What does Lionel Messi's PSG need to be Ligue 1 champion this afternoon

Mauricio Pochettino's team can be consecrated against Angers on matchday 33 of the domestic competition. The Argentine striker will be out due to injury

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v Olympique de Marseille - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - April 17, 2022 Paris St Germain's Neymar celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

Last weekend Paris Saint Germain (PSG) beat Olympique Marseille 2-1 and stretched its lead at the top of the standings of Ligue 1, the only tournament it aspires to win after being prematurely eliminated from the French Cup and Champions League. He now has a difference of 15 points compared to his immediate pursuer, the team led by Jorge Sampaoli, and with 18 at stake the Mauricio Pochettino team could be crowned this date.

After a season that began full of hope for the arrival of luxury reinforcements such as Lionel Messi, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Sergio Ramos, among others, the French cast is now aiming to conquer the domestic league to give their audience a joy after the stumbling blocks in the rest of the contests. That could happen today when they clash against Angers at 16.00 (Argentine time, 21.00 local time and 19.00 GMT) in a duel that will be televised on ESPN.

For this momentous commitment, the leader of Ligue 1 will not be able to count on Lionel Messi, who as reported by the club through a part doctor “is still being treated for an inflammation of the left Achilles tendon”. In that same writing, it was also detailed that both Marco Verratti (contusion on the left knee) and Presnel Kimpembe (pain in the right knee) will also watch the game from the outside.

At the same time, Olympique Marseille will host Nantes, in another match that will be of vital importance to the Pochettino team. The fact is that to be crowned on this day, the Parisian cast will also need a favorable result in that meeting.

In this way, PSG can be champion this date if:

- Win at Angers and Marseille do not defeat Nantes.

- Draw at Angers and Marseille lose against Nantes.

In case both teams achieve the same result, PSG will need only one draw against Lens next Saturday to win the title.

Angers is one of the worst teams in Ligue 1. With only 34 points in 32 rounds, he is 14 in the standings and is not yet assured of his permanence in the category, he is five units above the promotion position and eight behind the relegation, with six dates ahead. He won just one of his last 11 matches and in the first round match he fell 2-1 to PSG.

If he was consecrated, Pochettino would add his third title with the French club since his arrival in early 2020. In his first months he won the French Super Cup and the French Cup. On the other hand, it would be Lionel Messi's first conquest in a club other than Barcelona and his 37th trophy as a professional, without taking into account the 2005 Youth World Cup and the Olympic gold medal in Beijing 2008 that he won with the Argentine national team.

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