This Friday, fifth placed Toulouse will square off against surprise mid-table team Paris Saint Germain. The surprise isn’t a good one for fans of
Les Parisiens after their extravagant spending spree this past summer. They added three of Serie A’s biggest stars: Ezequiel Lavezzi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva amongst others.
New signing Ibrahimovic has been a revelation since coming to the French capital and has scored four goals in four games. The big Swede’s teammates have not been able to replicate such a form that saw the club draw its first three games before winning their last Ligue 1 tie. No other player on the PSG squad has scored aside from Ibrahimovic, which shows the team’s reliance on the player and the player’s need for the ball.
Toulouse has a more balanced scoring attack and have had three players contribute to their five total goals. The three players are converted striker Wissam Ben Yedder, Moussa Sissoko and hardman Etienne Capoue. Sissoko hasn’t really lived up to the potential he showed earlier in his career while Capoue has asserted himself as a midfield general that will be the likely successor to Patrick Vieira.
While on paper, PSG boasts the much more impressive squad featuring a host of international stars, Toulouse enters the game coming off two wins and a draw and will provide a challenge for PSG.
PSG will likely start the game with a 4-3-1-2; like they did in their last league match against Lille which resulted in a victory. In goal, they will field, arguably Ligue 1′s best keeper, Salvatore Sirigu. The back-line will feature captain Christophe Jallet at right back, Thiago Silva and Alex at center back and Maxwell at left back. Marco Verratti will likely be fielded as the regista or deep-lying playmaker in front of the defense with Javier Pastore slightly in front of him, and Thiago Motta and Blaise Matuidi alongside the young Italian. Ibrahimovic will be the first name on the team sheet alongside Frenchman Jeremy Menez as Ezequiel Lavezzi is still serving a suspension from a red card.
Toulouse has played a 4-1-4-1 in their recent matches in the league and will line up as follows: Ali Ahamada in goal; a defense consisting of Cheikh M’Bengue, Aymen Abdennour, Steeve Yago, and Serge Aurier from left to right; Etienne Capoue as the holding midfielder; Franck Tabanou and Adrien Regattin on the flanks; and Moussa Sissoko and Etienne Didot just behind striker Wissam Ben Yedder.
Toulouse’s formation favors possession and their high passing percentage makes dispossessing them very difficult. PSG will need to stop relying so much on Ibrahimovic and vary their point of attack. Until then, the Paris giants will continue to employ a predictable offense that will see opposing players harry Ibrahimovic to put him off scoring chances. I predict that Toulouse’s possession tactics and PSG’s single-minded approach will see the game end in a 1-1 draw.
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