PSG Hand Désiré Doué a Start as Troyes Bring Monfray and Mille to the Parc

Paris Saint-Germain open at the Parc des Princes with Désiré Doué and Fabián Ruiz in the XI, and Troyes arrive with Adrien Monfray, Antoine Mille and Dermane Karim all named from the start. Both teamsheets are confirmed for the Ligue 1 fixture, and the two shapes point in opposite directions: Luis Enrique has gone 4-3-3, Stéphane Dumont has gone 4-2-3-1.

Doué's inclusion is the selection that shapes PSG's attacking structure. In a 4-3-3, he gives the home side a third midfielder who can receive between the lines rather than a pure wide forward, and Ruiz alongside him gives PSG a passer who can switch the point of attack when Troyes' midfield drops. The pair are the two PSG names in the key-players list for this match, and their positioning will determine how quickly the champions-elect can turn possession into entries into the Troyes box.

Troyes' response is a 4-2-3-1 with two holding midfielders in front of the back four. That is the shape Dumont has chosen to protect the space in front of Monfray, and it puts the onus on Mille and Karim to carry the ball out when Troyes win it back. The risk is isolation: a single striker against a PSG back four that will push high, with the three attacking midfielders asked to cover ground both ways.

Monfray is the reference point of the Troyes defence. In a 4-2-3-1 that sits deep, the centre-back's job is to hold the line and head away the crosses that PSG will generate from the wide areas of the 4-3-3. Mille and Karim, meanwhile, are the two players most likely to be asked to break the first line of pressure. If Troyes cannot get them on the ball in the middle third, the away side will spend the evening defending the edge of its own box.

PSG's shape gives them natural width and a midfield three that can pin the two Troyes holders. The counter for Dumont is the space behind PSG's full-backs, which is exactly where a 4-2-3-1 with a lone striker and three runners can hurt a 4-3-3 that has committed bodies forward. That is the trade-off both managers have accepted with these line-ups.

Luis Enrique has not held back: Doué and Ruiz both start, and PSG's midfield three is built to dominate the ball rather than to sit and counter. Dumont has matched that with a double pivot and a back four anchored by Monfray, accepting that his team will have less of the ball and betting on Mille and Karim to make the most of the moments when Troyes do win it back.

Kick-off at the Parc des Princes will show whether Troyes' two holders can screen the space in front of Monfray, or whether Doué and Ruiz find the gaps that turn a 4-3-3 into a siege.