PSG won't need a vintage performance to sink Bordeaux

Ligue 1
BT Sport Extra 2, 7.45pm Friday

Paris Saint-Germain have a fight on their hands if they are to defend their Ligue 1 title and have required late goals in several recent league outings to secure maximum points.

However, the important point for manager Unai Emery is that persistence is paying off, even if Les Parisiens needed a 90th-minute goal to defeat Lille last time out and a pair of late strikes to see off struggling Dijon 3-1.

While PSG have been unable to rediscovered the Zlatan Ibrahimovic-inspired swagger of 2015-16, they have recovered from a pre-Christmas slump that briefly threatened to torpedo their title defence.

Eight points dropped in three December outings has given way to a run of five wins and a draw - against leaders Monaco - and while PSG look poor value 4-6 title shots, they are back in serious contention.

Seventh-place Bordeaux are a long way off the pace. While only the top three can better their record of just six Ligue 1 defeats, Jocelyn Gourvennec's men lack the nous to challenge, drawing as many games as they have won at nine apiece.

Bordeaux's record against the better teams is instructive, too. They have won only one match against a top-half opponent since early September, and their recent 4-1 League Cup semi-final defeat to PSG is a fair reflection of the difference in quality between the two teams.

Recommendation
PSG win and both teams to score
1pt 5-2 general

Bet on this game at Soccerbase.com