Paris Saint-Germain enter their final Ligue 1 match as newly crowned champions, yet Luis Enrique is demanding one more strong display against city rivals Paris FC before attention turns to the Champions League final against Arsenal at the end of May.
PSG secured a fifth straight Ligue 1 title on Wednesday, beating closest challengers Lens 2-0 to move out of reach with one game left, claiming a third trophy of a possible four this season after earlier domestic success.
The champions now visit neighbours Paris FC, who have won four of their last five home league matches and are chasing a best ever Ligue 1 finish of 11th, while PSG aim to close their campaign with a statement performance in the capital derby.
Explaining expectations for the meeting, Luis Enrique told reporters: “It’s the last match for us. We’re champions, but our goal is to win the game,” Luis Enrique told reporters during his pre-match press conference.”It’s a derby, and we have to live up to our status as French champions. We’re happy to play this last game almost at home, in the sense that we don’t have a real trip to make. The close proximity of the two stadiums makes it very special. Paris FC deserve to stay up; they’re a good team. We want to perform and play with ambition.”
PSG’s domestic campaign has not been flawless, with elimination from the Coupe de France in the round of 32 ending hopes of sweeping all domestic trophies, yet that exit has created extra preparation time before the Champions League final against Arsenal.
On the season as a whole, Luis Enrique reflected: “It was a special season, we have said it regularly. I’m very happy with the attitude that we have shown, the resilience, whichis a word I like. Lens have had a great season, too, and that made things difficult for us. It’s great to win in the end.”
Between the derby against Paris FC on Sunday and the Champions League showpiece, PSG have a 13-day gap, which Luis Enrique plans to use for targeted work on fitness, tactics and match details rather than treating the extended pause as rest.
Looking ahead to that period, Luis Enrique said: “We don’t have a Coupe de France final to play this season, so we’re going to work well ahead of the [Champions League] final,” Luis Enrique added. “We’re going to study every aspect that we want to work on. We want to get there at our best technically and physically. And there are no favourites in a final.”
Key individuals could shape the derby narrative, with Ilan Kebbal leading Paris FC’s attack and Desire Doue in strong form for Paris Saint-Germain, while both teams also carry specific statistical trends that may influence the match pattern.
Kebbal is Paris FC’s top scorer in Ligue 1 this season with nine goals and can become only the fourth player to hit double figures in a top-flight campaign for the club, following Louis Floch, Francois Felix and Jean-Francois Beltramini.
Desire Doue created an assist against Lens and has produced at least one goal involvement in four straight Ligue 1 appearances, with two goals and two assists across that run, and the forward can match a personal best of 12 direct contributions in a league season.
Statistical indicators favour PSG, who are unbeaten in 26 league games against newly promoted opponents, winning 21 and drawing five, and have not lost such a fixture since a 3-2 defeat to Lorient in January 2021.
Defensively, Luis Enrique’s side have kept six clean sheets in their last seven away fixtures across all competitions, conceding their most recent Ligue 1 away goal on 13 February against Rennes, while also spreading scoring duties among 18 different league scorers so far.
Paris FC have allowed 12 penalties in Ligue 1 this season, the highest total in the division with eight converted, whereas PSG have conceded only four spot-kicks, with one scored, and a 19th different scorer would be a club first in a single league campaign.
| Team | OPTA win probability |
|---|---|
| Paris FC | 22% |
| Draw | 22.2% |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 55.8% |
OPTA data gives Paris Saint-Germain a 55.8% chance of victory against Paris FC, with the hosts rated at 22% and a draw at 22.2%, as the champions seek to maintain momentum in Ligue 1 before shifting full concentration to the Champions League final against Arsenal.