PSG’s predicted XI vs Lille is set to look markedly different from the side that opened the Ligue 1 season, with Ferran Torres in line for a first start for Paris Saint-Germain and Ousmane Dembele left at home entirely. Les Parisiens travel to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Friday evening still chasing a first win of the campaign after being pegged back to a 2-2 draw by Rennes.
PSG predicted XI vs Lille: four changes expected
Get French Football News, relaying L’Equipe, reports that Luis Enrique is preparing four changes to the team that drew with Rennes at the Parc des Princes.
The projected line-up reads: Matvey Safonov – Warren Zaire-Emery, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Lucas Digne – Lucas Beraldo, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz – Desire Doue, Ferran Torres, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Two of those calls are eye-catching even by Luis Enrique’s standards. Zaire-Emery is expected to fill in at right-back in place of Achraf Hakimi, a job the academy graduate has done before but hardly a natural fit for a central midfielder. Beraldo, listed as a centre-back in our 2026/27 squad guide, is projected to step into midfield in place of Vitinha — a positional switch rather than a like-for-like swap, and the sort of thing the coach has never been shy about trying in August.
At left-back, Lucas Digne is expected to come in for Lucas Hernandez. The same report states that Nuno Mendes remains out through injury; the club has not published a return date, so treat the Portuguese’s absence as reported by the French press rather than confirmed by Paris.
Ferran Torres gets his reward
The headline change is at the top. Ferran Torres, signed from Barcelona this summer, came off the bench at half-time against Rennes and scored twice to rescue a point on his first appearance for the club. A full debut in the number nine role in Lille is a logical reward.
He gets the chance partly because Dembele is not travelling. Luis Enrique withdrew the forward at the interval at the Parc and then gave him the entire week away from training, addressing the speculation directly in his pre-match press conference.
“I am a big admirer of Ousmane Dembele, I repeat that. He’s an essential player for us,” the coach said, via PSG Talk. “He made a huge effort this summer to be ready and present for the UEFA Super Cup final during his vacation. He is, was and will be an essential player for us. We made a good decision this week. There’s nothing important. Every time we make these decisions there’s noise around PSG, but there’s nothing to it. My players are used to my methods.”
Dembele is due back in training on Monday. This is squad management from a manager with a Champions League to defend, an Intercontinental Cup final in December and a fixture list that does not let up — not a rift.
What Lille are expected to line up with
Davide Ancelotti’s side arrive in better early-season shape than the champions, having beaten Angers 2-0 on the opening weekend, and are reportedly making just one change. Get French Football News projects Les Dogues to start Berke Ozer in goal behind a back four of Tiago Santos, Nathan Ngoy, Alexsandro and Romain Perraud, with Ethan Mbappe pushed into a more advanced role on the right and Olivier Giroud captaining the side from the front.
Missing is Matias Fernandez-Pardo, the winger linked with Newcastle, whom Ancelotti has excluded from first-team training until the window shuts. We covered the wider picture in our Lille vs PSG team news round-up, which had the hosts carrying seven absences.
The verdict on PSG’s predicted XI vs Lille
Every line-up above is a projection, not a team sheet, and Luis Enrique has a long record of making at least one selection nobody saw coming. What is confirmed is that Dembele will not be at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, and that a Paris side missing its most influential attacker has to find a first league win of the season away at a club that has taken maximum points so far. If Ferran Torres does start, his second act in a PSG shirt arrives rather sooner than anyone expected.
