2.2 | 6.2 | +1.8 |
| Total / Average | 8 / 1.6 | 4 / 0.8 | 12 / 2.4 | 10.5 / 2.62 | 4.2 / 1.05 | 14.7 / 3.67 | +6.3 / +1.57 |
Stats taken from FBREF
Out: Sergio Ramos (Calf)
Doubtful: Leandro Paredes (Abductor)
Suspended: Marco Verratti
Coach: Mauricio Pochettino
The positive news is that Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappé are expected to start up top for the second game in a row. Mauricio Pochettino has 12 days to get these three firing for their UEFA Champions League Last 16 Second Leg Tie against Real Madrid.
Marco Verratti is suspended after picking up his tenth yellow card of the season and 141st of his career in last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to FC Nantes. PSG’s other playmaking midfielder Leandro Paredes is also a doubt with an abductor problem.
I think we will see Idrissa Gueye, Danilo Pereira, and Ander Herrera start in midfield to provide some defensive balance for the front three. Juan Bernat went off injured last Saturday in the 74th minute but is expected to be available on the bench.
In this week’s edition of guess the goalkeeper, I’m going with Keylor Navas to be given more minutes. Next weekend PSG faces OGC Nice and Real Madrid four days later. I think Gianluigi Donnarumma will be preferred in both of those games.
Sergio Ramos misses out again after suffering another setback with his calf injury.
SAINT-ÉTIENNE
| Competition | Opponent | Home/Away | Goals For | Goals Against | Total Goals | xG For | xG Against | Total xG | xG Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ligue 1 | Angers | Away | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
| Coupe de France | Bergerac | Away | 0 | 1 | 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Ligue 1 | Montpellier | Home | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 2.8 | +1.8 |
| Ligue 1 | Clermont Foot | Away | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.4 | -0.4 |
| Ligue 1 | Strasbourg | Home | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 2.7 | +0.1 |
| Total / Average | 8 / 1.6 | 5 / 1 | 13 / 2.6 | 4.6 / 1.15 | 3.1 / 0.77 | 7.7 / 1.92 | +1.5 / +0.37 |
Stats taken from FBREF
Out: None
Doubtful: Wahbi Khazri (Ankle), Enzo Crivelli (Unknown), Joris Gnagnon (Unknown)
Suspended: None
Coach: Pascal Dupraz
Leading goalscorer and captain Wahbi Khazri is struggling with an ankle injury he picked up last weekend. If he doesn’t make it, former Wolves, Crystal Palace, and West Brom striker Bakary Sako will take his place in the starting lineup.
I think that’s the only potential change we will see Pascal Dupraz make to the side who drew 2-2 with Strasbourg last weekend.
FC NANTES VS PSG LIGUE 1 BETTING TIPS
Saint-Étienne are one of the lowest scorers in Ligue 1, and there’s a good chance leading scorer Kharzi will miss out. With their lack of firepower, I don’t think they’ll score, but I don’t trust PSG’s backline after last week’s defensive horror show against FC Nantes.
PSG will lack creativity in central midfield with Verratti and Paredes unavailable. Up top, Messi, Neymar, and Mbappé are struggling to click, so I’m going to back Pochettino’s side to win in a low-scoring game.
Make sure you select this bet using the Same Game Parlay option. It comes out to +140 compared to +115 in the Parlay section.
PSG BETTING TIP: Same Game Parlay PSG Moneyline and Under 3.5 Goals +140
WHERE TO BET PSG VS SAINT ÉTIENNE IN THE US
In the U.S., you can legally bet on soccer in more than two dozen states. You can bet online in some states, but only in-person betting is allowed in most of them.
DraftKings Sportsbook is available in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
FanDuel Sportsbook is available in Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
