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Saturday Preview: Brest-PSG and more
Stade Brestois-Paris Saint-Germain
Both the leaders and Éric Roy's upstarts will be eager to get a leg up and record a confidence-boosting win before their Coupe de France Round of 16 matches in midweek. The hosts are coming off a Champions League loss to Real Madrid in the week, but will nevertheless be happy to have reached the knockout rounds, even if a two-legged tie against the still-unbeaten Ligue 1 leaders is their reward.
PSG will be without key midfielders João Neves and Warren Zaïre-Emery, but with Fabián Ruiz and Kang-In Lee as their deputies, the dropoff in talent will hardly be precipitous. As for Brest, with a trophy on offer in the week, Roy is expected to rest key players with an eye toward progress.
AS Monaco-AJ Auxerre
Despite a frustrating ten-man defeat to Inter Milan in the week, things are looking up for the Monégasques. The returns to fitness of Eliesse Ben Seghir and Denis Zakaria have been a boon for the Principality side, and they took advantage of a loss by Marseille last weekend to edge closer to Les Olympiens. While defender Wilfried Singo is undoubtedly a major absence for the hosts, the strong form of January arrival Mika Biereth has been a bright spot in attack -- the Dane is expected to lead the line tomorrow.
As for Auxerre, the eastern side is in a bit of a tailspin after a strong start to the season. Without a win in the league since November and already out of the cup, things have become nervy at the Stade Abbé-Deschamps of late, even if this match is hardly likely to offer any remedy in terms of climbing the table.
𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 ⚡️
🔜 #ASMAJA pic.twitter.com/cYud6cLanL— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) January 31, 2025
LOSC Lille-AS Saint-Étienne
The day's final match sees LOSC Lille host AS Saint-Étienne, who shocked the northerners in the reverse fixture in early September, 1-0. Despite a spirited win over Feyenoord in the Champions League in the week, injuries remain a major problem for the hosts, with more than half a dozen players currently sidelined. As for Sainté, they also have some notable absences, but will be eager to give new signing Irvin Cardona a debut, the former Monaco and Brest striker having been influential in their promotion campaign last season.
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