The Preview : Paris - Le Havre
Women's football•
Paris Saint-Germain host Le Havre at the PSG Campus on Friday in their Arkéma Première Ligue Matchday 8 game.
Without several key players, including Sakina Karchaoui, Romée Leuchter, Rasheedat Ajibade and Anaïs Ebayilin, coach Paulo César has relied on the depth of his squad and the quality of the Rouge et Bleu Youth Academy in recent weeks.
Léa Morissaint, in particular, has enjoyed a run of consecutive starts and proved decisive in the Parisians' most recent outing at the PSG Campus. Combining with Paulina Dudek, she teed up the Polish international for the only goal of the game against Montpellier on Matchday 6.
A week after drawing at Paris FC, the capital club will be looking to get back to winning ways and maintain their position as closest challengers to OL Lyonnes.
Le Havre have grown in maturity at the start of this season. In the fifth Arkema Première Ligue campaign in the club's history and their fourth successive top-flight season, the Normandy side sits fifth after seven matchdays. HAC have already recorded two wins this season, putting them on course to beat their club record of five victories in a single campaign.
Maxime Di Liberto’s side are unbeaten in their last four matches and will be looking to capitalise on any drop in intensity by the Rouge et Bleu, who face Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes in the UEFA Women's Champions League on 10 November.
Actuel cinquième du classement, Le Havre ne pointe qu'à trois longueurs de l'Olympique de Marseille, quatrième et dernier provisoirement qualifié pour les playoffs de fin de saison. Si les Normandes parviennent à s'immiscer dans cette course aux playoffs pour l'instant, c'est grâce à un groupe soudé et plusieurs talents individuels.
Avec trois clean-sheets sur les sept premières journées, Marie Petiteau assure dans les cages. Seul le club de la capitale a gardé sa cage inviolée plus de fois que les Havraises cette saison (4). Au-delà de sa gardienne, Le Havre peut également compter sur une défense solide, et ce malgré l'absence de l'arrière centrale titulaire Angela Baron depuis la première journée. Prêtée par le Paris Saint-Germain, Eden Le Guilly fera son retour dans le groupe après avoir également subi une blessure le mois dernier. La jeune latérale avait pourtant réalisé un excellent début de saison, ayant joué l'intégralité des cinq premières rencontres de la saison.
Maxime Di Liberto s'apprête également à enregistrer deux autres retours majeurs ce vendredi soir, la capitaine Solène Champagnac et la défenseure centrale titulaire Célestine Boisard, ayant toutes les deux purgé leur suspension.
Currently fifth in the table, just three points behind Olympique de Marseille in fourth and the final play-off qualification spot. With three clean sheets in their opening seven matches, Marie Petiteau has been a reliable between the posts. Only the capital club have kept more clean sheets than Le Havre this season (four). Beyond their goalkeeper, Le Havre can also rely on a solid defence, despite the absence of first-choice centre-back Angela Baron, who has been sidelined since Matchday 1.
On loan from Paris Saint-Germain, Eden Le Guilly will return to the squad after suffering an injury last month. The young full-back had, however, made an excellent start to the season, playing every minute of the first five matches.
Coach Di Liberto is also set to welcome back two other key players for Friday evening's fixture: captain Solène Champagnac and first-choice centre-back Célestine Boisard, both of whom have now served their suspensions.
Le Havre are the team with the highest number of interceptions per match in the Arkema Première Ligue this season (10.7).
No team in the top flight commits more fouls per match than the Normandy side (12.3).
Griedge Mbock has recorded the highest average number of successful passes per match in the league (92.7).
No team has kept more clean sheets than the capital club in the Arkema Première Ligue this season (four).