Paris: Paris Saint-Germain will hope to take the next step towards an unprecedented domestic treble as they host Monaco on Wednesday in the French Cup quarter-finals.
PSG are currently second in Ligue 1, one point behind leaders Lyon after being held to a frustrating 0-0 on Sunday draw by Monaco — a team they meet for the second time in four days.
But PSG know the way to the Stade de France as they have already booked their ticket for the French League Cup final next month against Bastia.
PSG face a tough challenge on Wednesday as they take on one of the few top flight sides remaining.
And Monaco love nothing more than to live up to their giant-killer reputation, as Arsenal learnt the hard way last week in Champions League action.
The French Cup has been identified as a priority by PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi as the Ligue 1 giants have yet to lift the trophy in the Qatar-backed era.
PSG, however, seem to be in a tight spot, with the return leg of their Champions League clash against Chelsea looming on March 11, leaving Laurent Blanc’s men with little room for error in the league.
Injuries to Thiago Motta (calf), Yohan Cabaye (thigh), Serge Aurier (thigh) and Lucas (adductor), on top of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s two-game suspension, make things even harder for the capital club.
In this context, Monaco could appear as favourites, but coach Leonardo Jardim played this down.
“We will try to have a good game. We are more tired than PSG and our squad isn’t as big. We have 18-19 players and two keepers. In the back, we have two players injured and two others who are suspended. We will have to find a solution but we’re working on it,” the Portuguese explained.
PSG’s Blaide Matuidi said: “Wednesday’s game will be different. We will have fans backing us up and we’ll have to recover. The fresher team can certainly come out on top.”
In other games, title holders Guingamp, who slumped to a third defeat in a week after their 1-0 loss against Nantes, travel to neutral site Lorient, where they play fourth-tier Concarneau, while Brest take on Auxerre in a Ligue 2 classic and six-time winners St Etienne go to Boulogne.
