Paris Saint-Germain – OGC Nice: The Parisians Stay Top (1-0)

On the eve of their clash with Bayern Munich, Luis Enrique’s men ground out a hard-fought win over Nice. A late goal preserved the Parisians’ lead at the top of Ligue 1.

Tactical analysis and match report by Juan Lauz.

Paris Saint-Germain hosted OGC Nice in a match that would prove decisive in the fight for the league title. Luis Enrique’s side came into the game after drawing with Lorient the previous weekend, a result that allowed Olympique Marseille to close the gap and, at the same time, raised questions around a team that had faced virtually no opposition in last year’s domestic campaign.

Looking to recover from that setback —and from the defeat suffered at the end of September against De Zerbi’s Marseille— PSG also faced a demanding schedule, with a Champions League match against Bayern Munich just days away. With that in mind, Luis Enrique decided to rotate his squad, fielding an eleven with several changes: Willian Pacho and Ilya Zabarnyi in central defense; Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi as high-flying fullbacks; Vitinha anchoring midfield alongside Warren Zaïre-Emery and João Neves; and up front, Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the wings, with Senny Mayulu operating as a false nine.

Nice, managed by Franck Haise, had been enjoying a solid season, sitting near the top of the table and within reach of the European spots. They arrived with three straight

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