Back
In a dramatic flourish on their website, Ligue 1 bottom side Le Havre have called Paris Saint-Germain a team to “haunt our sleepless nights”, filled with “footballers of flamboyant class and dazzling talent” as the leaders travel to Stade Oceane the night before Halloween.
“Terrifying creatures are everywhere,” Le Havre say, citing the “brilliant” likes of Illia Zabarnyi, Warren Zaire-Emery, Mika Godts, Ferran Torres and Desire Doue.
To counter the threat, says head coach Didier Digard, Le Club Doyen’s squad must “be ourselves” and “represent Le Havre, the club, the city”.
“[We must] demonstrate the values that have allowed our club to stay up three years in a row, with so much fighting spirit, selflessness, and solidarity,” said Digard. “And believe in ourselves. That’s the foundation of all success.”
PSG’s form is also foreboding, moving top for the first time this season by beating Lyon 2-0 at home on Monday to secure their eighth consecutive win in all competitions.
“Every time we’ve been there or faced teams considered to be weaker, we’ve had problems,” warned head coach Luis Enrique.
“Even though we’re top of the table and they’re bottom, there will be difficult moments to manage during the match.
“It’s a test and a challenge for us. We have to continue to find sources of motivation to perform well. It’s never easy to go and play at Le Havre.
“They cause problems… they’re one of the teams in Ligue 1 that put in the most crosses. We have to show that we’re ready to overcome all that.”
Right-backs Timothee Pembele (adductor) and Elias Jelert (dead leg) are out for Le Havre, as is centre-half Stephan Zagadou (knee).
Winger Felix Mambimbi has not featured this season because of an Achilles tendon injury, which is also the problem afflicting goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi-Nzau.
Defender Marquinhos and forward Ousmane Dembele are absent for PSG with hamstring issues, while winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has a serious knee injury.
Left-back Nuno Mendes and goalkeeper Alessandro Longoni both have dead legs.
Le Havre: Gauthier Gallon, Ayumu Seko, Junior Mwanga, Ahmed Touba, Djibril Ouziad, Enzo Koffi, Rassoul Ndiaye, Simon Ebonog, Amir Richardson, Rayan Fofana, Mbwana Samatta
PSG: Matvey Safonov, Achraf Hakimi, Ilya Zabarnyi, Willian Pacho, Lucas Hernandez, Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Maghnes Akliouche, Ferran Torres, Desire Doue
Kick-off on Friday is at 18:00 GMT (14:00 ET / 11:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Amazon Prime PPV, which charges £2.49 for the game.
Ligue 1 Pass also shows matches live, costing £9.99 a month or £79.99 a season.
Le Havre 0-2 PSG
Le Havre’s only defeat by more than a goal this season was a 3-1 home loss against Auxerre, although they fell 4-0 behind at Marseille last Sunday before replying three times. PSG are in excellent form but the hosts’ results suggest they will keep the scoreline respectable on an occasion they are clearly charged for.
Back
Top
| Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact |
Refresh
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Football Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Football Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.