Paris St Germain vs Shakhtar Donetsk - Paris coach Blanc not under-estimating Shakhtar

Posted Tuesday, December 08, 2015 by PA

Paris St Germain coach Laurent Blanc insists he will take nothing for granted against Shakhtar Donetsk despite his side having already guaranteed qualification for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages as Group A runners-up.

Blanc has promised to make changes to face the Ukrainian side, who have endured a torrid group campaign but can still hold off rivals Malmo to book a Europa League qualifying berth.

But he maintained the prestigious nature of the competition coupled with the quality of Mircea Lucescu's men would ensure he approached the game as seriously as all the group games so far.

Blanc told a press conference: "Certain players have been bothered by some injuries so I will have to make some changes, and we also need to think about our schedule.

"In this sense it is good we are playing our last game at home and with our place in the next round already assured, but we are taking on a good team whose philosophy is similar to our own.

"We cannot forget that this is a Champions League match and my team's determination will be the same as it has been since the beginning of the season."

Thiago Silva will definitely be rested for the game against Shakhtar while Javier Pastore and Marco Verratti are both still out, while there are doubts over Thiago Motta and Gregory van der Wiel.

Shakhtar go into the game with a fully fit squad and will guarantee Europa League qualification if they match or beat Malmo's result on the same night against Real Madrid.