Bastia vs PSG preview

August 10, 2016
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

PSG vs MonacoLast year’s champions Paris Saint-Germain face Bastia on the road in the curtain-raiser of the new Ligue 1 campaign, with everybody eager to see Unai Emery’s new-look side in action.

The Corsicans will not be an easy pray having done really well since they returned to the elite division, especially at their Stade Armand Cesari.

Bastia finished the previous league campaign in top half of the standings, mostly thanks to an impressive home record that saw them record 11 wins and concede mere 14 goals in 19 home fixtures.

The good news is that the squad underwent no major changes in the summer, with only key midfielder Floyd Ayite leaving to join Fulham.

On the other hand, forward Thievy Bifouma arrived from Espanyol, while Bastia also secured loan deals for talented youngsters Allan Saint-Maximin and Lenny Nangis.

The team have failed to impress in pre-season, losing to Ajaccio, Eintracht Braunschweig and Genoa, and they will have to show some improvement if they want to avoid defeat in the Ligue 1 opener.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Leca – Djiku, Peybernes, Squillaci, Marange – Cahuzac, Mostefa – Danic, Diallo, Nangis – Thievy.

Laurent Blanc may have won four league titles in a row, but the failure to get PSG past the Champions League quarter-finals eventually cost him the job.

Craving for European success, the Saints chiefs appointed three-time Europa League winner Unai Emery in his place, and the first signs suggest it was a great decision.

PSG looked quite impressive in pre-season, defeating the likes of West Bromwich (2-1), Inter Milan (3-1), Real Madrid (3-1) and Leicester City (4-0).

They then went on to hammer Lyon 4-1 in the French Super Cup match, despite enjoying just 41% of possession, but they were simply ruthless every time they had the ball.

PSG looked every bit as dangerous as Unai Emery’s previous side and it appears the Spanish coach has already left his mark on the team.

The Saints have been made 1.44 (4/9) favourites to see off Bastia in Corsica on Friday night, as they will have a number of players back to the side.

Grzegorz Krychowiak and Adrien Rabiot return from suspension, while Edinson Cavani could be back from a hamstring problem. Thiago Silva and Marquinhos remain unavailable.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Trapp – Aurier, Luiz, Kimpembe, Kurzawa – Motta, Rabiot – Ben Arfa, Pastore, Di Maria – Cavani.

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