PARIS (AP) - Sensing a psychological ascendancy at a crucial time of the season, Paris Saint-Germain is hoping to catch Monaco in a tense French title race.
PSG beat Monaco 4-1 in last weekend’s League Cup final, a morale-boosting victory that club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi hopes has shaken Monaco.
“It was psychologically important for us to win this match, and to win it really well,” he said. “I think we’re still the boss here (in France).”
PSG is clearly playing with a point to prove after last month’s embarrassing Champions League exit, where it failed to reach the quarterfinals after losing 6-1 to Barcelona in the second leg of their last 16 match after winning the first leg 4-0.
That humiliating loss has stung the team’s pride, and PSG has won four straight games since. However, it is hard to tell how significant this mini-return to form is, considering that before the Barcelona debacle PSG was unbeaten in 16 games and expressing a similar kind of confidence.
PSG trails Monaco by three points, effectively four because of Monaco’s vastly superior goal difference. Whether the momentum swings back in PSG’s favor over the remaining eight league games remains to be seen, and depends on several key factors.
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CALENDAR
Both sides have equal run-ins in terms of difficultly, with fairly easy-looking home games and two tough away trips.
Monaco goes to fourth-place Lyon and ends the season at Rennes, which is traditionally strong at home.
PSG travels to third-place Nice - where it often struggles in a hostile atmosphere bordering on hatred - and is away at Saint-Etienne, which is chasing a Europa League spot for next season and is also backed by fervent home support.
But Monaco also has the Champions League quarterfinals against Borussia Dortmund coming up, which will likely drain considerable energy against the free-scoring German club.
It will be a test of coach Leonardo Jardim’s ability to see how well he copes with these demands, but so far this season he has shown that he can juggle team selection without too much impact on results. He rested several key players on Tuesday, and his side still beat Lille in the French Cup quarterfinals.
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SQUADS
PSG has the stronger squad, which was clearly underlined when looking at the respective substitute’s benches during last weekend’s League Cup final.
Monaco’s only back up striker was 19-year-old Irvin Cardona. Among the other substitutes was 21-year-old center half Kevin N’Doram, who has played only six games for the club, and 21-year-old Brazilian left back Jorge, who has only played twice.
PSG’s bench was packed with experience. It featured France midfielder Blaise Matuidi, veteran Brazilian left back Maxwell - a winner of multiple trophies with Barcelona and PSG - playmaker Javier Pastore and wingers Lucas and Hatem Ben Arfa.
Monaco and PSG meet in the French Cup semifinals in Paris later this month, which PSG coach Unai Emery says will be a good chance “to prove who is the best,” between the sides. Monaco beat PSG 3-1 at home and drew 1-1 away in the league.
With less games coming up and a deeper bench, Emery has reason to feel confident of snatching the league title from Monaco’s grasp.
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SCORING
This is where Monaco has the clear advantage, both in terms of how many goals it scores and who scores them.
While Edinson Cavani has netted an incredible 40 goals in 40 games this season for PSG, an injury to the Uruguay striker now could have a huge impact.
The only other player to score more than 10 goals this season is Brazilian winger Lucas, who has 15. But he is not a striker and PSG has limited options in terms of a backup center forward.
Monaco has netted an astounding 132 times in all competitions this season, with Radamel Falcao leading the way with 24.
Unlike PSG, Monaco’s scoring is spread far wider throughout the team.
Teenager Kylivan Mbappe has 19 goals - including 12 in the last 11 games for the newly-capped France winger - while striker Valere Germain has 15. Midfielders Thomas Lemar (12), Fabinho (11) and Bernardo Silva (10) have all contributed healthily.
Realistically, PSG need Monaco’s goals to dry up.
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