PSG vs Nice: Prediction and Match Preview

April 25, 2025. 21:45. Paris. Parc des Princes Stadium.
Ligue 1. Matchday 31

Injuries: Dante, Bombito, Ndombele (Nice)

PSG prepares to continue its fight in the Champions League next week, as they host Nice in the 31st round of Ligue 1. The Parisians have already achieved their primary goal for the domestic season, which cannot be said for their guests. The Eagles are currently in the midst of a battle for European spots.

PSG

PSG ended a remarkable streak of 10 consecutive victories in Ligue 1 last week, a feat they hadn't encountered since the 2018/19 season. In their clash against Nantes, Enrique's side faced certain difficulties — they managed to score only once, which was not sufficient to secure three points as the Canaries equalized late in the game. Overall, this situation is typical for PSG's defense; they have kept a clean sheet only twice in their last ten league matches. However, the capital team is usually rescued by its powerful attack, which has netted 83 goals, a quarter of which belong to Dembélé. That said, Ousmane has slowed down a bit, remaining at 21 goals since mid-March, when he scored against Marseille. Nantes became the second team this season to avoid defeat against PSG in both encounters, drawing twice, with Reims being the first to accomplish this. Both teams managed to effectively play against the Parisians using a low block.

This is a concern for Enrique ahead of the upcoming Champions League semi-final clash against Arsenal: "We need to know which Arsenal we will have to face. If they score quickly, they could end up in a low block afterward. At the start, they should press more. We will adapt. Against Nantes, we lacked movement without the ball at the beginning of the match. We changed the situation and penetrated more into the opponent's half without the ball." Nevertheless, despite the draw, PSG managed to set a historic achievement for the top five leagues in Europe. The Parisians now boast a series of 39 matches unbeaten away from home — a record surpassing Milan's achievement from the 1991/93 season. Enrique's men have already secured the championship title, but they remain motivated to not lose in the league; they are just four matches away from establishing a national record. No one in France has ever completed a campaign unbeaten. Moreover, PSG could potentially finish the season without a defeat in domestic competitions altogether, having won the French Supercup in January and now only needing to secure victory in the Cup final against Reims to complete a successful campaign.

Nice could potentially threaten this streak, as they are one of four teams this season to have taken points off the Parisians. The first match ended in a 1-1 draw, and in 2023, the Enrique's side suffered a defeat against the Eagles at Parc des Princes. They have only managed to keep a clean sheet against this opponent once in their last seven encounters. Thus, despite being focused on the upcoming match against Arsenal, the Parisians may drop points for the second consecutive time. If this happens, it will be only the second occurrence in this Ligue 1 campaign. However, their current 15-match unbeaten streak at home in the league, including five consecutive victories, ensures that Enrique's men will approach the match with confidence.

Nice

Nice dreams of its first-ever direct qualification for the Champions League. However, recent results have transformed Eze's side from favorites in the top-three race to just one of the contenders. They are experiencing their first winless streak of five matches this season, suffering three losses in that span — quite significant for a team that previously had only four defeats. Alongside Lyon and Monaco, their direct rivals for European spots, they also fell to Nantes. It could have been a fourth defeat, but they managed to salvage a 2-2 draw away at Strasbourg in stoppage time. In four out of five matches during this difficult stretch, Nice conceded two goals, a setback for a team that has generally performed reliably at the back this season. Even now, post this poor run, they sit sixth place with the fewest goals conceded.

Fortunately for Nice, they managed to break their winless streak in the last round. Goals from Rosario and Abdi in each half secured a 2-1 victory over Angers. This result propelled them up to fifth place, but the table is very tight. The third position is only three points away for Eze's side, but they are only ahead of Lyon and Strasbourg below them due to a better goal difference. Fortunately for Nice, the calendar at the end of the season does not appear too challenging. Even if they fail to take points in Paris, it is quite feasible to claim nine points in the next three matches against Reims, Rennes, and Brest, especially since two of those matches will be played at home.

The victory over Angers allowed Nice to overcome their worst home run of the season — three matches without a win, including two losses. These were the first two setbacks at home this campaign, and only PSG had better home statistics. On the road, however, Nice has only won five times this season, and in four of those instances, they faced teams fighting for survival. The fact that Nice has managed to score in 11 consecutive away matches should please Eze. However, replicating last season's away victory at Parc des Princes — a 3-2 win — will be difficult.

PSG vs Nice: Possible Lineups

PSG approaches the match without injuries, offering Enrique a fantastic opportunity for rotation. Nice, however, will be without Dante, who has joined Bombito and Ndombele on the sidelines.

PSG vs Nice: Expert Prediction

In their last two home matches, PSG secured narrow victories against Angers and Le Havre. I expect a similar result here, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of the Eagles managing to snatch a draw.