PSG possible starting lineup for Ligue 1 encounter against Nantes

After their impressive 1-0 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, PSG return to Ligue 1 action on Saturday against Nantes.

PSG went to Spain and took the game to Real Madrid on their own turf in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.

They emerged victorious at the end of 90 minutes thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman produced a moment of magic to cut through two Real Madrid defenders and sneak the ball through the legs of Thibaut Courtois.

Lionel Messi failed to put away a penalty in the second half. It was a weak effort from the Argentinian international from the spot and Courtois was upto it. PSG have two league fixtures to attend to before they welcome Real Madrid to the Parc des Princes for the second leg of their Round of 16 tie.

The Parisians are currently on a 15-game unbeaten streak in the league. However, they haven't exactly been overtly dominant as they have drawn three of their last four matches by a 1-1 scoreline.

It wouldn't worry PSG as they are 13 points clear at the top but they would definitely like to build some momentum ahead of the second leg against Real Madrid.

Without further ado, let's take a look at how PSG could line up against Nantes on Saturday night

PSG Goalkeeper - Keylor Navas

Club Brugge KV v Paris Saint-Germain: Group A - UEFA Champions League

Gianluigi Donnarumma guarded the sticks against Real Madrid in midweek. He didn't have much to do as Real Madrid registered just three shots, of which none were on target. Mauricio Pochettino has kept his rotation policy going throughout the season and now it's time for Keylor Navas to return to the field.

Right-back - Achraf Hakimi

Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid: Round Of Sixteen Leg One - UEFA Champions League

Achraf Hakimi did a really solid job at right-back for PSG against Real Madrid. He was a threat down the right flank as he bombed forward to join the attack on a regular basis. Hakimi also managed to keep Vinicius Jr. quiet throughout the night.

Centre-back - Marquinhos

PSG captain Marquinhos was expected to deliver a big game performance against Real Madrid and he did. He had Karim Benzema's number on the night and did not allow the in-form Frenchman a moment of peace. The Brazilian international will be one of the first names on the teamsheet here.

Centre-back - Presnel Kimpembe

Presnel Kimpembe did a tidy job at the back alongside Marquinhos. Sergio Ramos is still out with an injury and Pochettino will go with the familiar centre-back pairing of Marquinhos and Kimpembe here.

Left-back - Nuno Mendes

The inventive and exciting Nuno Mendes provided a good account of himself against Real Madrid. His link-up play with Mbappe was commendable and made Dani Carvajal look out of his depth at times.

PSG Defensive Midfielder - Idrissa Gueye

Paris Saint-Germain v RB Leipzig: Group A - UEFA Champions League

Idrissa Gueye had only returned to the side shortly before the game against Real Madrid after winning the AFCON with Senegal. So PSG started Danilo Pereira in midfield. The Portuguese international did a decent job for Mauricio Pochettino's men.

He was tasked with slotting into the backline to allow the full-backs the freedom to foray forward and he did that well. He didn't offer much in terms of moving the ball forward. Idrissa Gueye is likely to start ahead of Pereira against Nantes.

The Senegalese international has been in good form in recent times and will play the role of the sweeper ahead of the PSG backline.

Central midfielder - Leandro Paredes

Leandro Paredes has not had the best of seasons. But he produced a very good performance against Real Madrid. He was assigned the tough task of keeping Toni Kroos and Luka Modric from getting up to their usual tricks.

Paredes proved to be a great shield for his defence. He was a very energetic presence in the center of the pitch and was constantly looking to get Lionel Messi involved.

Paredes had the most touches and the most accurate passes of all the players on the pitch against Real Madrid. He did the dirty work as well and made as many as 12 recoveries. The Argentinian international should look to build on that performance and he could once again become an integral part of this PSG side.

Central midfielder - Marco Verratti

Marco Verratti put all his class on show against Real Madrid. He was pressed relentlessly but the ball remained glued to his feet as he shirked off opponents thanks to his incredible close control and agility.

Verratti ran the show from midfield for PSG and rose to the occasion when his team needed him to. He is inarguably one of the best midfielders of his generation and Pochettino will be happy to have his main midfielder fully fit and dropping matchwinning performances on a regular basis.

Left-winger - Neymar Jr.

Neymar Jr. didn't start against Real Madrid. He came on for the last 17 minutes of the game and that was enough for the Brazilian to make an impact. Neymar Jr. provided a lovely backheel assist for Kylian Mbappe's goal.

The 30-year-old was sidelined for two-and-a-half months after picking up an ankle injury in late November. He has returned at the perfect time as far as PSG are concerned.

The first thing that Neymar did after getting ahold of the ball was take three or four Real Madrid players on. The Brazilian international looked happy to be back on the field and will make this already in-form PSG attack even more intimidating.

Centre-forward - Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi missed a penalty against Real Madrid. He fluffed his lines and Thibaut Courtois made a considerably easy save to keep Los Blancos in the game. However, it would be unfair to reduce Messi's performance against Real Madrid to his worst moment.

Unlike what the tabloids would have you believe, Messi did do quite a few good things on the pitch in midweek. He released Mbappe in on goal with a lovely flighted through ball in the first half. Messi also resisted the press well on several occasions.

He played the pass to Mbappe which eventually led to Dani Carvajal conceding a penalty. Messi also played Neymar in with a lovely through ball into the box in the 87th minute of the game but nothing came of it. The 34-year-old might not have been at his best but his average is still a pretty high standard.

Right-winger - Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe was the star of the show against Real Madrid. He was a constant threat down the left flank and looked unstoppable. His goal was a thing of beauty, darting through two defenders before slotting the ball home between Courtois' legs in stoppage time.

Mbappe is arguably the best attacker in the game right now and he has been in sublime form this season. With Neymar back to full fitness, we'll see more of the MSN trio this Saturday against Nantes.

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

Know More

Edited by Shambhu Ajith