Angers v. Paris: a western showdown

A LOOK AT THE TABLE

After a difficult start to the season, Angers have managed to stop the rot in recent weeks by getting some much-needed points on the board and escaping the relegation zone. Having picked up 1-1 draws away to both Marseille and Toulouse, Le SCO registered their first win of the season a fortnight ago, beating Saint-Étienne 4-2 on home turf. The westerners didn't stop there, either, as just last week, they pulled off the shock result of Matchday 10 by coming away from Monaco with a 1-0 victory. Now unbeaten in their last four outings, Angers currently sit in 15th place with ten points from as many games.

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain have also been putting the pedal to the metal, albeit at the opposite end of the league table, where they have recently extended their lead. Since the mid-October international break, Luis Enrique's men have earned three straight wins in Ligue 1 (4-2 and 1-0 at home to Strasbourg and Lens respectively, as well as the scintillating 3-0 victory away to Marseille in Le Classique), giving Les Parisiens a total of 26 points – six more than both OM and Monaco.

THE OPPOSITION'S STRENGTHS

Alexandre Dujeux mainly sets his side up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. In goal, Ivory Coast international Yahia Fofana has established himself as his side's first-choice keeper and will very probably stand between the sticks tomorrow night, too. In central defence, 19-year-old hopeful Emmanuel Biumla has earned a place alongside Jordan Lefort, thereby relegating Cédric Hountondji and Abdoulaye Bamba to the substitutes' bench. In the full-back positions, summer signing Carlens Arcus has met expectations on the right, while the experience of Florent Hanin has generally been preferred to the youthfulness of Gabon international Jacques Ekomié on the left.

In midfield, former Monaco man Jean-Eudes Aholou is now one of the key men in Le SCO's starting XI, while two players with similar profiles to each other – namely Yassin Belkhdim and Haris Belkebla – will battle it out for a place alongside him. The latter's experience could work in his favour, too, as during his spell with Brest, Belkebla faced Les Rouge et Bleu no fewer than eight times. Meanwhile, despite starting the season as his side's captain, Pierrick Capelle has since been confined to a supersub role, whereas Zinédine Ould Khaled has barely been used and Joseph Lopy remains unavailable.

In the playmaker position, Algeria international Himad Abdelli, who has scored three goals in his ten Ligue 1 games so far this season, is expected to start. As well as inheriting the captain's armband recently, Abdelli shone in Ligue 2 last season and continued to show the full extent of his talent at the Stade Louis II last week.

Over on the right wing, Jim Allevinah is beginning to make his mark, not least through his two assists in 2024–2025 so far. Having arrived in the Pays de la Loire region from Clermont in the summer, the Gabon international currently sits above Zinedine Ferhat in the Angers pecking order, with promising youngster Justin-Noël Kalumba still out of action. As for the left flank, the impactful Farid El Melali will undoubtedly return tomorrow. With four goal contributions in nine league games so far this season (one goal and three assists), the Algeria international will be one of Le SCO's main threats.

Finally, in the centre-forward position, former Metz player Ibrahima Niane (two goals in seven games) has gained the upper hand over his Senegalese compatriot Bamba Dieng (two goals and one assist in six games), and it's Niane who is expected to start once more against Les Parisiens, with Esteban Lepaul potentially making an appearance midway through the game. Elsewhere, the experienced duo of Loïs Diony and Adrien Hunou continues to feature for Angers's reserves, while 17-year-old Sidiki Chérif, who was brought into the limelight earlier in the season thanks to his incredibly young age, has been ruled out of tomorrow's game due to a thigh injury.