Paris Saint Germain vs Strasbourg Prediction: PSG Aim to Extend Dominance as Strasbourg Look to Upset in Tactical Battle

The Parc des Princes will host an action-packed game this October 19, 2024, where Paris Saint-Germain is set to entertain Strasbourg. PSG presently lies in 2nd place, trying to reclaim the top spot as it pursues another title. Strasbourg lies in 7th place and has been resilient; the team will try to extend its unbeaten run to five games. With the better quality of squad and home advantage, PSG goes into this game; however, Strasbourg has been an opponent capable of making it hard for any team. More than skill is on display in this matchup, as tactics and momentum will again play critical roles.

PSG comes into this game off the back of a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Nice, where though the Parisians controlled most of the possession, they were not able to make much out of it as they fashioned just a single big chance in an otherwise underwhelming performance. They have shown some weakness in their defense too, having conceded in four consecutive games.

PSG, under Luis Enrique, have been majorly relying on a 4-3-3 formation tailored to maintain the tempo of the game and ensure control over possession. Having enjoyed 71% of possession in their last outing, PSG will most likely continue with their high-pressing style by recycling the ball through midfield and stretching the opposition with wingers. This lack of proper utilization has forced PSG to channel the possession into making opportunities to score regularly. The one big chance they created against Nice really underlined the need to sharpen the attack in the final third.

The defensive side sees them concede in their last four matches, something that might be very worrying, and something in which Strasbourg will look to capitalize. Their success rate in defensive tackles is at 59%, though, and that shows they are capable of winning important battles. Since Strasbourg will be very likely sitting back and allowing PSG to dominate the game, Le Parisiens must be aware of a possible counterattack and not lose focus for a second.

Strasbourg comes into this match with an unbeaten streak in four matches, including a dramatic 2-2 draw against Lens. They also have a pretty solid defense, with a high percentage of defending tackles won, and are extremely capable of opening the score first, having done so in five of their last seven matches.

Strasbourg is more tactically set up to soak the pressure and hit on the counter in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Efficiency in attack for Strasbourg was clear to see, even with only 37% of the ball park in their last outing against Lens as they managed to fashion 3 big chances. That ability to capitalize on limited possession will be paramount as Strasbourg faces off against the dominant side. The fact that Strasbourg has relied on long balls for 35% and crosses for 13% shows that they are proficient in exploiting wide areas and set pieces.

Defensively, Strasbourg will look to continue with the strong tackling at a 71% success rate. They will also look not to allow the PSG wingers to cut in. They will look to disrupt the rhythm of PSG-15 fouls against Lens-with the hope that no fluid build-up is allowed. Strasbourg will be circumspect in the opening passages of the game, frustrated PSG into committing those defensive errors for them to take advantage of.

Historically, Strasbourg have always been dominated by PSG. In the last 20 matches, PSG won 13 times, while Strasbourg managed only 2 victories, with 5 matches ending in a draw. The unbeaten streak of PSG against Strasbourg stretches several years, as the last 14 matches yielded no defeats.

Recent trends also come out in favour of PSG. In the last 8 meetings, first goal of the match has gone to PSG in 9/10 matches while it has been the winner of first half in 6/8 matches. Strasbourg has conceded a total of 20 goals in their last 14 meetings with PSG thereby showing their inability to hold tight against the Parisian attack. On the other hand, both teams have scored in 6 of the last 7 matches between the two teams for GG, meaning that even when PSG dominates the match, Strasbourg manages to find the back of the net.

The last they met was in February 2024, when PSG managed a slender 2-1 victory away from home, with Strasbourg giving a good account of themselves but unable to hold off the quality of PSG.

With PSG's head-to-head dominance, taking into account the last 7 out of 8 meetings between these teams have seen over 2.5 goals, this trend is very likely to be continued. High-quality attacking from PSG combined with poor defending from Strasbourg when playing against top teams is an indicator of a comfortable home win with several goals. While Strasbourg's defensive resilience might be tested, their ability to score in this fixture should add to over 2.5 goals.

Despite PSG's dominance, Strasbourg has compiled an impressive record of finding the back of the net in this fixture, with six of the last seven seeing GG. The main problem for the visitors is that PSG's defense has conceded in their last four matches, which should give Strasbourg a chance to exploit. While PSG is likely to dominate, it is expected that Strasbourg's counterattacking style, along with its set-piece threat, will see at least a goal for the visitors.

PSG has first opened the scoring in nine of the last ten meetings with Strasbourg. With the attacking setup that PSG has, combined with the home ground advantage, they will aim to take the initiative of the game and push Strasbourg deep in their half. This is almost a certain outcome as Strasbourg has the tendency of allowing first goals in most games that they sit deep in.

• Home Win + Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.61 Odds
• GG (yes) @ 1.67 Odds
• Correct Score 3:1 @ 10.00 Odds