Metz host Paris FC on Sunday, April 19, at Stade Saint-Symphorien in round 30 of Ligue 1, with the home side trying to climb out of trouble and the visitors looking to keep their momentum going. Metz sit 18th with 15 points after a 3-1 loss to Marseille, while Paris FC are 12th on 35 points after beating Monaco 4-1 in their last league game.
The result of the first meeting between the clubs points to another tight contest, with Paris FC having won 3-2. Metz are likely to lean again on Pape Sy, Koffi Kouao, Sadibou Sané, Jean Gbamin, Maxime Colin, Jessy Deminguet, Alpha Touré, Bouna Sarr, Gauthier Hein, Georgiy Tsitaishvili and Habib Diallo, the same core that started against Marseille on April 10. Paris FC are expected to line up with Kevin Trapp, Adama Camara, Diego Coppola, Moustapha Mbow, Nhoa Sangui, Pierre Lees-Melou, Maxime López, Luca Koleosho, Marshall Munetsi, Moses Simon and Ciro Immobile, after the side that faced Monaco included Trapp, Camara, Coppola, Mbow, Sangui, López, Lees-Melou, Jonathan Ikoné, Munetsi, Simon and Immobile.
Antoine Kombouaré has faced Metz 18 times, winning eight, drawing five and losing five, while Benoît Tavenot has met Paris FC twice, with one win and one defeat. That background matters because Paris FC arrive with a seven-match unbeaten run overall, even as they have gone six away games without a win and collected only one victory in their last seven away matches. They have also lost only once in their last nine matches, and have scored and conceded in each of their last three, which leaves Sunday’s trip balanced between control and risk.
For Metz, the urgency is simple: points are becoming harder to find, and another slip would deepen the pressure at the bottom end of the table. Paris FC have been steadier, but their away form leaves just enough doubt to keep this from looking settled before kickoff.
