Poor rivals keep PSG on track

18Mar 2013

PSG are still in a commanding position in Ligue 1 thanks to the poor form of their challengers, but with Barcelona to come in the Champions League could this side be 'built for Europe'? Ben Lyttleton explains...

It's been a good week for PSG, or at least it had been before they kicked off against Saint-Etienne on Sunday night. The two teams closest to them in the title race, Marseille and Lyon, had both dropped points against bottom-half sides. Marseille could only draw 0-0 with Ajaccio while Lyon were on the receiving-end of a 4-1 thumping at the hands of Bastia.

That result did not please Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas who, instead of looking upwards to challenge PSG, is now looking over his shoulder at the threat of Saint-Etienne in the race for the third Champions League qualifying spot. "I wish some of the players had shown the same determination on the pitch as they had in their own contract negotiations," he fumed. "We missed a great chance to put pressure on PSG and now, like always, we will be keeping an eye on what's happening behind us."

If PSG do go on to win their first title since 1994 - and they are a short-price 1.15 to do so - it will partly be because their challengers have been so weak this season. The same would have been true last year but for the marvelous efforts of Montpellier; so while winning Ligue 1, which was the main target for this season, will please owners QSI, the manner of its likely success has been far from convincing.

At least on Sunday night PSG stopped the run of successive away losses that had recently afflicted them: after losing at Reims and Sochaux, a game at Saint-Etienne, who had won their last three at home, was fraught with danger. After all, Les Verts had inflicted PSG's first defeat of the season, and knocked them out of the League Cup earlier this season. As it was, when PSG raced into a two-goal lead thanks to early strikes from Javier Pastore and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it looked like one hand might be on the trophy.

But Les Verts had other ideas: just before the break, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did well to work in a cross that Alex converted into his own net under pressure from Brandao. And as the hosts dominated an entertaining second half, Francois Clerc made it 2-2 with 20 to play.

Saint-Etienne looked likelier to score as the game went on, and a tetchy encounter ended with PSG complaining to officials about Brandao's ugly lunge on Thiago Silva. The result leaves PSG five points clear at the top with nine games to play. Saint-Etienne remain in fourth but could climb into the top three if they continue this form.

If PSG want to over-achieve on their ambitions and go further in the Champions League, they would have to beat competition favourites Barcelona to do so. PSG are 5.2 to reach the last four, with Barcelona 1.15, a price that might have something to do with Ibrahimovic serving the second game of his European suspension following his red card in the last round against Valencia.

But there are some reasons for optimism for PSG: after all, Barcelona have a poor record in away first legs in recent games in this competition. They lost 2-0 at AC Milan in the last round, and were beaten 1-0 at Chelsea in last year's semi-final.

The two teams have already met this season, as part of a Qatari jamboree in a pre-season friendly (PSG have Qatari owners and Barcelona Qatari sponsors). It was Ibrahimovic's first match for PSG and he scored in a 2-2 draw. Barcelona ended up winning 4-1 on penalties.

A lot has changed for both clubs since then. Barcelona have coasted to the title while Tito Vilanova has been absent for two months, while PSG have signed a certain English midfielder, who lasted the full match on Sunday night.

But Barcelona should not under-estimate the Parisian threat. Although sports director Leonardo caused a storm and was accused of being disrespectful when he recently claimed this PSG was "built for Europe", he actually had a point.