Le Havre vs Paris Saint Germain Prediction: PSG to shine in the curtain-raiser

It's the curtain raiser of the Ligue 1 2024/25 season and the two teams to get the season rolling will be Le Havre and Paris Saint Germain at the Stade Oceane, Le Havre.

Le Havre will be aiming for a positive start to the season although they have been handed the toughest opponent in the league. And for Paris Saint Germain, they have continued to enjoy uncontested supremacy in the league, and the expectations remain the same as they enter into the new season. They will also be hoping for a strong start to the campaign as they try to retain their Ligue 1 crown once again.

Le Havre will host the first match of the season of the 2024/25 season, as they welcome league title holders Paris Saint Germain. Le Havre achieved an important objective at the end of last season, which was to avoid the drop into the Ligue 2. They ended the 2023/24 season in 15th position and their overall record was: 7 wins, 11 draws and 16 draws, and a total of 32 points. In their first match of last season, they held Montpellier to a 2-2 draw, and even though they would hope for a similar result or a win against Paris Saint Germain, they have to accept the possibility they might be heading to an opening day defeat.

Le Havre has since gone on and made several of the signings in their squad, a strategy with which they hope to strengthen their squad. Notable among these is the case of Abdoulaye Touré from Genoa, toting in large experience for the midfield, and Daler Kuzyaev, a central midfielder from Zenit St. Petersburg, expected to be a pivotal member of the midfield. The young talent that joins the club is Ismaïl Bouneb, attacking midfielder of Valenciennes; this use only fits the strategy the club is using in the statement it presented.

Paris Saint Germain entered into a fresh season with lots of expectations and enthusiasm. They were crowned league title holders for the 12th time at the end of last season after an overwhelming season. Now they return to the pitch for the traditional curtain-raiser of the season against Le Havre and as expected, they are favorites to pick up the first 3 points of the season. Paris Saint Germain ended the 2023/24 season in top spot and their overall record was: 22 wins, 10 draws and 2 defeats, and a total of 76 points. In their opening match of the 2023/24 season, PSG played a goalless draw with Lorient at the Parc de Princes. They will hope for a stronger start to the campaign, surely, against Le Havre.

PSG will be the usual strong competitor under Luis Enrique, having made a few impressive signings, with the potential exit of Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid. Hugo Ekitiké has also made a switch to Eintracht Frankfurt​.

Le Havre and PSG played 15 matches in the past and according to records, PSG won 11 matches, Le Havre won 2 matches and 2 matches ended as a draw.

H2H streaks

PSG is unbeaten in 9 consecutive matches

Le Havre is without a clean sheet in 12 consecutive matches

PSG won the first half 5/7 matches

There were less than 4.5 cards in 10 consecutive matches

PSG are the reigning champions, one of the top sides in Europe, and they usually dominate Ligue 1 games or, at least, those against lower-ranked teams. So Le Havre will most probably be very defensively minded, trying to frustrate PSG and to possibly hit them on the break. They will largely play with a low block, trying to score through set pieces. PSG shall dominate possession and put pressure on in waves. It is simply the depth in attack that allows them to get through any of the most resolute defenses. As well as attacking talent and experience, tactical flexibility also emerges as a major advantage for PSG. The best hope for Le Havre would be to just hold out defensively and try to at least get a draw or narrow defeat; probably, though, PSG will earn a fairly easy win.

• PSG (-1) Goals Handicap at 1.71 Odds
• More than 2.5 Goals at 1.61 Odds
• PSG Win 3:0 at 19.00 Odds