PSG 3-0 Nice: match report, goals, as it happened
A first half double from Edinson "El Matador" Cavani was enough to see PSG set up a comfortable win and secure six from six at home this season in Ligue 1.
PSG 3-0 Nice: match report
Suspended Neymar watched from the stands as Edinson Cavani's brace inspired Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-0 win over Nice on Friday to send Unai Emery's side seven points clear in Ligue 1.
Cavani's first half double, both assists provided by Angel Di Maria, earned unbeaten PSG their ninth league win of the season.
It pushed them up to 29 points, seven clear of defending champions Monaco who face Bordeaux on Saturday.
And it was the ideal warm-up ahead of Tuesday's clash with Anderlecht when they can secure a place in the Champions League last 16.
The win also served to erase the memory of last week's draining 2-2 draw with hated rivals Marseille.
Neymar was absent for only the second time since his world record signing, the Brazilian copping a one-match ban after being sent off in that stormy visit to the south coast.
Di Maria filled Neymar's expensive shoes on only his second start since August.
Mario Balotelli was a welcome starter for the visitors after missing last week's 2-1 loss to Strasbourg with a calf knock.
Nice coach Lucien Favre was forced into an unscripted last minute change when keeper Yoan Cardinale suffered an injury in warm-up with Walter Benitez summoned off the bench.
Cavani strikes after 3'
The Argentine stand-in keeper was quickly put to work by PSG as Di Maria fired in an inch perfect freekick from the left with the match barely three minutes old.
Cavani dived low to head past Benitez by the near post to bring a smile to the face of Neymar and to secure a place in his club's history with their 2,500th league goal.
Balotelli tested PSG keeper Alphonse Areola with a long range effort down at the other end but that proved a rare respite for Benitez.
On 31 minutes Cavani claimed his 99th Ligue 1 goal when the Uruguayan ran onto Di Maria's neat flick to round the on-rushing Benitez and slide the ball into an empty net.
Benitez then had to act sharply to deny Di Maria getting his first goal of the campaign off an assist from Kylian Mbappe.
The second half was only seven minutes old when a defensive blunder by Nice led to Cavani heading into the box with Alves getting a touch before the ball was helped on its way past Benitez by Nice captain Dante.
Mbappe then showed why he will become the world's second most expensive player when his loan deal is completed at the end of the season, the teenager sprinting round a cluster of Nice defenders before firing into the side netting.
As PSG reflected on a job well done Nice were left contemplating their fourth league loss on the bounce to keep them hovering above the relegation zone.
PSG 3-0 Nice: as it happened
PSG - Nice: preview
It's first against 14th at "Le Pârc" tonight as the Paris Saint-Germain juggernaut shows little sign of stuttering.
Can the Parisian outfit maintain their formidable start to the new season and maintain their unbeaten record or can the outfit from the Cote D'Azur be the first side to take points from the French capital in the current campaign having beaten PSG in Nice in April?
PSG
Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery has said Neymar needs to learn not to respond to provocation after the world's most expensive player was sent off against Marseille last weekend.
The 222 million-euro Brazilian picked up a second yellow card late in Sunday's 2-2 draw between the bitter rivals OM at the Velodrome for reacting to a foul by Lucas Ocampos.
"He is going through the process of adapting to the league, the team, the referees, but he is intelligent. He is also aware that he must learn from what happened on Sunday," said Emery ahead of the Nice clash.
Neymar will be automatically suspended for tonight's game at the Parc des Princes.
"He was sought out more aggressively by the opposition, and it is important that referees know how to handle matches where these situations occur on the field," Emery added.
"I spoke to him about it before the match and we said not to get involved in any provocation. But on the pitch, with the intensity and the aggression, the players are people, and we need everyone to maintain our balance and do the job well."
Angel Di Maria could benefit from Neymar's absence to make just a second start since August.
"When he doesn't play, he is not happy. He wants to play and start every match, but when he doesn't it is because of the competition and the performances of others," said Emery of the ex-Real Madrid man, who pointedly did not celebrate after coming off the bench to score in the recent 4-0 win at Anderlecht.
Nice
Nice are the only French team to have beaten PSG in 2017, recording a 3-1 triumph in April.
However, Lucien Favre's side are struggling this season -- last week's 2-1 loss at home to Strasbourg was their third on the bounce in the league and they are 14th in the table.
"We are delighted to be going to Paris. We will need to defend as a team, use the ball well, and above all we will need to be more compact," said Favre, who is without playmaker Jean Michael Seri but could welcome back Mario Balotelli.
The Italian is Nice's top scorer with five goals but missed last week's match with a calf knock.
PSG vs Nice live online: betting odds
A win for the visitors this evening (a shock win even) pays out at a price of 22/1.
Bet here (responsibly) on PSG-Nice
