Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 clash with Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday would normally be one of the French game’s headline fixtures. However, through a combination of the hosts’ prematurely ended season after another UEFA Champions League disaster and the visitor’s extended period of difficulty, it has a bit less shine about it than usual. PSG have lost two of their last three across all competitions while Lyon are winless in the same period and Laurent Blanc returns to Parc des Princes to lead a side currently nine points adrift of European qualification. Christophe Galtier comes up against Les Parisiens’ winningest head coach under major pressure due to UCL and Coupe de France disappointment while the domestic cup could yet salvage OL’s season.
“Lyon are one of the great teams, and they are improving game after game,” said Galtier of Les Gones pre-game. “They have a Coupe de France semi-final to play a few days later, which is an important objective for them, but they come to the Parc this Sunday with international-level players, youngsters who are expressing themselves well this season. It will be a difficult match against one of the better sides in the league.
“We have had 10 days to work with a limited number of players. We have taken care of the little injuries, the players are coming back little by little. Tomorrow we will have a session focused on the game. PSG-OL is a classic fixture in this league. We need to get back to winning ways after Rennes, and get back on track in the final sprint. We are talking a lot about the preparation for next season, we are discussing with Luis Campos and the president, but I am mainly focused on the last ten games of the season, looking to clinch the title.
“We will approach these next matches with determination and clarity of mind. If we perform well in the next three matches, we will have a significant advantage. We must not take the easy way out;…
