PSG eye becoming France's first 'Invincibles'

FILE: Paris Saint-Germain's supporters cheer from the stands during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Stade Rennais FC at The Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris on September 27, 2024. The Auteuil stand, where insulting banners against Marseille's French midfielder Adrien Rabiot had been unfurled during PSG-OM on 16 March, has incurred a partial closure of a match behind closed doors, and the club a fine of 20,000 euros, the Ligue de football professionnel (LFP) announced on April 2, 2025. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
Paris
Saint-Germain can wrap up another Ligue 1 title this weekend and are also
closing in on the first ever unbeaten season in the top flight of French
football.
PSG
play host to relegation-threatened Angers on Saturday knowing a draw will be
enough for them to secure their 11th French championship triumph in the last 13
years.
It
is a long period of dominance which began quickly after the takeover of the
club by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011.
The
financial gap between PSG and the rest of France now appears unbridgeable, and
Luis Enrique's team are currently a huge 21 points clear at the top of the
table with seven games of the season to play.
For
them to miss out on the title now, PSG would have to lose every remaining game
and Monaco would have to win all of theirs and also oversee an enormous swing
in goal difference.
Put
simply, that is not going to happen, and the Parisians will hope to finish the
job in front of their own supporters before switching their focus to their
Champions League quarter-final first leg at home to Aston Villa next Wednesday.
This
midweek PSG secured their place in the final of the French Cup, surviving a
scare by coming from two goals down to beat Ligue 2 side Dunkerque 4-2 and set
up a clash with Reims on May 24.
They
have not lost any of their last 38 matches against domestic opponents across
all competitions since a 3-1 defeat at home to Toulouse last May.
The
likes of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, Juventus, Celtic and, just last season, Bayer
Leverkusen have all gone through domestic league campaigns without losing a
game in the 21st century.
In
France, Nantes have come the closest, going unbeaten through their first 32
matches of the 38-game season as they took the title in 1994/95.
PSG
have played 27 of 34 matches in this Ligue 1 campaign, and surely should remain
unbeaten as long as they do not become distracted by the Champions League.
"We
are not unbeatable, we are not invincible, we are not film heroes,"
insisted Luis Enrique after Tuesday's win against Dunkerque.
"We
are just a football team. Perfection does not exist and we are not
perfect."
Yet
PSG, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Achraf Hakimi in
outstanding form, should not need to be perfect to keep their current run going
domestically.
After
this weekend, three of their final six Ligue 1 matches will be against sides
presently in the bottom six.
A
home game against Champions League hopefuls Nice and a trip to in-form
Strasbourg are the toughest remaining assignments on the domestic front.
Player
to watch: Mika Biereth
The
22-year-old London-born striker, who recently made his debut for the Danish
national team, has enjoyed a stunning start to life at Monaco since joining the
principality club in January.
Recruited
from Sturm Graz in Austria, the former Arsenal youngster has scored 12 goals in
his first 10 Ligue 1 appearances, including three hat-tricks.
His
strike in last week's Cote d'Azur derby against Nice left him with 11 goals
from five home games with his new club, but he has just one on the road heading
into this weekend's trip to Brest.
According
to statisticians Opta, Biereth has scored a goal every 67 minutes since he
moved to France's top flight.
Key
stats
13
- Lucky for some, PSG are set to win their 13th French league title overall
32
- PSG's leading marksman Dembele has scored 32 goals this season in all
competitions
5 -
While PSG are 21 points clear at the top of the table, just five points
separate the next six teams, from Monaco in second to Lyon in seventh
Fixtures
(times GMT)
Nice
v Nantes (1845)
Paris
Saint-Germain v Angers (1500), Brest v Monaco (1700), Lyon v Lille (1905)
Lens
v Saint-Etienne (1300), Reims v Strasbourg, Rennes v Auxerre, Montpellier v Le
Havre (all 1515), Marseille v Toulouse (1845)
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