PSG vs Lille OSC - Changes expected as PSG battle fixture crunch ahead of Lille clash

Posted Saturday, February 13, 2016 by PA

Paris St Germain enter a defining period of their season with Saturday's home Ligue 1 fixture against Lille under pressure to juggle their resources ahead of Tuesday's Champions League meeting with Chelsea.

Despite requests to league officials to rework their congested schedule to allow them more than two full days to prepare for the home leg of Tuesday's round of 16 tie, PSG have experienced only frustration with their efforts.

A week after hosting 15th-placed Lille, comfortable league leaders PSG are visited by Reims, and manager Laurent Blanc - who this week signed a contract extension to remain in the French capital until 2016 - told reporters: "The calendar can't get any tighter than that. If you talk to me about the fixture list, I get heated, so it's better to avoid it

"As of Sunday, we'll start preparing for the game against Chelsea. The game against Lille, with all respect to Lille, is badly timed.

"I have players and staff that want to win everything so we have to get on with it and go all the way."

PSG, who remain undefeated in Ligue 1 this season and have a 14-point advantage over second-placed Monaco, hope to have midfielders Javier Pastore and Marco Verratti again available, particularly given Blanc's desire to rotate.

"I hope that this time Javier Pastore can re-join the squad," the 50-year-old added. "He's doing everything to make it back. He's been training normally these past few days. If he's fit, he'll be in the squad.

"Marco's situation is different; his injury is not serious, but it could get that way. So we have to be smart about how we deal with his case. If everything goes well for him in training, he'll be in the squad.

"Some players will certainly be rested against Lille, but nothing's stopping me from playing some lads on Saturday and Tuesday. Anyway I think Chelsea are in the same boat, they're playing Newcastle on Saturday. Playing a lot of matches is not a bad way to prepare, on the contrary. The only risk is injuries and recovery time."

Lille sit only four points above the Ligue 1 relegation zone, and amid PSG's record of 22 wins and three draws from 25 league fixtures so far this season, their defender Adama Soumaoro is targeting a point.

"The match against PSG will be special for me since I am from Fontenay-aux-Roses (a Parisian suburb)," he told Lille's official club website.

"This is a club that continues to grow and attract the best players. My family and friends will be in the stands. The goal for us is to take at least a point. Do not go to Paris (with a) defeatist (attitude)."

They remain without goalkeeper Mike Maignan, defender Marko Basa, and Portuguese loanee Eder, each owing to injury, and Sofiane Boufal, through suspension.