Paris: A meeting of Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco might not carry the same allure that it did just a few months ago, but for Laurent Blanc’s side it is a chance to really kick-start their domestic campaign.
PSG come into Sunday’s encounter at the Parc des Princes fresh from an exhilarating 3-2 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League in midweek, a result that Blanc admitted was possibly his best since being appointed as coach last year.
“I will remember this win, as will the players and all those who were at the stadium. We do this job to live nights like these,” he said.
“We hope this really launches our season. It can serve as a reference point for us to build from.”
The champions are still unbeaten this season, but have drawn five of their eight Ligue 1 games so far and come into October five points behind leaders Marseille.
They also have injury problems — top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic has missed the last three matches with a heel complaint and the Swede faces a race against time to be fit to face Monaco.
Captain Thiago Silva and Ezequiel Lavezzi are still out and Blanc admitted that Marquinhos struggled through to the end of the Barcelona clash with a similar problem.
“Marquinhos felt pain in his thigh and played the whole second half with that pain,” he said.
However, Monaco are themselves without Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov, who has an injured ankle.
The principality club have unsurprisingly toiled since seeing star duo James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao depart without being replaced.
That means that a fixture that was so eagerly anticipated last season is perhaps no longer the biggest showdown in the French game, but there is still no shortage of intrigue.
If PSG are unhappy at being in fourth place, Leonardo Jardim’s side languish in 12th and were beaten 1-0 at home by local rivals Nice last week.
However, they did boost morale with an excellent draw at Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League on Wednesday and now Jardim is hoping they can reproduce their European form in Ligue 1.
“It’s easier for the manager to motivate the players in the Champions League,” he acknowledged after the draw in Russia.
“The team played well, had a good 90 minutes with lots of quality and intensity. I think the team can play like this in the domestic league too.”
Also on Sunday, Lyon, who are unbeaten in four, can move to within a point of third-placed Lille by beating the northern side at the Stade de Gerland.
Saint-Etienne entertain Toulouse, while Metz, who are fifth, go to an Evian side in the bottom three.
