PSG’s front three fail to influence final

Kingsley Coman haunted his former side as the Bayern Munich forward scored the only goal of the game to beat Paris Saint-Germain in the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League final on Sunday.

The 24-year-old was a product of the Parisians’ youth system, making three league appearances before joining Juventus on a free transfer in 2014.

Coman headed home Joshua Kimmich’s cross from close range on the hour following a nice move by the German champions. The French international had terrorised Thilo Kehrer all evening. The German right-back was arguably started because of the disruption, allowing Thomas Meunier to leave to Borussia Dortmund on 1 July.

There wasn’t much between the two teams at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon and but for Manuel Neuer putting in another superb performance between the posts, on another day, PSG may have lifted the trophy.

However, Thomas Tuchel’s side came up short. Particularly the front three. Kylian Mbappe had a couple of shots blocked and Neymar had a good effort well saved by the German number one in the first half.

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PSG’s new maturity fires them to their first ever Champions League final

It’s finally happened after 8 years of trying PSG have reached their first ever Champions League final after they beat RB Leipzig 3-0.

PSG were beginning to be known as the team who kept bottling it when it really mattered. Over the years the French champions had been dumped out of the competition by the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, two teams that they want to aspire to be like. There was the infamous Barcelona defeat where they were 4-1 up from the 1st leg and still got knocked out.

But the dream has been set in stone now. The team have had to beat Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta and RB Leipzig to reach the final and some cynical eyes will look at that and say that they haven’t really been tested. And yet with the changing shift of European football they have.

Dortmund remained a threat in the German Bunsdesliga to Bayern Munich for much of the season, it was only Bayern’s superb form since the restart that gave Dortmund little chance in the end.

Atalanta have had their best season in a generation, even at one time making a challenge for Serie A. They didn’t quite have enough in the tanks but the club have been very good now for the past 2 seasons and their attacking force at times this season has been superb. The Italians also took the lead over PSG before a stunning last minute comeback by the Ligue 1 side.

Finally RB Leipzig have really grown into a quality side and their future looks bright. Never to be taken lightly although their semi final game with PSG just looked like it came too early for them, they were caught out and then add to that the quality within the PSG team and it was lights out. Sadly for Leipzig it was a game to forget and it ended up passing them by.

But there is a new found maturity for this PSG side who have often been called out for being too individualistic. Yes the quality of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe is there to be seen- but at the end of the day these players have not exactly dominated the knockout games of their Champions League encounters. Instead others have risen up like Marquinhos and Angel Di Maria who is arguably the most consistent signing that PSG have ever made.

Win or lose in the final this has to be seen as a building block for the club for bigger things. It is interesting that it took Chelsea about 8 years to win the competition after they were taken over and injected with money. For Manchester City they seem to be behind schedule in that respect.

Have PSG arrived at their destination? We will know soon enough when the Champions League final takes place on August 23rd.

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Ligue 1 Weekend player picks for Matchday 20

It is time to study the form for all you Ligue 1 fantasy league players out there. The following in a formation of 4-4-2 will take a look at which players in Ligue 1 could perform and earn you extra points if you bring them into your team. This is all based on current form and the teams fixtures giving your players perhaps an extra edge to get those points in.

Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy- Rennes

Edouard Mendy has been great between the sticks for Rennes of late. So great the goalkeeper has let in just 2 goals in the last five games. He has accumalated 28 points so far and would cost 8m, which looks a steal given the form he is in. Rennes are playing Marseille but they are in great form and they need to win the game to close the gap on them.

Defender: Yunis Abdelhamid- Reims

Yunis Abdelhamid is in terrific form and he is a big reason that Reims have had such an excellent defence this season. He was the hero for the club in the Coupe de la Ligue in midweek scoring the deciding penalty shoot out. He is currently ranked as the 2nd best defender in the league with 52 points and is only 6m. Reims are away to Nimes.

Defender: Axel Disasi- Reims

Keeping with Reims we have picked Axel Disasi who has formed a great partnership with Abdelhamid in defence. Reims have conceded just 6 goals in their past 10 games and these players will be picking up points for you with so many clean sheets. He is only 5m to bring in.

Defender: Kenny Tete- Lyon

Kenny Tete might be carrying a minor knock but is being tipped to play at the weekend. The youngster has only earned 19 points this season however that is good enough to make him Lyon’s best defender points wise and he would cost 6.5m. Overall Lyon has shored up at the back only conceding 4 goals in their last five games.

Defender: John Boye- Metz

John Boye doesn’t have many points at all with just 6, but that is the nature of being a defender for 17th placed Metz who are going to concede many goals. However the club need to push on and they will be playing Strasbourg at the weekend. Metz have a very good record at home to them and also Strasbourg had to play in midweek in the cup whilst Metz could rest, could a clean sheet be on the cards? Boye is valued at 3.5m.

Midfielder: Florent Mollet- Montpellier

Florent Mollet has had an excellent season so far and already has 30 points. He scored in Montpellier’s last game and has 5 goals this season and two assists. He gets himself involved and could be a good buy for 7m. Montpellier are away to lowly Amiens.

Midfielder: Angel Di Maria- PSG

It might be too obvious to pick out a PSG player but bear with us. Di Maria is on great form and has 57 points. He is 9m which seems like a fair price for a PSG player and PSG are at home to Monaco this weekend. Usually PSG score for fun and create many chances against them, so if you don’t have him in your team you might want to consider it.

Midfielder: Morgan Sanson- Marseille

Morgan Sanson has been a big player for Marseille this season and they are in 2nd place in the league and on fine form. He is just 7m to bring in and has acquired 22 points already. The club has a hard game but probably an open one away to Rennes.

Midfielder: Pierrick Capelle- Angers

Angers are back in decent form and looked strong in the derby when they beat Nantes last time out. Capelle is 6m and has struggled at times but has 16 points and Angers could pick up something at home to Nice at the weekend.

Striker: Habib Diallo-Metz

We will go with Habib Diallo as one of our strikers, because Metz usually do very well at home to Strasbourg, plus the away side will be tired from having to play in midweek. Diallo has 10 goals and one assist already and could well add to that tally at the weekend. Diallo is valued at 7m and also has a very impressive 38 points.

Striker: Ludovic Ajorque- Strasbourg

It’s true that we have tipped Metz to give Strasbourg a hard time but that doesn’t mean that Strasbourg can’t score and their striker Ludovic Ajorque is quite a handful. He has scored 7 goals and assisted in 3 more so far this season and he has 31 points and is a massive bargain at just 4m.

Prove you have what it takes to challenge the best French Fantasy Football managers here www.fantasyligue1.com 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Ligue 1 Midfielders in 2018/19: Angel Di Maria

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PSG became champions yet again in Ligue 1 but their superiority isn’t just confined to their front three players of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Edinson Cavani and that was underlined this season with how brilliant Angel Di Maria has been for the side.

The Argentine who loves to play out on the wing scored 12 goals and assisted in a further 11 goals in the league this season. To put that into perspective he was responsible for just over 20% of PSG’s goals in Ligue 1. In the European Fantasy League rankings Di Maria is 1st in his position and beat off competition from Florian Thauvin who was the only other midfielder who could compete with him. Di Maria finished on 96 points and Thauvin finished on 95.

Di Maria has been at PSG for the past four seasons and after a difficult period with Manchester United in the Premier League he has really settled into life at Parc des Princes creating goals and scoring important ones. Just counting his league goals this season was also Di Maria’s most successful with 12 league goals that is his highest of his career surpassing the 11 goals he got last season and doing so with one less game played. His overall ranking with all midfielders combined would be 11th.

Di Maria had a consistently good season for PSG and his best game was against Marseille when he scored 2 goals and assisted in another in a 3-1 win. He earned 9 points in that match and the only thing that let him down was losing 2 points for getting a yellow card. The game before that PSG had won 4-0 against Dijon and again it was Di Maria who got man of the match, with a goal and an assist and he earned extra points given that his team kept a clean sheet.

Di Maria’s best form was towards the end of the season with his best month being March where he was averaging 8 points a game. He also had a strong April and May.

What is also interesting is when we look at his value and remember that the season before he was worth 12m to buy for your team. This season he went down to just 9m and ended up being one of the best performers in Ligue 1 where in the end he was ranked in 3rd place. Only Kylian Mbappe and Nicolas Pepe had better seasons in the rankings.

Di Maria who is now 31 doesn’t look like he will be leaving PSG anytime soon and his best years could still well be ahead of him, certainly if this season is anything to go by it appears that the player is getting better.

Prove you have what it takes to challenge the best French Fantasy Football managers here fantasyligue1.com

 

 

Ligue 1- 11 Player Picks for the Weekend: Week 30

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Ligue 1 football is back after the international break and we will be looking at the players you may want to add to your team ahead of the weekend fixtures. We will use a 4-4-2 formation of the players likely to score points based on week 30′s fixtures.

Goalkeeper: Danijel Subasic

Monaco will be at home to Caen at the weekend and they have a great chance to keep a clean sheet. Monaco have kept 3 clean sheets in their last five games and if Subasic also kept a clean sheet in Monaco’s last game. He can be bought for 9m.

Defender: Kamil Glik

Keeping with the Monaco theme, picking any of the clubs defenders this season may not have been the best idea. But the club have vastly improved in the last few months and picking Kamil Glik could be a good idea as Monaco take on Caen. Not only could he keep a clean sheet but he is partial to come forward and score. Glik is 7.5m.

Defender: Hiroki Sakai

Sakai has picked up points lately and the Marseille defender is tipped to do the same at the weekend given that the club will be at home against Angers, a club who come into the game with no motivation, as Marseille are going for a top 4 spot. Marseille have kept 4 clean sheets in a row at home and Sakai could be worth picking for your team at 7.5m.

Defender: Jemerson

Another Monaco defender, Jemerson was part of a back four that went to 2nd place Lille and came away with not only a victory but a keep clean in a 1-0 win, last time out. With Monaco back at home against Caen Jemerson should be looked into and can be bought for 6.5m which looks like a bargain on current form.

Defender: Jose Fonte

Lille’s Jose Fonte did concede a goal in their shock 1-0 loss against Monaco in week 29 and did get booked, losing more points. However we have to respect the fact that he has been part of a defence which has conceded just 2 goals in Lille’s last five games. Lille will travel to Nantes, and keeping a clean sheet there is very possible.

Midfielder: Angel Di Maria

Di Maria has been one of the best players in Ligue 1 in recent months. Scoring plenty of goals and making assists. If he is not in your side then splashing out 9m looks like a bargain as he looks to end the season on a high for PSG.

Midfielder: Xavier Chavalerin

The Reims midfielder has had a solid season and it is partly his link up play as to why Reims have had such a solid season so far. He has scored 2 goals this season and assisted in 2, and at 6m may be worth bringing in as Reims face Strasbourg.

Midfielder: Wahbi Khazri

Wahbi Khazri has had a fantastic season with Saint Etienne and has scored 12 goals and assisted in 2. He is 7.5m and is rated as the 3rd best midfielder in Ligue 1 on form. Saint Etienne will be favourites to win the match at the weekend when they play Nimes at home.

Midfielder: Romain Amalfitano

Amalfitano the Dijon midfielder has not had the best season, but at the same time Dijon will be at home against Nice and there is every chance that the home side can claim something in this game. He has had 21 starts and can be snapped up for 5.5m.

Striker: Mario Balotelli

Balotelli is in brilliant form for his new club Marseille and the fact that his side will be at home against Angers, we expect a few goals. Balotelli has every chance to be on the end of that and have a good weekend. He is 7m.

Striker: Radamel Falcao 

Falcao missed Monaco’s last game as he was suspended for picking up too many yellow cards. He has scored 12 times this season mostly under coach Jardim and could well add to his tally at home v Caen. Falcao can be brought in for 7.5m.

Prove you have what it takes to challenge the best French Fantasy Football managers here www.fantasyligue1.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Controversy in Ligue 1: PSG v Marseille- a sending off, a missed penalty and 4 goals

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This past weekend in Ligue 1 was always going to be dominated by one: PSG v Marseille the fiercest rivalry in Ligue 1 that is more than just a game. In the end it was a game yet again won by PSG who ran out 3-1 winners in Paris and went 20 points ahead of 2nd placed Lille as a result and still have a game in hand of them.

Marseille were aiming not only for a top 3 place which would give them Champions League automatic qualification plus of course there would be bragging rights about becoming the first team to beat PSG in Paris in the league. It wasn’t to be but we were entertained to a thrilling game nonetheless, which as normal had its controversy.

In total 7 yellow cards were shown and in the 2nd half Marseille’s Steve Mandanda who has had an impressive season was shown the red card and sent off. Kylian Mbappe had opened the scoring but the hero for PSG in the absence of Neymar’s injury was Angel Di Maria who scored a fantastic brace.

Even with the game won at 3-1 there was still controversy to be had when Saki tripped Mbappe for a penalty which delayed the game somewhat. Mbappe then stepped up to take the penalty…… and missed! Nobody could have seen that coming, least Mbappe who was looking for his 26th goal of what has been an incredible season for the 20 year old.

Marseille coach Rudi Garcia had this to say about the game. “We have nothing to be ashamed of in this defeat. Up until Steve [Mandanda]‘s sending off we were playing a coherent match. We didn’t let PSG impose their game and we didn’t concede chances. But we didn’t have enough chances in the second half, and that’s where my regrets lie. We could have been more clinical and more enterprising in the final 30 metres. It was also tough to play an excellent first 45 minutes and then go into the break a goal down – it happened to us last season here in Paris as well.”

Garcia continued, “The negative point is that the lads who were here last season   haven’t learnt the lesson and that’s a shame. We need to grow in experience as we have a young team. Still, they did extremely well to equalise early in the second half, but unfortunately we couldn’t hang onto the 1-1 score line for long enough.”

Marseille are still in the hunt for a top 4 place but after Lyon’s win they have slipped 6 points behind with just 9 games remaining.

Prove you have what it takes to challenge the best French Fantasy Football managers here www.fantasyligue1.com 

Ligue 1: Player of the Week: Angel Di Maria

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There were several players that performed well this past weekend in Ligue 1 including Marquinhos for PSG, Moussa Dembele for Lyon and Ludovic Ajorque for Strasbourg. But our pick goes to Angel Di Maria for league leaders PSG who put in a terrific display ahead of what has been a difficult couple of weeks for the Paris club following their Champions League exit at the hands of Manchester United.

Di Maria picked up the joint most points for the week with 8 after his performance against Dijon which saw the champions increase their lead at the top to 17 points over 2nd placed Lille.

So how did Di Maria pick up his points for the week? It was a match that PSG ended up winning 4-0 away from home against relegation threatened Dijon and it only took 7 minutes for PSG to take the lead. It was Di Maria’s perfect cross which set up Marquinhos to open the scoring for the away side.

Soon after Kylian Mbappe arguably the best centre forward in Europe right now doubled the lead for the club, so PSG had gone in at 2-0 for half time. The 3rd goal followed five minutes into the second period and it was a goal to finish the game off and secure the win for PSG and it came from Di Maria. The Argentinian had now scored a goal and set one up for an all round fantastic display.

Overall this season Di Maria has scored 7 goals and assisted 9 times which is the best assist record in Ligue 1 this season. He’s currently in 5th position in Fantasy Ligue 1 standings, with all positions considered which is a remarkable statistic and he is 40 points behind his team mate in 1st place Kylian Mbappe who has of course picked up most of his points through virtue of being the league’s top goal scorer.

As midfielders go Di Maria sits in 2nd place and is 7 points behind Marseille’s Florian Thauvin. Whilst Thauvin has scored 6 more goals than Di Maria this season he has assisted in three less goals than him.

Apart from the goals and natural skill of Di Maria, the Argentina international has really curbed his temper and it has stood out and served PSG well. For example since the beginning of the season Di Maria has been booked just once, which is another remarkable statistic. It has meant that he hasn’t had to miss a run of games through disciplinary problems and has always been available for the club unless of an injury.

In the Ligue 1 Fantasy standings his showing over the week has risen by 2.19% and he can be brought into your team for 9m. This looks like a good deal given how many points he can pick up with assists and given the fact that he rarely drops points with a near clean record of yellow cards. You can add Di Maria to your team by going to the link below. Get playing!

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Edinson Cavani- PSG’s Silent Guardian

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edinson-cavani-julien-cetout-nancy-paris-sg-ligue-1-15102016_pbiajfj0ae0b1uq9idydk0c53Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis was in a state of deep despair at the end of the 2009-10 season following the side’s dismal show in the Serie-A. Napoli finished 6th on the league table with just 59 points, trailing league champions Inter Milan by 23 points despite investing a record sum for the services of talented striker Fabio Quagliarella. The local lad failed to make his presence felt racking a tally of just 11 league goals at the end of the season.

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Ligue 1 Fantasy Picks – Round 5

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We are only four weeks into the new season and standing champions Paris Saint-Germain have taken no time in asserting their dominance in the league.

After four rounds of games, PSG tops the league with a perfect record and expect some of their players in our best eleven picks. In standout fixtures this weekend, PSG and Marseille have easy home ties while Monaco have a tricky trip to Toulouse.
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Julian Draxler: Set for the bench at PSG?

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cropped_2017-02-14T203105Z_130105865_MT1ACI14751517_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-PSG-FCBThe Parc des Princes erupted with joy as attacker Julian Draxler wheeled away in celebration after scoring a sensational goal against Spanish giants FC Barcelona in the home leg of the Round of 16 stage of the UEFA Champions League. The fans were full of praise after the sensational performance by the German attacker on the night with many hailing him as the man to watch out for in the away leg at Camp Nou. Sadly, the 24-year-old flattered to deceive as has been the case throughout his career so far.

The ex-Schalke attacker was hailed by footballing experts after he decided to take a plunge into the unknown by signing on for French giants Paris St Germain from Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg for a then-record sum of £40m. Draxler was more than happy to bid adieu after a cold reception from the fans who indicated their immense disapproval by whistling vociferously during a cameo against Hertha Berlin.

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