Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning French league champions, fear a defeat against Monaco that would cost them a striking negative record.
The Parisians host Monaco at the Parc des Princes tomorrow, Friday evening, in the third round of the French league.
According to Opta, Paris Saint-Germain have lost their last two league matches against Monaco. No team has managed three consecutive wins over the Parisian club in the competition since Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) took over.
Monaco, then, have a historic chance to do what every French league club has failed to manage in recent years.
Saint-Germain lost 0-1 to Monaco in November 2025, then went down 1-3 last March.
Between those two matches, the sides also met twice in last season's UEFA Champions League, with the Parisians winning one and drawing the other to go through 5-4 on aggregate.
Monaco, Saint-Germain's bogey side
Since the 2020-2021 season, Paris Saint-Germain have lost 6 of their 12 league encounters with Monaco, winning 4 and drawing 2. That's at least two defeats more than they have suffered against any other team over the same period.
Draws with Rennes and Lille mean Paris Saint-Germain could fail to win any of their first three league matches for the first time since 2012-2013, when they drew their opening three before being crowned champions at the end of the campaign.
That season, they were one of only two clubs in the 21st century to win the French league without a victory in their first 3 matches. Lille managed the same in 2010-2011, also drawing their opening three.
Monaco, by contrast, have won their first two league matches of 2026-2027. Victory here would give them three wins from three for only the second time this century, after 2017-2018, when they opened with 4 straight victories.
A Parisian habit
Saint-Germain have won their first home league match of the season in 10 of the last 12 campaigns, with one draw and one defeat.
Clean sheets have followed in 9 of those 12 matches, including the last three: a goalless draw with Lorient in 2023-2024, a 6-0 win over Montpellier in 2024-2025, then a 1-0 win over Angers in 2025-2026.
Monaco, meanwhile, have won 5 of their last 8 away league matches, with one draw and two defeats. That's the same number of victories they managed across their previous 24 away games in the competition, which brought 7 draws and 12 defeats.
Second-half stoppage time has been fertile ground for Paris Saint-Germain, who scored 6 such league goals in 2026, at least two more than any other team that year. Monaco, by contrast, have not conceded in that phase of the game since Olivier Giroud's goal for Lille in August 2025.
An emotional encounter?
Magnes Akliouche could face his former club Monaco, for whom he played 139 matches across all competitions. He may also make his first appearance in a Paris Saint-Germain shirt at the Parc des Princes, the ground where he has contributed to more goals than at any other in his career bar the Stade Louis II, with two goals and one assist.
Excluding penalties, Paris Brunner boasts the highest expected goals rate in the French league this season, with 1.87. The Monaco forward has also taken more shots this term, 9 to 4, and had more touches inside the opponent's box, 13 to 10, over 138 minutes of league play, compared with the 127 minutes he featured in during 2025-2026.
Two league wins and two victories in UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying leave Adi Hutter on the brink. He could become the first coach to win his first 5 matches in all competitions in charge of Monaco.
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