PSG needs to beat Monaco to escape its rut of draws

Two draws in two matches. That's how PSG arrives at this Friday's game, and that's why the match against Monaco carries more weight than it might seem at this point in the calendar. The French champion still hasn't won in this Ligue 1 campaign, and now it runs into the only team that does have a perfect record: two wins, three goals scored and none conceded. There's no room left for hesitation.

The match will be played at the Parc des Princes for matchday 3 of the 2026/2027 Ligue 1 season, kicking off at 4:05 PM (Argentina and Uruguay), 3:05 PM (Chile) and 2:05 PM (Ecuador, Colombia and Peru). The broadcast for South America will air through Disney+'s Premium Plan.

A PSG side that needs a wake-up call

Luis Enrique's team is coming off a nerve-wracking match against Lille, having fallen 2-0 down until the final minutes before rescuing a 2-2 draw almost at the death. Good for showing character, but not enough for the standings. Two matchdays, two draws, zero wins. And now, to make things worse, they have to face the league leader.

Because this Monaco side isn't just any visiting team. They thrashed Marseille 2-0 on their own turf and have racked up two straight wins without conceding a single goal, something no other team in the league can claim yet. The perfect campaign, some are calling it, and rightfully so.

For this match, Luis Enrique is expected to stick with much of his usual lineup: Matvey Safonov in goal, with Marquinhos and Willian Pacho as the central pairing. In midfield, the playmaking duties would fall to Vitinha and Joao Neves, with Ousmane Dembélé and Ferran Torres as the main attacking threats.

On the other side, Adi Hütter's Monaco also brings plenty of firepower. Lukas Hradecky in net, Eric Dier and Vanderson solid at the back, and in the creative zone a trio capable of deciding the match at any moment: Lamine Camara as the engine of the midfield, joined by Aleksandr Golovin and young Paris Brunner up top.

The result PSG wants to erase

There's an extra layer of spice to this matchup. The last time these two sides met, on March 6 of last season, Monaco walked away with a clear 3-1 win at the very same Parc des Princes. The Monaco goals came from Akliouche, Golovin and Balogun, while Barcola only managed to pull one back for the Parisians.

That result stands out as an oddity in the recent history between these two clubs, given PSG's usual dominance in this fixture, and it's exactly the kind of outcome Luis Enrique will want to avoid seeing repeated. With Dembélé, Vitinha and company hungry for some good news on the domestic front, Friday's match looks like the perfect opportunity to snap the run of draws and, in the process, halt Ligue 1's only unbeaten team with a perfect record.