Paris Saint-Germain predicted lineup vs Troyes – Ligue 1

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Paris Saint-Germain welcome Troyes to Parc des Princes in Ligue 1 on Saturday afternoon.

The balancing act of managing a cluster of egos has seen the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino chewed up and spat out by PSG’s dressing room. However, Christophe Galtier described the daunting task as the „Holy Grail“ of coaching.

Here’s the lineup Galtier may select from his feted squad.


Paris Saint-Germain vs Maccabi Haifa: UEFA Champions LeagueParis Saint-Germain vs Maccabi Haifa: UEFA Champions League

Lionel Messi has scored 11 goals across his last nine matches for club and country / Anadolu Agency/GettyImages

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – No keeper in Ligue 1 has kept more clean sheets (eight) or can boast a better save percentage (89%) than Donnarumma this season (per FBref).

RB: Achraf Hakimi – Despite his mother’s best efforts to convince her son to take up „judo or swimming“ – an intriguing set of options – Hakimi insisted on the beautiful game. „I told her it had to be football,“ he remembered.

CB: Marquinhos – On Troyes‘ last visit to Parc des Princes, Marquinhos opened the scoring inside six minutes.

CB: Presnel Kimpembe – During his month-long injury layoff, Kimpembe’s capped head was often spotted in the stands – or loitering around PSG’s bench – as he watched on with unobscured agony (whatever the score) from the sidelines.

LB: Juan Bernat – With Nuno Mendes returning to fitness, Bernat’s starting streak may be nearing its conclusion.

CM: Fabian Ruiz – At Real Betis‘ academy, Ruiz was a nimble little left-footer nicknamed Messi. At 14, he shot up a whole foot within six months and now stands seven inches taller than his teammate.

CM: Marco Verratti – The spiky Italian has already racked up eight yellow cards in just 16 matches across all competitions this season.

CM: Vitinha – The summer arrival has taken more shots without scoring (14) than any other PSG player since joining from Porto.

AM: Neymar – Before Neymar had ever made a first-team appearance for Santos, the club’s fans chanted his name in a bid to force Vagner Mancini’s hand and give the spindly teenager his senior debut. Nowadays, PSG target Endrick received the same treatment at Palmeiras.

ST: Lionel Messi – In less than half as many minutes, Messi has already matched his tally of Ligue 1 goals from his debut season in Paris (six).

ST: Kylian Mbappe – Still just 23, Mbappe has hit double digits for league goals for a seventh consecutive season.