PSG's possible starting XI for Ligue 1 encounter against Marseille

The first Le Classique of the 2021-22 season will take place at the Orange Velodrome on Sunday as Marseille lock horns with PSG.

Despite strengthening heavily in the summer transfer window, PSG's performances have not really matched the enormous expectations. They are still sitting comfortably at the top of the table with 27 points. But they had to rely on a late winner from Kylian Mbappe to secure all three points against Angers last weekend.

Marseille, on the other hand, dispatched Lorient comfortably to register a 4-1 win in their latest Ligue 1 outing. They could close the gap with PSG to seven points with a game in hand if they can get the better of their arch-rivals this Sunday.

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe were in fine form as the Parisians beat RB Leipzig in a UEFA Champions League group stage encounter. Mauricio Pochettino has plenty of options at his disposal, especially in midfield, and could rotate his side here.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the possible XI for PSG against Marseille.

Paris Saint Germain (PSG) possible starting XI vs Marseille

Goalkeeper - Gianluigi Donnarumma

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Gianluigi Donnarumma has been the guardian of the sticks for PSG in their last two Ligue 1 outings and Pochettino might stick with him here. The Italian's best performance for his new club came in the Champions League came against Manchester City. He will be desperate to impress in Le Classique.

Right-back - Achraf Hakimi

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Achraf Hakimi has got off to a great start to life at PSG. He was particularly remarkable in the first few gameweeks. The Moroccan international has scored three goals and provided two assists in 10 Ligue 1 appearances so far. He will keep his place in the starting XI here.

Centre-back - Marquinhos

Marquinhos is one of the best centre-backs currently plying their trade in Europe. The technically gifted Brazilian is also a threat from set-pieces and will continue to keep his place in the heart of defence for PSG.

Centre-back - Presnel Kimpembe

With Sergio Ramos likely to be sidelined with a calf injury, French centre-back Presnel Kimpembe is all set to make his 10th start of the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season. The 26-year-old, alongside Marquinhos, will try to keep things tidy at the back and keep a cleansheet which they haven't been able to do in their last two games.

Left-back - Abdou Diallo

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Pochettino has been rotating Abdou Diallo and Nuno Mendes at left-back. With the latter having started their Champions League game against RB Leipzig, Diallo is likely to get picked here.

Defensive midfielder - Idrissa Gueye

Idrissa Gueye was arguably PSG's best player in September. He turned in a handful of impressive performances and scored three goals in four games. However, he was nowhere near his best in the matches against Rennes or RB Leipzig.

But Mauricio Pochettino is expected to trust his experienced defensive midfielder to do a good job against Marseille here. Gueye adds a lot of bite to PSG's midfield and has a reputation for being a thorn in the neck of the opposition.

Gueye is likely to be tasked with keeping Dimitri Payet quiet here. Payet has been in excellent form and is the creator-in-chief for Marseille. If Gueye performs at the level he is capable of, Marseille will struggle to create a lot of opportunities.

Central midfielder - Ander Herrera

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PSG found an unlikely hero in the opening stages of the 2021-22 season in Ander Herrera. The former Manchester United man has been industrious and always puts in a shift.

He is a dynamic midfielder renowned for his combative nature and that's exactly what PSG needs in a game like El Classique. Herrera has scored three goals and provided two assists in 10 Ligue 1 appearances so far this term.

Central midfielder - Marco Verratti

Marco Verratti's creativity in midfield will be crucial for Paris Saint-Germain here. His technical ability will be key to keeping possession in the midfield realms. The Italian will look to roam behind a very reliable frontline and look for runs and spaces to exploit.

Verratti was one of PSG's best players in the game against RB Leipzig and Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping for more of the same from the Italian.

Verratti's passing range and vision were crucial to PSG turning it around against RB Leipzig in midweek. The 28-year-old was excellent at dispensing his defensive duties as well, making three important blocks in addition to three tackles and two interceptions.

Left-winger - Angel Di Maria

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Neymar Jr. was sidelined for the Champions League game against RB Leipzig. He will push for a start here but we're not sure if Pochettino will want to risk an injury by naming the Brazilian in the starting XI.

Angel Di Maria is fit and raring to go and is a great back-up option for Neymar. Di Maria last played for PSG in the 2-0 loss against Rennes. The Argentina international shares a great understanding with both Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

He has scored a goal and provided two assists in five Ligue 1 appearances for PSG so far this season.

Right-winger - Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi scored two goals, including the winner against RB Leipzig. He also chose to forgo the chance to score a hat-trick by handing over a penalty to Kylian Mbappe, who missed from the spot when PSG were leading 3-2.

Messi seems to be finally settling down at his new club. He is yet to score a goal in the league as all three of his goals so far for Paris Saint-Germain have come in the UEFA Champions League.

The 34-year-old will be desperate to change that and he couldn't have asked for a better occasion to do it than in Le Classique.

Striker - Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe is arguably PSG's most in-form player right now. The Frenchman has been sensational in recent weeks and has scored four goals and provided three assists in his last four appearances for both club and country.

Mbappe has scored five goals and provided four assists in 10 appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season. He could be the difference maker for PSG in the final third and seems to be building a good rapport with Messi up top.

The 22-year-old's blistering pace and incredible trickery will cause Marseille's back three to be on high-alerts throughout the game.

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.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith