Football
9y

PSG's Laurent Blanc admits he already has one eye on Chelsea

Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc admits he will have one eye on next week's Champions League last-16 tie with Chelsea when his side host Caen in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

PSG play Jose Mourinho's team just three days after the game at Parc des Princes.

"We play on Saturday and then again on Tuesday, so the recovery time between these two matches is very short," Blanc told PSG's official club website. "Today we are focused on Caen, but also Chelsea.

"I will do my best to send out a competitive side against Caen while also preparing for Tuesday night's match against Chelsea in the Champions League."

Blanc's men cannot afford to slip up with the French title race still as close as ever. Lyon and PSG's 1-1 draw last weekend means Lyon remain top of the table but only two points clear of both Marseille in second and PSG in third.

"It's a championship match worth three points, we have had some big games before it, and we have some big games after it," Blanc . "I know you are all thinking about Chelsea, but we need to get the three points on Saturday first.

"The team that played against Nantes met my expectations, but there may be changes ahead of Saturday and certainly more for the match against Chelsea."

A victory over Caen would pile the pressure back on Lyon, who could drop two places before facing Lorient on Sunday as Marseille host Reims on Friday night.

PSG arrive in good form too, having beaten Nantes 2-0 on Wednesday to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Blaise Matuidi were all rested for the win while Yohan Cabaye will be hoping to retain his place in the side after he capped an excellent display with a goal.

Javier Pastore has been training separately after recovering from a calf injury, but Caen is likely to come too soon for the forward.

PSG cannot afford to underestimate Caen, who have enjoyed a remarkable resurgence of late.

Patrice Garande's side were odds-on for relegation just a few weeks ago but four consecutive league victories mean they have climbed to 14th in the table, four points clear of the bottom three.

"Caen went through a very tough start to the season, but have won their last four league matches in a row and have jumped up the table," Blanc said. "They are in good form and full of confidence but we have prepared for this match.

"The whole club knows this match is worth three points, so the aim is to win on Saturday."

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