3 main talking point ahead of PSG vs Le Havre in Ligue 1

After the international break, Paris Saint-Germain is set to host 14th-placed Le Havre at the Parc des Princes on Saturday. Luis Enrique and his side will play just after second-placed Marseille who sit just two points behind Paris and will need to defeat their opponents as they are also preparing for a big Champions League clash against Tottenham on Wednesday.

Just before the break, PSG secured a late win against Lyon to stay at the top of the league while dealing with many injuries within their squad.

Three key talking points ahead of PSG vs Le Havre

1. Dembélé and Nuno Mendes should be rested this week

After their long and successful 2024-2025 season, PSG had to deal with a never-ending injury crisis as numerous key players of their squad had to be side-lined with muscular injuries. However, two key players, Ousmane Dembélé and Nuno Mendes are on their way back and could potentially feature for the club in their next two games against Le Havre in Ligue 1 this weekend and Tottenham in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Despite their importance for the club, Luis Enrique should prioritised their recovery and keep them outside his lineup for these two games and avoid any setbacks for two stars that will be crucial for them in the later stages of the season. Therefore, even though the Champions League game is important as they will look to bounce back from their loss to Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich, Dembélé and Mendes should sit these games and comeback completely fit.

2. Lucas Chevalier and Illia Zabarnyi need to step up

Lucas Chevalier and Illia Zabarnyi are the two biggest signings of the summer transfer window for PSG, with it came a lot of scrutiny after joining a side that recently won the first treble of its history. Additionally, Lucas Chevalier who replaced Gianluigi Donnarumma in between the posts for PSG was subjected to a lot of pressure from the fans and observers. Unfortunately, he has somewhat failed to deliver to the many expectations after several costly mistakes.

As for Zabarnyi, the Ukraine international centre-back has made a few high-profile mistakes, notably in the Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen. He has failed to convince up to this point as he is expected to replace Marquinhos in the future. However, these two players are still young, joining in a difficult context when the side is dealing with a lot of injuries.

3. Avoid any mishaps

With Marseille breathing down their neck in the table, Paris cannot afford any mishaps against Le Havre, and will need to navigate the difficult stretch ahead of them until the winter break to keep their distance with their rival.

While the season is very long, the many injuries within the squad and a potentially long European season upcoming, it could be difficult to remain at the top of the league with Marseille just behind putting pressure on them.