This Friday, for Matchday 18 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season, Paris Saint-Germain (2nd) faces Lille (4th) at the Parc des Princes (kick-off at 9 pm, CET). Ahead of this match, the press has been trying to predict the starting lineup that Parisian coach Luis Enrique will field.
Le Parisien (4-3-3) –
Barcola – Dembélé – Kvaratskhelia
Mayulu – Vitinha – Doué
Mendes – Pacho – Marquinhos – Zaïre-Emery
Chevalier.
L’Equipe (4-3-3) –
Barcola – Dembélé – Kvaratskhelia
Ruiz – Vitinha – Doué
Mendes – Pacho – Marquinhos – Zaïre-Emery
Chevalier.
These are all very plausible lineups, with the desire to win and overtake Lens ahead of their match tomorrow at 5 pm against Auxerre. A competitive starting eleven is expected, but it’s impossible to be certain about every selection.
Coach Luis Enrique isn’t giving any instructions to the press. Therefore, it’s necessary to anticipate difficult choices regarding competition for places, squad management (with the Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon returning on Tuesday), and his analysis of the opponent. This is all the more difficult given the versatility of the squad.
There are also doubts about fitness, particularly for Fabian Ruiz (29 years old) and Senny Mayulu (29 years old). Both have been less prominent recently and might need a rest. Not to mention Vitinha (25 years old), who has been playing a lot of matches lately.
It’s worth noting that Gonçalo Ramos (24 years old) could also start in attack, depending on the fitness of the other players. Warren Zaïre-Emery (19 years old) will also need a rest one day. We’ll have to wait for the official team announcement for certainty, knowing that some doubts may still remain about the exact positions of certain players.
