Paris Saint-Germain will look to restore their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to eight points when they meet Montpellier HSC in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

Thomas Tuchel's side claimed a comfortable 2-0 win over Nantes last time out, while Montpellier are currently enjoying a seven-game unbeaten run.

Match preview

After shocking the world to win the Ligue 1 title in 2012, Montpellier entered an era of painful decline, unable to breach the top half of the table, let alone the top four.

Since the appointment of Michel Der Zakarian in 2017, however, the French side finds itself on a much surer footing, finishing sixth last season and maintaining that same placing after 14 games this time around.

Following a shaky start to the campaign, Montpellier are currently enjoying a decent run of form, as seen most notably through an impressive 4-2 victory over Amiens earlier this month.

Playing with an ambitious 3-4-1-2 system, Der Zakarian's men follow the modern tradition of attacking down the middle and breaking the pitch down into phases, which can sometimes leave them exposed in behind but more often than not means that attacking duo Gaetan Laborde and Andy Delort play a central role.

As they gear up to face PSG, Montpellier players will know that getting the ball to the aforementioned pair as quickly as possible will be crucial for when it comes to putting the Ligue 1 side under pressure.

However, for all of Montpellier's muscle, it pales in comparison to the dizzying attacking talent on show at PSG.

The club's 2-0 win over Nantes saw Neymar, following a series of injuries, return to the scoresheet, while Kylian Mbappe rounded off a sweeping team move with a sublime flicked finish.

Heading into this game, however, news surrounding the duo is less about their exploits on the pitch and instead more about whether they will complete moves to Spain next summer.

In similar fashion, manager Thomas Tuchel is being heavily linked with the Bayern Munich job ahead of next summer.

Such transience is emblematic of PSG's wider culture, which seems to hinge so strongly on how the club performs in the Champions League, but for now, the side must worry about navigating a potentially tricky away game in the south of France.

Recent Paris Saint-Germain form: WWWWDW
Recent Montpellier form: WDWDWD

Team News

Kylian Kaiboue and Nicolas Cozza are set to miss the rest of Montpellier's season due to cruciate ligament injuries.

Jordan Ferri, on the other hand, is likely to make a return to action in late January.

For PSG, Tuchel continues to be without key midfielders Ander Herrera and Marco Verratti, who both have thigh injuries.

Eric Choupo-Moting and Loic Mbe Soh are also sidelined with respective back and groin problems, with no timescale available on when they may return.

Montpellier possible starting lineup:
Rulli; Vidal, Hilton, Le Tallec; Sambia, Chotard, Savanier, Ristic; Mollet, Delort, Laborde

Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Navas; Dagba, Diallo, Silva, Bernat; Marquinhos, Gueye, Draxler; Di Maria, Neymar, Mbappe

We say: Montpellier 1-4 Paris Saint-Germain

Should Montpellier commit bodies forward, they have a chance of causing PSG a few problems at the start of the game.

However, as proceedings wear on, the visitors will make their superior quality shown with some ruthless attacking football on the break, with Neymar and Mbappe both getting in on the action.