Paris Saint-Germain prepare to face Lille in Ligue 1 on Friday knowing victory at Parc des Princes would take PSG above leaders Lens, just days after a 1-0 Coupe de France defeat to Paris FC that Luis
Enrique wants to turn into fuel for the rest of the 2024-25 season.
PSG start the round in second place and can move one point clear before Lens host Auxerre a day later, while Lille arrive in fourth after winning seven of their last 10 league matches, making this meeting a key test for Luis Enrique’s side on both a mental and tactical level.
The Coupe de France exit was a major surprise, with Jonathan Ikone scoring the only goal as Paris FC won 1-0 at Parc des Princes, meaning PSG fell before the round of 16 for only the second time in the last 20 years, yet Luis Enrique stressed that performance levels, not just the result, shaped the staff’s review.
After the upset, Luis Enrique met reporters and described how the squad processed the loss. "After a defeat, everyone wants to get going again. We analysed the game," Luis Enrique told reporters. "We know we did everything to win against Paris, but sometimes you come up against a goalkeeper that stops everything. "
PSG’s head coach accepted the outcome yet highlighted how fine details decided the tie. "That’s what football is like, but you have to keep going. We’re playing on Friday against one of the best teams in the league, it’s up to us to put in the necessary ingredients," Luis Enrique said, underlining the need for a strong response.
For Luis Enrique, the idea of a deserved win still matters inside the dressing room. "It’s important to know that we deserved to win the game. Clearly. We lost it, we accept the result, and we wished PFC good luck for the rest of the competition. But I hope it’ll serve as motivation for us to give even more in the league and the Champions League. "
Lille, coached by Bruno Genesio, are pushing for a return to the Champions League and have taken 21 points from their last 10 Ligue 1 fixtures, though their most recent league outing ended in a 2-0 defeat at Rennes on January 3, which was their only loss across their last five domestic games.
The sides last met in the league in October, when Ethan Mbappe, brother of former PSG forward Kylian, struck an 85th-minute equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw, underlining how tightly matched the clubs have been, especially when Lille’s organisation without the ball limits space between the lines.
When analysing Lille, Luis Enrique highlighted the depth of their game. "When we looked at Lille, we saw they do a lot of good things with and without the ball. There is a lot of quality," Luis Enrique added. "We’ll be at home, it’ll be a good test to see how we handle things after losing. "
PSG’s coach expects the visitors to challenge his team physically and tactically. "We hope we’ll put in a good performance. We’re playing a big team after a loss, and we know it’ll be a tough match, it always has been every time we have played them. We want to win to keep moving forward in the league," Luis Enrique said.
PSG also carry an unusual league situation into the game, since they are not top of Ligue 1 in January for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign, which ended with Lille finishing as champions and PSG in second place, adding further narrative to another significant meeting between these clubs.
D-2 before the LOSC match! #PSGLOSC I @visitrwanda_now pic.twitter.com/dTKSK0SzXmParis Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 14, 2026
PSG vs Lille Ligue 1 key players and statistics
Nuno Mendes is one of PSG’s main attacking outlets from defence and scored PSG’s goal in the October reverse fixture, with the full-back providing consistent threat in the final third across the season and offering runs that stretch backlines and open central lanes for teammates.
In Ligue 1 this term, Nuno Mendes leads all defenders, with at least 400 minutes played, for shots per 90 minutes, shots on target, touches in the opposition box and total goal involvements, numbers that underline why Lille must track Nuno Mendes closely when PSG push numbers forward.
For Lille, Hakon Haraldsson has been the most creative player in league action, having fashioned 26 chances in Ligue 1, the highest figure in the squad, while also contributing six goal involvements, split between five goals and one assist, with only Felix Correia’s seven direct contributions exceeding that tally.
Haraldsson’s ability to drift between lines and deliver key passes gives Lille a route to hurt PSG on transitions or structured attacks, and the duel between Haraldsson and PSG’s midfield screen could be decisive, especially if Lille look to exploit spaces left when Nuno Mendes advances.
PSG vs Lille Ligue 1 prediction and Opta probabilities
Historically, PSG have dominated this fixture at Parc des Princes, with 10 wins from their last 11 home games against Lille in all competitions, the sole defeat in that stretch coming in Ligue 1 in April 2021, when Lille claimed a 1-0 victory that proved significant in that season’s title race.
Clean sheets have been harder to secure for PSG in recent meetings, as they have conceded in each of the last 11 matches against Lille in all competitions, 13 goals in total, with their previous shutout against this opponent recorded in March 2021 in the Coupe de France, a 3-0 home win.
PSG also enter the contest after failing to score in their last home match, the 1-0 Coupe de France defeat to Paris FC, yet under Luis Enrique the team have not gone two consecutive home games without a goal in any competition, so another blank would mark a new setback for the current regime.
Lille travel with strong away momentum and could achieve three straight away victories in a single Ligue 1 season for the first time since February and March 2022, although that target comes right after the Rennes loss, meaning Bruno Genesio’s squad must show that defeat was a brief setback.
Despite Lille’s positive run, Opta’s model rates PSG as clear favourites, partly due to their strong recent home record in this head-to-head and the chance to move top of Ligue 1, while Lille’s prospects may depend on Haraldsson’s influence and whether PSG can quickly turn the Paris FC disappointment into a focused, disciplined league display.
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