Paris FC vs. Le Havre: Preview, prediction, team news as Moses Simon looks to deliver

Paris FC welcome Le Havre to the Stade Jean-Bouin this Sunday, March 22, for matchday 27 of the 2025/26 Ligue 1 season, Afrik-Foot reports.

Just a single point separates these two sides in the table, with Paris FC 13th on 28 points and Le Havre 14th on 27.

The fixture may not attract the biggest headlines of the weekend, but it is a crucial encounter for two clubs navigating the lower reaches of the French top flight.

Promoted this season with the backing of the Arnault family and Red Bull, Paris FC are eager to cement their place in the elite as quickly as possible.

Le Havre, no strangers to bottom-half battles, need to put distance between themselves and the relegation zone, which remains uncomfortably close.

Since Antoine Kombouare took charge in late February, Paris FC are unbeaten in three matches.

Le Havre, by contrast, have collected just one point from their last four fixtures.

Match preview: Paris FC vs. Le Havre

Paris FC have looked a different proposition since the change in the dugout. Kombouare was appointed on February 23 as a replacement for Stephane Gilli, and the veteran French coach quickly imposed his methods. A 1-0 victory over Nice was followed by draws at Lyon (1-1) and Strasbourg (0-0), yielding five points from three matches and, crucially, no goals conceded from open play under the new manager.

Across the full season, the record reads six wins, 10 draws and 10 defeats, with 29 goals scored and 41 conceded. Offensive output remains a concern, but the defensive solidity Kombouare has restored could prove decisive in this relegation battle.

At home, however, Paris FC have won only three times all season at the Stade Jean-Bouin, with the recent victory over Nice ending a barren run that stretched back to October.

Super Eagles winger Moses Simon, who recently reached the landmark of 200 Ligue 1 appearances, is expected to start on the left flank. The Nigerian international, the second vice-captain of the national team, flourished under Kombouare during their time together at Nantes, contributing 23 goals and 28 assists in 125 matches under the Frenchman.

Kombouare has publicly called on the 30-year-old to rediscover that form in Paris.

“Now, we are giving him confidence, and he has to demonstrate it through performances of the level we expect from such a player,” the Paris FC boss told French media. “He has to be able to score, to be effective.”

Le Havre are enduring a far more difficult stretch. The Norman club have gone four consecutive matches without scoring, collecting just one point in the process. That barren run underlines their chronic attacking deficiency: only 20 goals in 26 matchdays makes them owners of one of the weakest attacks in the division.

Their away form is even more alarming, with no victories in their last 10 trips, averaging just 0.25 points and 0.25 goals per match on the road.

Despite these difficulties, Le Havre retain an eight-point cushion over the relegation play-off spot and 10 over the automatic drop zone, providing a small safety net.

Head-to-head

These two clubs know each other well from regular encounters in Ligue 2 in recent seasons. Recent meetings have been characterised by a notable equilibrium, with four draws in the last six head-to-head fixtures. The reverse fixture on August 2, 2025, at the Stade Oceane finished 1-1, in keeping with the trend.

Encounters between Paris FC and Le Havre tend to produce few goals, which aligns perfectly with the defensive profiles both teams have shown this season.

Team news

Predicted Paris FC XI (4-3-3): Kevin Trapp; Adama Camara, Diego Coppola, Mamadou Mbow, Nhoa Sangui; Rudy Matondo, Pierre Lees-Melou, Marshall Munetsi; Jonathan Ikone, Jean-Philippe Krasso, Moses Simon. Manager: Antoine Kombouare.

Predicted Le Havre XI (4-1-3-2): Mory Diaw; Loic Nego, Arouna Sangante, Timothee Pembele, Enzo Koffi; Ayumu Seko; Lucas Gourna-Douath, Sofiane Boufal, Rassoul Ndiaye; Mbwana Samatta, Issa Soumare. Manager: Didier Digard.

Star players: Munetsi vs. Samatta

Stat	Marshall Munetsi (Paris FC)	Mbwana Samatta (Le Havre)
Position	Central midfielder	Striker
Nationality	Zimbabwean	Tanzanian
Ligue 1 Goals 2025/26	3	6
Role	Box-to-box	Lead striker
Key Detail	Only scorer under Kombouare	Le Havre top scorer
Away Goals	—	2
Last Goal	Matchday 25	Matchday 22

Marshall Munetsi has carried Paris FC’s attacking threat since arriving as a winter signing. The Zimbabwean box-to-box midfielder is the only player to have scored under Kombouare, and his energy and defensive contribution make him the most influential figure in the current side.

Mbwana Samatta is Le Havre’s sole genuine goal threat, having scored six times in 26 appearances this season. However, the Tanzanian striker has been silent for several weeks, with his last goal coming on matchday 22, and his side’s four-match scoring drought reflects the wider attacking malaise.

Managers: Kombouare’s pragmatism vs. Digard’s search for balance

Kombouare, 62, is a familiar face in French football and an expert in survival operations. The former PSG player saved Nantes from relegation on two separate occasions and has brought his trademark pragmatism, defensive discipline and direct man-management to Paris FC.

His initial return of five points from three matches is encouraging, and his bold decision to bench winter signing Ciro Immobile in favour of Jean-Philippe Krasso has sparked debate but delivered results.

The Italian veteran, a high-profile January arrival, has failed to score in six appearances since joining.

Digard, just 39, continues his managerial education at Le Havre. The former midfielder, who came through the club’s academy, secured survival on the final day of last season. This campaign has been more turbulent, however, and the current run of four matches without a goal weighs heavily.

Digard has deployed no fewer than eight different tactical formations this season, a reflection of his constant search for the right formula.

Tactical Preview

Under Kombouare, Paris FC operate in a compact and disciplined 4-3-3. Lees-Melou sits as the holding midfielder in front of the defence, with Munetsi and Matondo providing energy and volume a line higher.

Simon and Ikone stretch the play from the flanks, looking to create space for Krasso through the centre. The primary weakness remains offensive efficiency: just one goal since the coaching change, scored by Munetsi, and an Immobile still searching for his first in Paris FC colours.

Against a defensively solid Le Havre side, the first goal could be decisive.Le Havre are expected to set up in a 4-1-3-2 or 4-3-3, with Boufal as the chief playmaker and the Samatta-Soumare partnership leading the line.

The suspensions of Zagadou and Zouaoui force Digard to improvise at the back, potentially deploying Pembele in a central defensive role.

Le Havre’s approach will follow a familiar template: a deep defensive block, disciplined shape and quick transitions. However, that strategy loses its potency when the attack cannot convert, as has been the case for four consecutive matches.

Everything points to a tight, low-scoring affair. Paris FC have not conceded from open play since Kombouare’s arrival, while Le Havre maintain a respectable defensive average of 1.23 goals conceded per match. Both attacks rank among the least prolific in Ligue 1. The most likely scenario is a cagey encounter, long in doubt, that could be settled by a late goal.

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