The Japan Times - Midfield maestros return as PSG look to assert Ligue 1 dominance

The Iberian lynchpins of PSG's Champions League success and French domestic double last season have only started three matches together this term since the end of August -- once in the league and twice in Europe.

And their performance in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Tottenham showed just what Luis Enrique's side have been missing.

Man-of-the-match Vitinha stole the show at the Parc des Princes with a hat-trick, but Ruiz also found the back of the net after being set up by a sumptuous backheel by Neves.

"He (Vitinha) showed us how important he is. I've seen him arrive and grow in this team. Today, he's the one who controls our game, our maestro in midfield," PSG captain Marquinhos said after the victory.

"I think the coach loves this player. He's always on the pitch. Sometimes we tell him he needs to rest. He's a player who loves football and gives his all."

Despite being two points clear at the top of Ligue 1, injury-hit PSG have struggled to recreate the utter dominance of last season, notably due to Luis Enrique's inability to regularly field his first-choice midfield trio.

Vitinha, 25, has been available for the majority of the season, but his 21-year-old Portuguese compatriot Neves missed a chunk of games from mid-September to late October with a hamstring issue, while Spain international Ruiz was sidelined for much of the same period by a thigh injury.

All of PSG's dropped points in Ligue 1 came during this run of matches.

With the trio coming through unscathed in midweek, Luis Enrique should have them all at his disposal for Saturday's trip to Monaco in the league.

The hosts sit eighth and come into the clash on a run of three consecutive defeats.

However, Monaco also have a midfield ace up their sleeve as 2018 World Cup winner Paul Pogba made his long-awaited return to action following a tumultuous couple of years when he took to the field for the final minutes of last weekend's 4-1 loss at Rennes.

Monaco coach Sebastien Pocognoli will be in no rush to maximise Pogba's playing minutes yet, though, as the 32-year-old continues his comeback after having missed 26 months due to injuries, a doping suspension and an extortion case in which he was the victim.

Should the mercurial Pogba enter the fray at the Stade Louis II on Saturday, it is likely that his face-off with Vitinha, Neves and Ruiz would only be for the match's final throes.

Elsewhere, second-placed Marseille host Toulouse on Saturday, while the teams just below them, Lens and Lille, travel to Angers and Le Havre, respectively.

Player to watch: Ousmane Dembele

The Ballon d'Or winner has had a stop-start season as part of PSG's lengthy list of injured stars, but he could be in line for his first Ligue 1 outing since the beginning of November after coming off the bench for the last 11 minutes against Spurs.

Dembele netted five times across PSG's three meetings with Monaco last term and, if deemed fit enough for more minutes on Saturday, could fancy his chances of breaking his league duck since scoring a brace away to Toulouse on matchday three.

Key stats

9 - The number of points PSG dropped while at least one of Neves and Ruiz were absent

4 - Monaco have conceded four goals in each of their last two Ligue 1 outings, a first since 1975, according to Opta statisticians

11 - The number of goals conceded by third-placed Lens, the joint-least in the division

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Metz v Rennes (1945)

Saturday

Monaco v Paris Saint-Germain (1600), Paris FC v Auxerre (1800), Marseille v Toulouse (2005)

Sunday

Strasbourg v Brest (1400), Angers v Lens, Le Havre v Lille, Lorient v Nice (all 1615), Lyon v Nantes (1945)

K.Abe--JT