Nigerian winger, Moses Simon, will be hoping to outshine a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain side and score his third goal against the more fancied side when both sides clash in a French Ligue 1 match at the Beaujoire Stadium on Saturday (today), PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The game will be Simon’s fifth appearance against the Parisiens in the league since joining the club in 2019.
Simon fired blanks in his first game against PSG in 2019in a 2-0 loss but was on target in their 2-1 loss in his second outing in February 2020.
In his third game, he watched as PSG thrashed his side 3-0 in October 2020, but the case was different in March 2021 as he scored the winner in their 2-1 comeback win at the Parc des Princes.
Despite being 13 points ahead of second-placed Olympique Marseille, PSG will be hoping to get a win in the encounter to consolidate their position on top of the league table.
Nantes on the other hand will hope to end PSG’s unbeaten run of 15 games in Ligue 1 this term and better their position on the log.
The win will also give Nantes players more confidence going into subsequent games but the task will be a tough one against an opponent that has only lost one league game this season.
Simon who had a tournament to remember with Nigeria at the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon was the hero for Nantes in their 1-0 win over 10-man Reims last week scoring a sublime direct free kick from about 20-yards out.
PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Brazilian star Neymar could start the game after returning to action against Real Madrid in midweek’s Champions League game and also impressing in training.
“Neymar could start (against Nantes),” Pochettino said on Friday.
“He has been doing well in training, and he has been very focused at every stage of his recovery, showing his commitment to get back to his best level and help the team.”
Nantes coach Antoine Kombouaré says the game will be difficult but he’s expecting a win.
“I expect a lot from this match. I expect us to be great, to emerge victorious from this confrontation even if I know it will be complicated,” Kombouaré said in his pre-match press conference.
“PSG are the leaders of this Ligue 1 with many points ahead of his runner-up. What I know is that they have only lost once this season, it was in Rennes. It’s a huge challenge that awaits us. We’re preparing for and we want to do something big.”
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