Ligue 1 football will return after the international break on Friday with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) hosting AS Monaco at the Parc des Princes.
PSG climbed to the top of the Ligue 1 table with a 3-0 win over Reims in their latest outing. Kylian Mbappe scored a brilliant hat-trick to help his side bounce back from a 2-1 loss they had suffered at the hands of AC Milan at the San Siro in the Champions League.
It marked Mbappe's eighth hat-trick in Ligue 1 and he will once again be PSG's main man as they strive to solidify their place at the top of the table this weekend. They hold a slender one-point lead over Nice, who are currently second in the league.
PSG have now won five Ligue 1 games on the trot and will look to steer further clear of their Friday opponents Monaco, who are currently three points behind them.
Monaco went into the international break on the back of a goalless stalemate against Le Havre. It wasn't without drama though as Adi Hutter's men were forced to engineer a lucky escape after Le Havre were awarded a penalty in the dying embers of the match.
Samuel Grandsir's weak effort was comfortably pouched by Philipp Kohn, who ensured the spoils were shared at the end of the night. Monaco currently hold a three-point lead over fourth-placed Lille.
As such, a loss against PSG won't alter their place in the table but they will be hoping for a positive result when they square off against the reigning Ligue 1 champions on Friday.
PSG vs AS Monaco Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- On Friday, AS Monaco will become the team that PSG have faced the most number of times in their history across all competitions (111th time).
- PSG have lost 44% of their matches against Monaco in all competitions, their highest loss percentage against any French side they've faced at least five times.
- Monaco have won four of their last six Ligue 1 games against PSG.
- No team has scored more Ligue 1 goals away from home at the Parc des Princes during the QSI era than Monaco (13 goals in 10 matches).
- Monaco have won just one of their last five Ligue 1 away games.
PSG vs AS Monaco Prediction
PSG are on a five-game winning streak in the league. Meanwhile, AS Monaco have been poor away from home of late. Additionally, Folarin Balogun and Takumi Minamino's involvement is in doubt as they are expected to arrive late after their international commitments.
PSG are likely to cash in on their home advantage and eke out an important win here.
Prediction: PSG 2-0 AS Monaco
PSG vs AS Monaco Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - PSG to win
Tip 2: Game to have under 2.5 goals - Yes
Tip 3: Kylian Mbappe to score at any time - Yes