Paris Saint-Germain are in Toulouse on Saturday as they look for their first Ligue 1 win of the season in the second round of games. Luis Enrique's men were held to a 0-0 draw by Lorient last week at Parc des Princes but the big story was Kylian Mbappe being reintegrated into the squad. The French superstar is in the traveling party for this one along with Ousmane Dembele who could make his debut with Les Parisiens. Toulouse got off to a winning start against Nantes and will be looking to pick up a point like Lorient did as PSG get used to being back in competitive action.
"I am happy to be able to count on world-class players like Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele," said Luis Enrique in Friday's pre-game press conference. "It is a pleasure to be able to work with them. I feel Kylian is ready, he has a lot of desire, but that is normal for a player of his calibre. As for Ousmane, he is ready to start this match. Great players complement each other well. They inevitably work well together. My job as coach is to discover the harmony we can create with this forward line. It is up to me to make sure they complement each other as much as possible.
"I think we will be up against a team that is strong defensively and leaves very little space," added the Spaniard of Toulouse. "It is going to be difficult, obviously. They won the Coupe de France last season, and Toulouse have a Catalan coach too -- I do not know him personally, but I am looking forward to it. We are going there to win and take the three points back to Paris."
Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, August 19 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Stadium Municipal -- Toulouse, France
- TV: beIN Sports | Live stream: Fubo
-
Odds: Toulouse +450; Draw: +333; PSG -175
Team news
Toulouse: Cissoko, Junior Flemmings, Kevin Keben, Ado Onaiwu, Naatan Skytta and Oliver Zanden are all expected to miss out. Carles Martinez Novell should stick with a 4-3-3 setup so expect to see Zakaria Aboukhlal and Gabriel Suazo with Thijs Dallinga going forward and attempting to get at the PSG back line.
Potential Toulouse XI: Restes; Desler, Costa, Nicolaisen, Diarra; Sierro, Casseres, Genreau; Aboukhlal, Dallinga, Suazo.
PSG: Presnel Kimpembe, Alexandre Letellier, Nuno Mendes, Nordi Mukiele and Carlos Soler are out while Marco Verratti was left out of the group once more. Kylian Mbappe is back with the squad and should start as should Ousmane Dembele who is waiting for his debut after joining from Barcelona. Lucas Hernandez, Milan Skriniar, Manuel Ugarte, Lee Kang-in, Goncalo Ramos and Marco Asensio all debuted in the goalless draw with Lorient.
There was also good news regarding goalkeeper Sergio Rico's recovery which Luis Enrique shared during Friday's presser: "I want to send a message to Sergio Rico who is getting out of hospital today, I want to wish him and his family a good recovery."
"I am feeling pretty good," added Rico. "I need to take it easy for a few more months and continue to recover at home. Everything is under control and we have to follow the doctors' instructions, which is the most important thing. I want to thank you for the respect you have shown me, my wife and all my family. I want to say thank you to the world of football, to Paris my club, to Sevilla, to my team-mates, to the players who played with me who sent me messages of support, the people who took a minute of their time."
Potential PSG XI: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Skriniar, Hernandez; Zaire-Emery, Ugarte, Vitinha; Dembele, Ramos, Mbappe.
Prediction
Expect a better showing from PSG in front of goal and although Toulouse might be able to cause a few issues in defense, Luis Enrique's men should get by. Kylian Mbappe should be motivated to put on a show so do not be surprised if he makes up for lost time with a goal or two. Pick: Toulouse 1, PSG 3.