LOSC – Paris Saint-Germain: Honors Even in Lille as League Leaders Visit (1-1)

Paris Saint-Germain visited LOSC in the penultimate match before Ligue 1 pauses for the winter’s break. Both teams entered this match in great form in the league, and there was an expectation that this could prove to be a tantalizing affair. However, what came to pass was a cagey affair dotted with flashpoints of excitement, as Lille and PSG came away with shared spoils.
Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Hartland

Lille came into this game week on a long unbeaten run having not lost a match in all competitions since August. This sort of form has seen Les Dogues rise up the table and challenge for the Champions League positions. The manager, Paulo Fonesca, looks to have made a formidable side in his year and a half in France. 

Fonseca lined his side up in a 4-2-3-1 shape. In goal, Lucas Chevalier behind a back four of Ismaily, Alexsandro, Leny Yoro, and Bafodé Diakité. In midfield, Nabil Bentaleb and Benjamin André, while Angel Gomes played in the more advanced role alongside the wingers Gabriel Gudmundsson and Edon Zhegrova. Up front, in the lone striking role was Yusuf Yazıcı.

PSG might only have scraped through the group of death in the Champions League with a draw against Borussia Dortmund, but their fortunes in Ligue 1 have looked far more secure. It’s been a return to routine following an early season wobble that saw PSG kept off the top spot until game week twelve, as they came into this fixture on a run of eight victories in a row in the league. 

Luis Enrique went with an unfamiliar 3-3-1-3 formation. Arnau Tenas kept his place in goal following . . .