PSG minds on Arsenal return as French clubs scrap for
Paris Saint-Germain must go to Strasbourg this weekend, in between the 2 legs of their Champions League semi-final versus Arsenal, for a clash with among a host of sides scrapping to certify from Ligue 1 for Europe’s elite club competitors next season.PSG are in a strong position to make it through to the 2nd Champions League final in their history after Ousmane Dembele’s early goal gave them a 1-0 win away to Toolbox in the first leg of their last-four tie on Tuesday.Advertisement The return leg
will take place
in Paris next Wednesday, and Luis Enrique’s side danger needing to do without their leading marksman Dembele after he came off in the 2nd half in London.”It is a small thing however there is a doubt for the return match,” Luis Enrique said following the first leg.In the meantime the previous Barcelona winger appears particular to play no part for PSG in Strasbourg, who will be hoping to capitalise and pick up valuable points as they scrap for a location in the Champions League themselves.PSG’s hopes of ending up being the first team ever to complete a French top-flight season without losing were ended after 30 games as they lost 3-1 in your home to Nice last weekend.Advertisement Nevertheless, they can still extend their run– a record in Europe’s big leagues– without being beaten away from home to 40 games if they avoid defeat in Alsace.Strasbourg come
into the last 3 games of the campaign in seventh location, which will at best bring with it an area in next season’s UEFA Conference League.Their fans would most likely be delighted with that, however the club belonging to the American consortium BlueCo which also owns Chelsea is dreaming even bigger.Coach Liam Rosenior, who has actually just extended his agreement to 2028, has overseen a run of 11 matches without losing and Strasbourg enter into the weekend just 2 points behind Lille in third.Advertisement Lille are 2 points behind second-placed Marseille, and those sides fulfill each other on Sunday in a substantial game, the winner of which will take an enormous action towards guaranteeing a top-four finish and a Champions League berth.Monaco, who are a point behind Lille in 4th, check out relegation-threatened Saint-Etienne on Saturday and have actually won only one of their last 10 away outings.Paulo Fonseca’s Lyon are another point back in 5th, level with both sixth-placed Great and Strasbourg.
They will be anticipated to get the better of a Lens side who seem in freefall.Meanwhile Nice host having a hard time Reims as they seek to construct on last week’s win away to PSG.Advertisement With just 4 points separating the six teams instantly behind PSG, nothing will be chosen this weekend however all the European competitors understand how damaging a fault could be.Player to watch: Mason Greenwood has scored 19 Ligue 1 goals in his debut season for Marseille, a tally bettered just by the 21 of Dembele for PSG.The Englishman has actually for that reason already matched the variety of league goals scored for Marseille by Didier Drogba in the Ivorian’s one season at the Velodrome in 2003/04. Greenwood will be wanting to make it 20 this weekend as Marseille go to Lille because essential
showdown in the fight for Champions League qualification.Advertisement Key stats 11-Strasbourg are unbeaten in their last 11 Ligue 1 trips 199 -Alexandre Lacazette is one objective away from reaching a double century for Lyon 39 -The number of games PSG have gone without losing away from home in Ligue 1– they can extend that to 40 by preventing defeat in Strasbourg on Saturday Fixtures( times GMT) Friday Good v Reims(1845) Saturday Strasbourg v Paris Saint-Germain(1500), Toulouse v Rennes(1700), Saint-Etienne v Monaco(1905)Sunday Nantes v Angers(1300), Lyon v Lens, Brest v Montpellier, Auxerre v Le Havre(all 1515), Lille v Marseille( 1845)as/jc