Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Luis Enrique’s sole focus is for Paris Saint-Germain to continue climbing the Ligue 1 table as they continue to recover from a slow start to the season against Le Mans.
The reigning Ligue 1 champions failed to win any of their first three league games this season, drawing their opening two before suffering a 2-1 loss to Monaco.
However, since then, they have earned back-to-back wins over Brest and Marseille to move up to sixth in the table, though they remain five points off early pace-setters Monaco.
PSG have not been short of a goal threat in their opening five games, having had the most shots (106) and the most touches in the opposition box (175) in Ligue 1 this season.
But Luis Enrique is keen to ensure they keep up the performances in order to get more wins on the board.
“I remember well the game we played against them in the Coupe de France [a 2-0 win in February 2025],” Luis Enrique said.
“They’re a real team who plays good football. But we’re at the Parc des Princes, with our fans, and we want to climb the table.
“That’s why we’re going to go for the three points.
“As a coach, you always try to show that we’re a team. I’m the first to be critical of my players, but in analysing the start of the season, we would have deserved to have more points than we currently do.
“It’s important to pick up points to build confidence. We started the season in a different way, and it’s an exciting challenge for us.”
Le Mans have impressed since their promotion from Ligue 2, losing just one of their five matches so far (W1 D3).
They beat Lorient 2-1 before the international break to get their first win on the board, and sitting 10th on six points, they would leapfrog PSG if they were to earn a win.
Back at the Parc on Saturday! @visitrwanda_now https://t.co/fzLiDxKMLY
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) October 8, 2026
Two of the three players with the most shots from outside the box in Ligue 1 this season play for Paris Saint-Germain: Vitinha (10) and Ousmane Dembele (eight), though the Portuguese midfielder has scored just one goal this term.
Adil Bourabaa is the only player to have scored more than one goal in the opening 15 minutes of Ligue 1 matches this season (two).
MATCH PREDICTION: PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN WIN
PSG have won 10 of their 15 matches against Le Mans in all competitions (D3 L2), but they have not faced the Sarthe club in Ligue 1 since May 2010, when they suffered a 1-0 away defeat.
Luis Enrique’s side have won their last two Ligue 1 matches (1-0 v Brest, 2-1 v Marseille) but have not managed a longer winning run since a sequence of seven consecutive victories between December 2025 and February 2026.
However, PSG have lost three of their last seven home games in the French top-flight (W3 D1), as many as they had in their previous 45 (W33 D9).
As for Le Mans, they have lost just two league matches in 2026 (W9 D11); no team currently in Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 has suffered fewer defeats among those present throughout the period.
And Le Mans have lost just one of their last eight away Ligue 1 matches (W3 D4), a 2-3 defeat at Rennes on August 30.
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