Angers-Paris: The battle of the extremes!

a look at the standings 

With a total of 23 wins, 3 draws and 5 defeats after 31 league games, Paris Saint-Germain are still at the top of the Ligue 1 table. The club from the capital now has 72 points, eight ahead of runners-up Marseille and nine ahead of their latest opponents Lens.

On the other hand, Angers SCO are experiencing a year in which the trajectory is diametrically opposed. The Angevins currently occupy the 20th and last place in the ranking. With 3 wins, 5 draws and 23 defeats, the SCO have a record of 14 points. In their eighth consecutive season in the top flight, Sporting Club de l'Ouest are struggling. They are no less than seven points behind AC Ajaccio and ESTAC Troyes, but above all 17 points behind the current first non-league team, Stade Brestois 29. This means that for Alexandre Dujeux and his men, maintaining their position in the league now seems unrealistic.

the first game between the two sides 

The two teams met on Matchday 18 at the Parc des Princes on 11 January. The Parisians won 2-0 in front of the Rouge et Bleu crowd. Following a good combination on the right between Lionel Messi and Nordi Mukiele, the latter found Hugo Ekitike with a cross to the near post. The Parisian striker fired a first-time shot past Paul Bernardoni (1-0, 5').

Paris Saint-Germain doubled their lead before the final quarter of an hour thanks to a superb team move initiated by Messi. After finding Ekitike and Mukiele, the Argentinian striker finished off the Parisian action (2-0, 72'). It was a victory that gave the club from the capital a seventh consecutive Ligue 1 win on its home turf.

the opponents' form 

In the last league match, the Angevins lost by the smallest of margins to Clermont Foot 63 (2-1). Before their trip to the Auvergne, Faouzi Ghoulam's teammates had won at home against LOSC (1-0). The victory was very important for the SCO, who were able to regain some stability in front of their fans.

A week earlier, the SCO had already started the fightback at home when they managed to draw with another top of the table contender: OGC Nice (1-1). Despite being behind, the hosts showed all their mental strength to come back into the game and put the Azureans in trouble. These encouraging performances coincide with the appointment of Alexandre Dujeux as coach a little over a month ago. Jean-Michel Badiane, who started at Paris Saint-Germain and played for the club from the capital between 1992 and 2006, has recently been appointed as assistant coach.

VITINHA - nabil bentaleb : the battle within the MATCH

The two midfielders will try to shine in midfield to get the better of each other. Vitinha, who scored his first goal for Paris during the Rouge et Bleu's 3-1 win over Lens last Saturday, will be keen to build on his current form at Raymond Kopa. The Portuguese international, who has played deeper in the last two games for Paris Saint-Germain, has played an active role in the team's good run of form, with valuable wins over Nice and Lens. The number 17 could be in the starting line-up for the 14th time in Paris' last 15 Ligue 1 matches.

As for Nabil Bentaleb, the Algerian international seems to be standing out in a team that is struggling this season. The midfielder, who joined Angers in January 2022 after spells at Tottenham, Newcastle and Schalke, has been able to bring all his experience to the Angevine team. The midfielder, who has worn the armband for the SCO 20 times this season, continues to distinguish himself by his leadership and technical quality. He has scored three goals and provided four assists in Ligue 1 this season, and he's usually the standout for Angers.

The Algerian attempts and succeeds more dribbles than the Portuguese (2.93 dribbles attempted per game against 1.74 for 64.5% success rate against 59.4%). On the other hand, the Parisian number 17 managed far more passes in the opponent's half of the pitch than Bentaleb (90.1% success rate compared to 74.8%). It's that kind of precision that Paris will need to rely on to destabilise the opposition block on Friday evening.

23 JANVIER 2016: PARIS-ANGERS, a crazy game 

It was in an unprecedented context that the Parisians hosted the Angevins at the Parc des Princes at the start of 2016. For their return to the top flight, Angers caused a sensation and were in third place in Ligue 1 with 34 points from 21 games, while the Rouge et Bleu were top of the table with an exceptional 57 points from as many games played. However, it was not until the half-hour mark that Paris took the lead when Zlatan Ibrahimovic took advantage of Blaise Matuidi winning the ball high up (1-0, 32'). Eight minutes later, it was Gregory van der Wiel who broke through the SCO defence before playing in Lucas (2-0, 40'). The Parisians had made the breakthrough, but they did not intend to stop there...

It was van der Wiel's turn to score after a marvellous team move initiated by Angel Di Maria's left foot (3-0, 54'). But the visitors were not to be deterred and responded by reducing the gap with a shot from Pierrick Capelle on the edge of the area (3-1, 59'). In front of an enthusiastic crowd, the show continued and Di Maria added to the scoreline with a delicate volley that lobbed the current Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Alexandre Letellier (4-1, 63'). Di Maria, who was ideally played in by Matuidi, rounded off a perfect evening with a second well executed lob (5-1, 66'). It was a one-sided game, with Paris Saint-Germain imposing their dominance and leaving the promoted side powerless.

DEUX CLUBS, one player: GRÉGORY BOURILLON

Born in Laval in 1984, Gregory Bourillon joined the Stade Rennais FC academy in 2000 before starting his professional career with the Breton club in 2002, when he had just turned 18. He took part in his team's Gambardella Cup triumph in 2003, alongside Yoann Gourcuff and Jimmy Briand. Initially positioned as a defensive midfielder, the French youth international was moved to as a central defender during the 2005-2006 season. In the summer of 2007, he left Brittany to join Paris Saint-Germain.

Under the Parisian colours, Gregory Bourillon played 55 games in two and a half seasons. He notably participated in the Coupe de la Ligue victory in 2008, with a victory against RC Lens during which he was selected by Paul Le Guen, at the end of a complicated season marked by a survival earned against Sochaux. He left the capital in the winter of 2010 to return to Brittany, but this time to FC Lorient.

It is after having played four seasons with the Merlus then two with the Stade de Reims that the former Rouge et Bleu joined Angers with whom he played the 2016-2017 season. He participated in the SCO's successful season, finishing 11th in Ligue 1 and losing the Coupe de France final to Paris Saint-Germain. At the end of this season spent alongside Nicolas Pépé, Jonathan Bamba and Baptiste Santamaria, Gregory Bourillon left Angers and Ligue 1 for a final challenge with Berrichonne de Châteauroux.