PSG dream of club treble as another French League title beckons
Paris: Paris Saint-Germain remains on course for a historic club treble after reaching the Champions League semi-finals this week.
Kylian Mbappe and his teammates can dream of playing the final at Wembley Stadium on June 1. Mbappé can imagine himself climbing the long stairs before raising aloft Europe’s premier club trophy for the first time since PSG’s foundation in 1970, in what would effectively be his last game before leaving the club.
“Of course, I want to win the Champions League with PSG,” Mbappé said after PSG knocked out Barcelona in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. “We have a great side and we’ll do all we can to get to Wembley.”
But, before scaling such heights, there are domestic matters to take care of, starting with clinching a record-extending 12th French title.
PSG has a 10-point lead and can take a step closer to the title on Sunday with a home win against Lyon at Parc des Princes. But, it will face a Lyon team full of confidence under coach Pierre Sage, one of the success stories of the season along with Brest.
Sage took charge only on an interim basis in December, but the club hierarchy liked what they saw and soon appointed him full-time. Sage, which translates as “Wise” in English, has led a remarkable charge up the league table with 11 wins in 17 games.
Instead of fretting over relegation as it did in bleak late autumn, Lyon sits in a sunnier seventh place and within three points of Nice in fifth spot.
The softly-spoken Sage has relied on veteran striker Alexandre Lacazette, who is third in the league scoring charts with 15. Also, former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic has proved an excellent midseason signing from Rennes.
Matic’s arrival has helped former France midfielder Corentin Tolisso regain his form, and Tolisso scored a well-taken goal in last Sunday’s 4-3 win against Brest.
Lyon can’t halt PSG’s march to another title, because only a dramatic PSG collapse can do that, but it can stop PSG from winning another trophy when the sides meet in the French Cup final on
May 25.
