Toulouse v PSG match preview
Anyone keen to find conclusions based on pre-season results might be deterred by the tale of Toulouse, whose fortunes in friendlies would have led to sizeable odds on a place above Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 even after two matches.
Carles Novell’s side lost at home to English second-tier team QPR, were thrashed 7-0 by Leipzig and suffered defeat against Al-Nassr, only to start their competitive schedule with a 1-0 win at Nice and 2-0 victory at home to Brest.
Novell has had more good news in the form of inspirational centre-back Rasmus Nicolaisen’s return from the bench following a 10-month absence with a tendon injury.
“It feels so good to be able to train with the team again,” the 28-year-old – one of the heroes of Toulouse’s promotion in 2021/22 and French Cup triumph the following season – told L’Equipe (via La Depeche).
Et si le @ToulouseFC, avec déjà 6 points au compteur, faisait tomber le @PSG_inside et s’emparait seul de la tête du championnat samedi soir ? 😈
C’est tout l’enjeu de ce #TFCPSG, à suivre en exclusivité sur Ligue 1+ 🔥 pic.twitter.com/rj2qUmigB0
— L1+ (@ligue1plus) August 29, 2025
“I don’t feel any pain anymore. I don’t have any worries anymore. I give 100% in everything I do, but doing it for 90 minutes is still a bit early.”
PSG are immediately behind Toulouse in third on goal difference. As usual, Luis Enrique was asked about the prospect of opponents sitting deep against the most feared team in the top flight.
“They are on a good run,” observed the Spaniard. “I don’t know if Toulouse will play like that, but I remember that last year we often felt like we were playing against teams who defended a lot against us.
“I don’t think our status as European champions has changed anything. It was already the case before. We’re used to it and we’re ready for it.”
Luis Enrique praised 19-year-old midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery, who played throughout PSG’s opening 1-0 win at Nantes and came on in their subsequent victory at home to Angers, for handling himself “impeccably”.
“It’s a real pleasure to have a player like Warren,” he added. “He’s incredible… he just needs to continue to work hard and keep doing what he’s doing right now.
“In a career, you can have ups and downs. But he must continue like this because he has been, is and will be a great player.”
Toulouse v PSG team news
Midfielder Niklas Schmidt and winger Ilyas Azizi remain out for Toulouse with serious knee injuries.
Jaydee Canvot has not trained this week and will not be involved because the defender is on the verge of joining Crystal Palace for a reported fee of around £23.4 million.
Djibril Sidibe scored the winner in the 89th minute at Nice and has dismissed speculation linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia.
“The rumours? I learned about them like you,” former France international Sidibe told reporters. “It’s nice, but it’s still vague and I’m focused on the club.
“I want to make [Toulouse] grow. I talk a lot with the president and with the coach, who counts on me a lot.”
Luis Enrique picked a side approaching full strength for PSG’s dominant win over Angers, in which Fabian Ruiz scored the 50th-minute winner.
Winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a doubt after missing that game with a strain, while Zaire-Emery, defenders Illia Zabarnyi and Lucas Hernandez and forward Goncalo Ramos are among the players who could be restored if PSG rotate.
Toulouse v Paris Saint-Germain predicted line-ups
Toulouse starting XI: Guillaume Restes, Warren Kamanzi, Charlie Cresswell, Mark McKenzie, Djibril Sidibe, Mario Sauer, Cristian Casseres Jr, Dayann Methalie, Aron Donnum, Frank Magri, Yann Gboho
Paris St-Germain starting XI: Lucas Chevalier, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz, Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele
Is Toulouse v PSG on TV? Live online stream, channel
Kick-off on Saturday is at 20:05 BST (15:05 ET / 12:05 PT), with live coverage on Ligue 1+ and Amazon Prime Video pay-per-view.
Ligue 1+ subscriptions cost £9.99 a month or £79.99 annually (£69.99 until August 31 with the code EARLY2026). The game costs £2.49 on Amazon Prime Video.
