Kylian Mbappe will lead Paris Saint-Germain into their match against Nantes on Saturday, aiming to score the goal that will make him the club’s all-time top scorer. This encounter comes as PSG prepares for a crucial trip to Bayern Munich. Mbappe’s recent brace in PSG’s 3-0 victory over bitter rivals Marseille last weekend brought his total to 200 goals for the Qatar-owned club, allowing him to equal his former teammate Edinson Cavani as the club’s record marksman. Given that Mbappe has scored four goals in his last two games since returning from a thigh injury, it would be surprising if he did not find the net against Nantes at the Parc des Princes, thereby claiming the record outright.
After the victory against Marseille, PSG coach Christophe Galtier expressed confidence in Mbappe’s ability to break the record, stating, “Kylian will no doubt beat the record. He is the best striker in the world at the moment, without question. He is very quick, and he does everything fast. He always turns up in big games, which is what great players do.” It has taken the French superstar just 246 games and five and a half years to reach this milestone since signing from Monaco in August 2017. In contrast, Cavani achieved the same feat in 298 matches between 2013 and 2020. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a prominent figure during the early Qatar era, previously held the record with 156 goals in his four years at PSG, ending in 2016.
Mbappe’s landmark achievement comes just two months after he finished as the top scorer at the World Cup in Qatar, where he scored an incredible hat-trick in the final against Argentina. France’s heartbreaking defeat on penalties in that match likely prevented him from winning the FIFA Best award for 2022, as he was overshadowed by Lionel Messi, who received the honor during a ceremony in Paris on Monday. Looking ahead, Mbappe and Messi are preparing for a pivotal clash with Bayern Munich next Wednesday, as PSG travels to Germany for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg. Although Mbappe could only make a brief appearance off the bench in that match due to injury, he was narrowly denied an equalizer by an offside call. With Neymar recovering from an ankle injury, PSG remains optimistic that they can turn the Bayern tie around, especially with Mbappe fit and ready to play. Their season hinges on this match, even as they maintain an eight-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 and are on track for another domestic title.
In other news, a player to watch this weekend is Andre Gomes. The elegant Portuguese midfielder joined Lille at the start of the season on a loan from Everton, seeking to revive a career that had stalled after an unsuccessful stint at Barcelona. Now 29, Gomes initially signed for the Catalans from Valencia after helping Portugal win Euro 2016. However, he soon fell out of favor at Camp Nou and faced fitness issues in the Premier League. After being encouraged to relaunch his career in France, Gomes is finally thriving in a Lille team coached by his compatriot Paulo Fonseca, who are competing for European qualification ahead of a significant match this weekend against local rivals Lens in the northern French derby.
Key statistics include Reims, who are unbeaten in 17 Ligue 1 matches, marking the best run in their top-flight history, and Nice, who have taken 20 points from a possible 24 under new coach Didier Digard. Additionally, Mbappe’s tally of 200 goals for PSG includes just four headers.
Fixtures (times GMT) for the weekend include:
– Friday: Nice vs. Auxerre (2000)
– Saturday: Lens vs. Lille (1600), Paris Saint-Germain vs. Nantes (2000)
– Sunday: Troyes vs. Monaco (1200), Montpellier vs. Angers, Reims vs. Ajaccio, Strasbourg vs. Brest, Toulouse vs. Clermont (all 1400), Lyon vs. Lorient (1605), Rennes vs. Marseille (1945).
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