Paris Saint-Germain will host AS Monaco at the Parc des Princes on Friday, 4 September 2026, with the French champions still searching for their first Ligue 1 win of the season.
The match, which forms part of the third round of Ligue 1, will be Paris Saint-Germain’s first home league fixture of the campaign. Sports debate programme La VAR presenter Mahamad Sangare, of Burkina Info TV, has provided his assessment and prediction for the contest.
The two sides have made contrasting starts to the new season. Paris Saint-Germain are unbeaten but have taken only two points from their opening two matches, drawing 2-2 with Rennes before producing another recovery against Lille to earn the same result.
Luis Enrique’s side were 2-0 down at Lille before scoring twice in added time to rescue a point. Their earlier draw with Rennes followed a similar pattern, as Paris Saint-Germain fought back after falling behind.
Monaco, by contrast, sit alone at the top of the table with six points. Filipe Luis’ team began with a 1-0 win away to Le Havre and followed it with a 2-0 victory over Olympique de Marseille. They have yet to concede in Ligue 1 and go into Paris having won four successive matches in all competitions.
The game therefore brings together a French champion seeking a first league victory and a Monaco side enjoying a perfect domestic start. Paris Saint-Germain will be without the suspended Nuno Mendes, while Monaco are expected to be missing several players, including Ansu Fati, Takumi Minamino, Mohammed Salisu and Folarin Balogun.
Paris Saint-Germain’s opening to the campaign has been uneven, despite the team remaining unbeaten in the league. Before beginning their Ligue 1 schedule, the club defeated Aston Villa 2-1 in the UEFA Super Cup. They then lost 1-0 to Lens in the Trophee des Champions, surrendering the first silverware of the season.
The home side now have an opportunity to turn their league form around in front of their own supporters, but they face a Monaco team whose confidence has grown with every match.
Monaco’s strong start began in Europe, where they beat Polish club Gornik Zabrze 3-2 and 4-1 to secure qualification for the league phase of the UEFA Conference League.
Their domestic record has been even more impressive defensively. After narrowly defeating Le Havre, Monaco controlled the match against Olympique de Marseille and won 2-0. That result could prove an important foundation for the remainder of the season, with the Principality club leading Ligue 1 after two rounds without conceding a goal.
Team news
Paris Saint-Germain must make plans without Nuno Mendes because of suspension. Ousmane Dembele, who was rested for the trip to Lille, has returned to training and was among the players whose availability was being closely monitored. Joao Neves was also reported as doubtful by some sources.
Luis Enrique nevertheless has considerable depth at his disposal. Ferran Torres is one of the attacking options already to have made an impact this season.
Monaco will travel without Folarin Balogun, Takumi Minamino, Mohammed Salisu, Ansu Fati and Edan Diop, who are all listed as unavailable.
Matthis Abline has recovered and will be available, contrary to some earlier indications. Filipe Luis can also call on attacking alternatives such as Mika Biereth and Paris Brunner.
Head-to-head and betting outlook
Monaco have a recent psychological advantage in this fixture. Paris Saint-Germain have lost only once in their past seven Ligue 1 home matches against the Principality club, but that defeat came in Monaco’s most recent league visit to the Parc des Princes in March, when they won 3-1.
Monaco also beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 at home last season, giving them two consecutive victories over the champions.
A cautious approach favours Paris Saint-Germain avoiding defeat. The hosts remain unbeaten in Ligue 1 and have the quality to prevent another loss, even though Monaco’s form is stronger.
The opening two Parisian league games both finished 2-2, suggesting the possibility of another open contest. Paris Saint-Germain have conceded four goals in two matches, while Monaco possess the attacking quality to exploit spaces in the home defence. That option carries added risk, however, because Monaco have not conceded in Ligue 1.
Another angle is Monaco scoring, having found the net three times in their first two league matches and won four in a row in all competitions. They also scored three goals on their last league visit to the Parc des Princes. One of the highlighted selections for the match is priced at 1.59.
Odds may change.