Mario Balotelli (pictured) says Manchester City’s mid-week slayers Monaco have the stars and the spirit to edge a reeling Paris Saint Germain in a tight French title race.

With nine games to go it is a three-way tussle between Balotelli’s Nice, PSG and Monaco, with the latter underlining their rich promise by ejecting Pep Guardiola’s City in the Champions League last 16.

Free-scoring Monaco are top with 68 points, with PSG on 65 points and Nice 63 points. Monaco travel north to Caen on Sunday, the same day PSG face a showdown with fourth-placed Lyon in Paris.

"Paris Saint Germain have phenomenal players but no team, while Monaco have one phenomenal player in Falcao and then a strong group with great team spirit,” Italian striker Balotelli told RMC sport radio on Wednesday.

His Nice team, who go to Nantes on Saturday, were the league pacesetters and even though they have fallen to third, Balotelli predicts a great future.

Agencies