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With Neymar Back, PSG Have A Goal (Or Several) In Mind Against Montpellier
Neymar was last seen scoring half of PSG's goals in an 8-0 devastation of Dijon.
January 27th, 2018 | 11:57 AM | 1284 views
PARIS
Paris Saint-Germain host Montpellier in Ligue 1 on Saturday and have the chance to re-establish a provisional 11-point lead at the summit ahead of Lyon's trip to Bordeaux and the big Sunday night clash between Marseille and Monaco.
On paper, the French capital outfit should have no problem in disposing of their eighth-placed visitors this weekend, but the same was also said before the goalless draw at Stade de la Mosson back in September.
Incredibly, Montpellier have conceded just 15 goals all season -- two fewer than PSG -- and they have shipped more than one goal only twice all campaign.
Good, then, for coach Unai Emery that superstar Neymar is back in the squad for the Parc des Princes clash.
Last time the Brazil international was in action, in the 8-0 devastation of Dijon -- incidentally, one of the two teams to have scored more than one goal against Montpellier -- he scored four times and added two assists in a sensational showing.
Emery was unequivocal in his view during Friday's pre-match news conference that Les Parisiens' No. 10 is already well on his way to being "the best player in the world" before emphatically stating that he is "convinced that [Neymar] will do so here at PSG.
"After the Lyon defeat last Sunday night," the Spaniard told journalists at Camp des Loges, "It is important that we get back to winning ways in Ligue 1 in order to maintain our lead over the chasing pack.
"Montpellier have shown some good signs this season. They have only lost twice away from home and they have the best defence in Le Championnat. We drew 0-0 there earlier in the campaign. Their coach (Michel Der Zakarian) has been competitive with every club he has been in charge of.
"It is an important home match for us. After wins over Dijon and Guingamp, we want to keep scoring goals and produce a complete performance."
Neymar will aid that, as in Lyon and at times against Guingamp since his Dijon masterclass, PSG's attack has lacked fluidity.
A big part of that is obviously Kylian Mbappe's absence, as he continues to wait to make his return after a heavy collision with OL goalkeeper Anthony Lopes at Groupama Stadium, but another factor is Edinson Cavani's recent form. Since returning to action in 2018, the Uruguay international has looked rusty and apprehensive as he stands on the brink of an all-time record tally of 157 goals for the club.
Whoever steps up, it will be a challenge to get past a back line marshalled by evergreen 40-year-old Vitorino Hilton.
"Against us, teams know they must be solid in defence," Emery said of La Paillade's impressively watertight rearguard. "Montpellier know how to do that very well.
"This weekend, it will be up to us to show that, against a competitive team, we can impose ourselves, dictate the style, create chances and score goals."
Neymar will be key to that but so too will Angel Di Maria and possibly Julian Draxler -- depending on where Emery decides to place him on the pitch. Both the Argentinian and the German were disappointingly mute in Lyon last weekend, but the pair came to life against Guingamp, with Di Maria involved in three of the four goals and Draxler in the other one.
The mercurial duo, as well as the returning Marco Verratti, Adrien Rabiot and Giovani Lo Celso, will need to be better than they were in Lyon and still a notch above the levels they showed against a Guingamp side that leaked chances but had Karl Johan Johnsson in goal.
Javier Pastore is another potential game-changer, if he feels like it, but may well have his mind elsewhere with the January transfer window coming to a close in the coming days.
Piercing the Montpellier defence again once the first goal goes in should not be too difficult, because as good as they are at the back, they are poor going forward. But the challenge will be getting that first goal.
Time for Neymar or Cavani to step forward and provide the goals to earn three more points on the way towards what still seems like another inevitable Ligue 1 title, despite the Lyon hiccup
Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC
by JONATHAN JOHNSON, PSG CORRESPONDENT
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