The Textor-coaster hits a Parisian wall

Welcome to the Parc des Princes, where the atmosphere is thick with the scent of overpriced perfumes and the faint, lingering smell of Champions League disappointment. Tomorrow night, we witness a clash between the team that buys everyone and the team that sells everyone: Paris Saint-Germain vs Olympique Lyonnais.

Paris currently sits at the top of the pile with 63 points, though they’ve spent the last week watching RC Lens temporarily leapfrog them by actually PLAYING games. Luis Enrique’s side has two games in hand, which they treat like a savings account they’ll only tap into when they absolutely have to. Expect 800 passes, 75% possession, and Enrique looking like he’s explaining the theory of relativity to a group of confused pigeons.

On the other side, we have Lyon. Oh, Lyon. John Textor’s favorite science experiment is currently 5th with 51 points. They’ve finally found some stability under Paulo Fonseca, which for this club is equivalent to winning the lottery while being struck by lightning. Pavel Šulc has been their guiding light with 10 goals, proving that you don't need a billion-euro budget to actually find the back of the net.

The script is predictable: Bradley Barcola will try to haunt his former employers, Ousmane Dembélé will beat three defenders before hitting a cross into the next zip code, and the Lyon fans will oscillate between "We're winning the league next year" and "The board is a disaster" within ninety minutes.

Lyon are coming off a solid 2-0 win against Lorient, but facing PSG in Paris is a different beast. It's the ultimate test for Fonseca's tactical flexibility against Enrique's stubborn insistence that the ball must never, ever be lost.

Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Olympique Lyonnais