Preview: LOSC welcome PSG in top-drawer clash
Matchday Two of the 2026/27 Ligue 1 McDonald's is set to start with a bang as holders Paris Saint-Germain travel to face LOSC under new manager Davide Ancelotti. Get the latest with our match preview.
Torres to lead the line?
A week on from a double off the bench against Stade Rennais and finding out that he'll have a quick reunion with his former Barcelona teammates, Paris Saint-Germain's Ferran Torres is set to make his first start in Ligue 1 McDonald's. With Ousmane Dembélé rested after the Ballon d'Or winner was taken off at the break last Sunday, the Spanish international, who twice connected with Fabián Ruiz to snatch a point in Brittany, will face his first major test with his new club.
Elsewhere in the side, Ruiz is expected to be rewarded for his brace of assists with a start as well, while another new signing, Lucas Digne, will reunite with his former club at left back with Nuno Mendes unfit. Speaking pre-match, manager Luis Enrique addressed the absence of Dembélé, who had a busy summer at the World Cup, saying, "It was the same last year, when we gave the players some time to recover. That's been the case with Dembélé, with Hakimi and with Mbappé over the last three years. I'm a big fan of Ousmane; he's a key player, and he went to great lengths to be there for our two finals during his summer holidays. He has been, is and will be a key player for us. He made a good decision this week, and that's all there is to it.
Race mode: ON. Matchday in Lille. 🤺 pic.twitter.com/ZrMz5MGDkg
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 28, 2026
A first challenge post-Bouaddi for Les Dogues
Among the Champions League contenders, LOSC had been one of the quieter sides in the mercato, aside from the arrival of Davide Ancelotti on the bench. That changed this week when the club not only officialised the anticipated departure of Ayyoub Bouaddi but also brought in Dilane Bakwa on loan from Nottingham Forest and announced the arrival of Paraguay international Orlando Gill, who had been so impressive in the World Cup. While Gill isn't eligible for this match, Bakwa is in the squad, and Les Dogues will be looking for him to follow up a very strong 2024/25 season with RC Strasbourg as they embark on their own European adventure.
Bakwa is in the squad, but he's not expected to start; after last week's efficient 2-0 away win against Angers, Ancelotti is expected to field the same eleven save midfielder Benjamin André, who has returned from suspension. Speaking ahead of the match, on the occasion of his first Ancelotti averred that this encounter looked to be both an opportunity and a challenge, saying, "It is a wonderful opportunity for us to play the first home game of the season against a team of this caliber. We view this experience as a fantastic opportunity. We know it will be very difficult and that we need to do a lot of things right. But we want to showcase the qualities that define us—the values of this club: being solid, united, and humble, and putting in the hard work. And we want to show that to the fans."
Predicted lineups:
LOSC (4-2-3-1): Özer; Santos, Ngoy, Alexsandro, Perraud; André, Bentaleb; Mbappé, Haraldsson, Önal (or Correia); Giroud
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Safonov; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Digne; Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz; Doué, Torres, Kvaratskhelia
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