Paris Saint-Germain head into the Champions League knockout part in impolite well being, with their crushing domination towards home opposition making a Ligue 1 and French Cup double look extremely possible and leaving them in a robust place to maintain advancing in Europe.
Luis Enrique’s group head into Friday’s residence conflict with Monaco with a 10-point lead over Marseille on the prime of Ligue 1, with the principality aspect an extra three factors behind in third.
Even a slip-up in that recreation towards one other of France’s Champions League representatives is unlikely to cease them of their procession in the direction of a fourth straight league title, and their eleventh in 13 seasons.
In midweek they eased to an uneventful 2-0 win away to third-tier Le Mans to safe a spot within the French Cup quarter-finals.
The truth that nearly all of their most severe rivals domestically have already been eradicated from that competitors means it might be an infinite shock if the Parisians didn’t now declare a record-extending sixteenth French Cup triumph.
PSG haven’t misplaced to French opponents in 27 video games stretching again to final Might, after they have been crushed 3-1 at residence by Toulouse having already secured the Ligue 1 title.
That’s their solely loss of their final 60 conferences with home opponents since September 2023, a file which speaks volumes for his or her completely huge monetary benefit over the remainder of French soccer.
The Qatar-owned membership’s income for 2024 of just about 806 million euros ($837m) put them third on this planet, behind solely Actual Madrid and Manchester Metropolis, in analysts Deloitte’s just lately printed Soccer Cash League.
The one different French golf equipment within the prime 30 have been Marseille and Lyon, whose mixed income totalled 551 million euros.
Put merely, no marvel PSG’s French rivals can’t compete, and it doesn’t augur properly for Brest, who should now face Luis Enrique’s group within the knockout part play-offs of the Champions League.
The primary leg takes place in Brittany subsequent Tuesday, with the return in Paris on February 19.
Brest’s total finances for this season is reported to be just below 50 million euros.
All of which implies PSG ought to make it by means of to the final 16 in Europe, the place both Liverpool or Barcelona await.
In the meantime in Paris the likelihood is already being raised of PSG going by means of all the season with out shedding a recreation domestically.
“Data should not an goal for us,” stated Luis Enrique on Friday when requested about the opportunity of establishing that new file.
“What’s essential is to win titles. If these include information, that’s marvellous, however that isn’t the intention.”
Participant to look at: Ousmane Dembele
The 27-year-old’s transformation from a devilish dribbler on the wing to deadly central striker has been outstanding.
The France worldwide has scored 14 targets in his final 9 appearances for PSG, going again to mid-December. Previous to that he had scored 11 occasions in 59 video games for the capital membership since arriving from Barcelona in 2023.
Dembele scored back-to-back hat-tricks towards VfB Stuttgart, within the Champions League, and Brest earlier than being rested for the win at Le Mans in midweek to maintain him contemporary for the approaching video games.
He turned the primary participant in PSG historical past to attain hat-tricks in successive matches — one thing the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Lionel Messi have been all unable to attain.
Key stats
27 – PSG are unbeaten of their final 27 video games towards home opponents, with 21 wins and 6 attracts
14 – Dembele is the highest scorer in Ligue 1 with 14 targets, and has 14 in his final 9 matches in all competitions
13 – Mason Greenwood has 13 targets in his first 20 Ligue 1 video games for Marseille, matching the tally of Didier Drogba in his lone season on the membership in 2003/04.
Fixtures (occasions GMT)
Friday
Nantes v Brest (1800), Paris Saint-Germain v Monaco (2005)
Saturday
Good v Lens (1600), Lille v Le Havre (1800), Saint-Etienne v Rennes (2005)
Sunday
Lyon v Reims (1400), Strasbourg v Montpellier, Auxerre v Toulouse (1615), Angers v Marseille (1945)
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