Seven games, no wins, two points, bottom of Ligue 1. That's where Le Havre stand before Le Havre vs PSG on Friday 30 October, and the visitors are the European champions, holders of the Champions League for a second year running. Kick-off at the Stade Océane is 19:00 in France (18:00 GMT, 14:00 ET), the opening game of matchday 9.
| # | Team | P | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  Paris Saint-Germain | 7 | 5 | 14 | WWWWL |
| 18 |  Le Havre | 7 | -6 | 2 | LLLDL |
How Le Havre got here
It hasn't been a collapse so much as a slow leak. Didier Digard's side lost 1-0 at home to Monaco on the opening day, then drew 1-1 at Lyon, who are now top of the table, with Mbwana Samatta scoring. After that: a 2-1 home defeat to Brest, a goalless draw with Angers, and three more losses, including 1-0 at Lille on 10 October. Five goals scored in seven games is the real problem. Le Havre have the longest winless run in the division.
The squad turned over a lot in the summer, mostly on free transfers and loans: Josh Maja from West Brom, Timothée Pembélé from Sunderland, Elias Jelert on loan from Galatasaray, Sōta Nakamura from Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Goalkeeper Mory Diaw went to Al Shabab. It's a group still getting to know each other, and it shows in front of goal.
Digard has been here since July 2024 and kept the club up last season, 14th on 35 points. He knows what a long autumn feels like.
| Before matchday 8 | Le Havre | PSG |
|---|---|---|
| Position | 18th | 2nd |
| Record | W0 D2 L5 | W4 D2 L1 |
| Goals | 5 for, 11 against | 14 for, 9 against |
| Last season | 14th, 35 pts | Champions, 76 pts |
Why Friday isn't hopeless
Le Havre lost both games to PSG last season, but the home one finished only 1-0. The Stade Océane, 25,000 seats in a city that likes to remind you it had the first French champions from outside Paris back in 1899, is not a ground PSG stroll through every year.
PSG's own season has had wobbles. They drew 2-2 at Rennes and at Lille, scoring twice in stoppage time to rescue the second, and lost 2-1 at home to Monaco. They also lost the Trophée des Champions 1-0 to Lens. Since the Monaco defeat they've won four league games in a row and beat Manchester City 4-2 away in the Champions League, so the wobble may be over.
There's also the fixture list. Luis Enrique rotated heavily for the 3-1 win at Strasbourg on 17 October, with a Champions League week either side. A Friday night trip to the bottom club could well get a changed side again. Le Havre's best chance is a PSG team that hasn't played together much.
Le Havre
Paris Saint-GermainThe PSG players Le Havre must stop
Ferran Torres, signed from Barcelona in August, has four league goals already. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé have all scored in recent weeks, and Maghnes Akliouche, bought from Monaco, scored against Le Mans. Bradley Barcola has gone to Liverpool, but PSG barely noticed.
Stade Océane, Le Havre. Photo: Philippe Alès, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Prediction and how to watch Le Havre vs PSG
From the Normandy side, a point would feel like a win, and a 1-0 defeat would be no disgrace. I think PSG win 2-0, though if Le Havre are still level at the hour, the crowd will believe.
The game is on Ligue 1+ in France, like every match this season; elsewhere, check local listings or the Ligue 1 website. DAMITV streams Le Havre vs PSG for free in HD, no sign-up, on our Ligue 1 streams page and the PSG channel. PSG's European nights are on our Champions League page, and the Derby du Nord follows straight after in our Lille vs Lens preview.
