PSG v Dynamo Kyiv UEFA Cup match preview

In the most unlikely of circumstances, Paris Saint-Germain finds itself within grasp of the UEFA Cup championship. Heading into their opening leg of their quarter-finals match against legendary Ukraine side Dynamo Kyiv, there is little debate that at times Paul Le Guen did not consider the UEFA Cup a priority. Throughout the entire tournament, starting with narrow advance in the group stage that included a rather scandalous display against German side Schalke 04, fortune has fallen the way of the Parisians. After getting past VfL Wolfsburg and SC Braga, les Rouge et Bleu are on the cusp of championship with Dynamo Kyiv their next obstacle.

However as Dynamo visits Parc des Princes PSG they face a entirely different case than the previous clubs and they will need to lace their boots up a bit tighter to advance. Motivation will not be an issue for the visitors as they are not only committed to their clubs resurgence but also Football pride within the Ukraine. Pride and honour are on the line and for a brilliant league that sadly gets little respect within the English speaking media, they will gunning for world's stage. While talk of "pride" and "motivation" might not resonate to all, in their corner is one of the sports finest tacticians, Yuri Semin. The irreplaceable architect of Lokomotiv Moskva's success for nearly twenty years, Mr. Semin has worked his magic with Dynamo since joining them late in 2007.

Speaking to UEFA prior to the match, the legendary leader was complimentary of PSG but additionally provided a key insight of his approach:

"We were not afraid of anyone before the competition started. In the second leg against Metalist (Kharkiv) we came from behind twice, it was not easy."

Dynamo is not afraid of anyone and to get by them, Paul Le Guen must prioritize this match. Paris Saint-Germain will want a lead going into the second leg as Kyiv will be a formidable opposition with a the twelfth man raining down "Динамо" for ninety minutes.

That withstanding, in crucial error in judgement, Paul Le Guen will not be deploying Claude Makélélé or Ludovic Giuly in the starting eleven. Per prior UEFA Cup matches he is likely to use Péguy Luyindula with Guillaume Hoarau or possibly Mateja Kežman. Zoumana Camara and Jérôme Rothen will return but Mamadou Sakho, Sylvain Armand and Loris Arnaud are out.

Paris Saint-Germain breaks down losing 4-1 to Toulouse

In a complete break down, Paris Saint-Germain showed little of the form they have played with this year and effectively channeled last years relegation threatened side as they fell 4-1 to Toulouse. The loss sends les Rouge et Bleu free-falling to sixth in the packed Ligue 1 table.

While the celebratory mood is naturally overflowing in the south-west, the Parisians performance was perplexing as they simply gave the match away with a series of adolescent mistakes. In a shape of things to come, TFC took the lead six minutes after the start on a mind-numbing error rarely seen at the professional level. As Étienne Didot lined up for a free-kick, Bryan Bergougnoux slowly circled to the left untouched and was played the ball to which he finished over Mickaël Landreau who must have wondered what happened to his defenders. While the Parisians attempted to rally the match unraveled before the break with two further goals. At the thirty-ninth minute PSG's defenders were embarrassed with as a long pass down the left flank found Cheikh M'Bengue who then played a clever one-two with Bryan Bergougnoux before dispatching to André-Pierre Gignac to finish from eleven metres. Now up by two, Toulouse went for the jugular adding the third goal before the break in another dreadful defensive display as Étienne Didot sent his corner to an unmarked Moussa Sissoko just outside the box which he finished with his right foot into the net. With another forty-five minutes to play PSG needed a goal fast to have a shred of a hope of getting back in and with twenty minutes remaining Larrys Mabiala did well to volley in off Sammy Traoré's pass that came off a well placed Jérôme Rothen free-kick to make it 3-1. However any hope was quickly squashed as Paris Saint-Germain were exposed at the back and Toulouse added its fourth and final goal with nine minutes remaining as Étienne Capoue split the defenders sending Daniel Braaten in alone and after circumventing Mickaël Landreau he sent the ball in from the edge of the six yard box. Without further mark the match concluded with PSG losing 4-1.

Paris Saint-Germain v Toulouse match preview

With the top spot of Ligue 1 up for grabs, Paris Saint-Germain travel south-west to the Midi-Pyrénées to face Toulouse. For the Parisians the remarkable campaign that started with an eye towards honour and restoring pride for la Ville-Lumière’s team has turned to thoughts of hoisting trophies. On the European front although les Rouge et Bleu did not prioritize competition they find themselves in the quarter-finals UEFA Cup and without question domestically the Championnat will come down the final ten weeks.

Paul Le Guen, could certainly be found guilty of understating the obviously as he noted Sunday evening's match as "incredibly important." While stating the obvious this match could very well decide the Parisians fate but further one of the most exciting stories in football this year. While rarely discussed outside of France, Toulouse barely avoided relegation last year under Élie Baup but have responded with Alain Casanova's leadership and are only three points from the top spot.

In continuing his commentary of the match Paul Le Guen noted Toulouse's qualities:

"They are very well organised and full of confidence, like their striker André-Pierre Gignac. Physically, they are very impressive. They are very strong and can really dominate their opponents. In the first match this year, that we lost 1-0, I saw that they had the potential to do something special this season."

For the match Paris Saint-Germaine are with Zoumana Camara who is suspended and Mamadou Sakho's inclusion will be decided in a pre-match fitness test. Depending upon the outcome Sylvain Armand and Sammy Traoré will pair in the central defending group and attempt to put a damper on the home sides brilliant young striker André-Pierre Gignac who just earned his first cap for Les Bleus.

Paris Saint-Germain advance to face Dynamo Kyiv

With an efficient 1-0 victory over SC Braga, Paris Saint-Germain advance to the next stage of the UEFA Cup and will face Dynamo Kyiv. Should les Rouge et Bleu advance past the Ukraine powerhouse they could end up facing l’OM who have drawn Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Parisians visit to Portugal followed an uneasy scoreless draw at Parc des Princes and with a challenging domestic schedule ahead Paul Le Guen faced a number of difficult lineup decisions. With Toulouse in mind this Sunday, Claude Makélélé, Guillaume Hoarau, Ceará and Jérôme Rothen out of the starting eleven, Mateja Kežman and Péguy Luyindula were paired up top for PSG. However the overwhelming run of play came from the home side, yet they will rue its many missed opportunities and should have come out with the victory if finishing wasn’tttt lacking. After forcing Mickaël Landreau into a number of top-self saves the match was decided with nine minutes remaining as Clément Chantôme’s free-kick was headed into the net by Guillaume Hoarau, who had entered the match for Serbian international Mateja Kežman to give Paris Saint-Germain the lone goal of the two legs. However the match was far from decided as Braga threatened to bring the match level on a number of occasions including César Peixoto and Luis Aguiar’s notable efforts.

a painful loss for Parisians

Possibly the most accurate commentary of the match came early Monday morning at the little newsstand that I buy the daily’s from. Just off the Champs-Élysées, the same gentleman has been working their long before these flecks of grey made there way across my temples and his own animated way he talked of how the city, this beautiful unparalleled city wept. To some that might be a morsel too much on the dramatic side but in other ways the outstanding run by Paris Saint-Germain has been a reawakening of la Ville-Lumière’s love affair with les Rouge et Bleu. Now with colours flying brilliantly again, hope flourishes.

Les Marseillais started the match with a ruthless passionnante performance and took the lead twenty-four minutes in with Boudewijn Zenden’s effort. The goal rustled the Parisians from the stupor and after a few chances scurried off-course, veteran Ludovic Giuly showed why he has never looked brighter then in Paris as he leveled the match with two minutes left in the half. However after the break disaster struck as Zoumana Camara was red-carded from bringing down Boudewijn Zenden as the last man. The disaster wasn’t complete as the resulting free-kick managed to held back by Mickaël Landreau but the rebound took an peculiar bounce and off Bakari Koné before going into the net. Shell-shocked from the unfortunate turn of events only six minutes later, PSG product Lorik Cana found the net from fifteen metres and effectively the match was over. How the match would have played out was a discussion to be had throughout the night but it is all guesswork now as les Marseillas journeyed home with the victory.

Walking by the same newsstand a little later, the gentlemen I noted came up again and the sorrow of last nights match was gone as he turned his attention to this weeks UEFA Cup against SC Braga and then Toulouse later. While the loss may have been painful it will never squash the hopes of les Rouge et Bleu in la Ville-Lumière.

SC Braga holds PSG to scoreless draw

With an eye towards Le Classique against l'OM this Sunday at Parc des Prince, Paris Saint-Germain gave up an important advantages as they played Sporting Clube de Braga to scoreless draw at Parc des Princes.

Paul Le Guen was able to field a top-shelf starting eleven that included Claude Makélélé and Stéphane Sessegnon but clearly with Ludovic Giuly and Guillaume Hoarau rested, the lacking was lacking inspiration. Early efforts were well quarantined by the sturdy Portuguese side and seeing the need for a change, Paul Le Guen brought-in Guillaume Hoarau and Ludovic Giuly on the hour and further ten minutes later Mateja Kežman. Six minutes into the second forty-five Clément Chantôme forced the best out of Braga 'keeper and on the hour the Parisians continued to pressure with Jérôme Rothen rattling the post on the hour, however their efforts were to no avail as the match ended without a score.

PSG welcomes Sporting Clube de Braga

It seems rather secondary now but with la Ville-Lumière brimming with excitement for Sunday evenings classico against l'OM, they additionally welcome Sporting Clube de Braga in UEFA Cup action later today.

There is no reason to deny it but given Paris Saint-Germain's laissez-faire approach in advancing in the UEFA Cup they are very fortunate to be in the final sixteen of the tournament. Earlier matches against Bundesliga side Schalke 04 seemed to indicate they were searching for an exit strategy as opposed to a legitimate chance to hoist the trophy.

Yet fortune has smiled the way of les Rouge et Bleu and whilst Paul Le Guen is keenly focused upon glory on Sunday, his cupboard is far from bare. Under suspension domestically Stéphane Sessegnon returns to drive the attack forward and following prior blueprints, Péguy Luyindula is likely to team with Mateja Kežman up top. While Guillaume Hoarau is available, the young gun is unlikely to be risked for Sunday evening and there is further question whether Claude Makélélé and Ludovic Giuly will be in the starting eleven. Most likely Clément Chantôme and Jérémy Clément will be handed their respective duties just as Os Gverreiros do Minho will go against Apoula Edel in the Parisian goal for Mickaël Landreau. Grégory Bourillon, Mamadou Sakho and Loris Arnaud are all out.

PSG v l'OM classico

Looking back now, some eight months ago when I started writing this blog on Paris Saint-Germain, things were quite different weren't they. While political leaders around the world who were gridlocked without foresight referred to a possible "economic slowdown" in the future, supporters of les Rouge et Bleu never would have imagined that the March classico between PSG and l'OM could actually result in their side on top of Ligue 1.

Yet now as the dark pall of reality has set in and the "economic slowdown" has become a once in a century financial tsunami, the joy of the Parisians fighting for a championship can bring a smile to us all. Maybe I have said to much with this last comment but as last years painful dalliance with relegation is a book that can be closed, this wondrous fight for the championship is tale that regardless of outcome I appreciate.

Returning to the hazy days of summer again, it is hard to believe that PSG, with all its faults and glaring weaknesses is here, ready to do battle with powerful Olympique de Marseille, is within a whisper of first place Lyonnais. For the match, if I may be blunt, it is a classico and to dissect it with firm stringent lines would be misleading. The match will be played with heart and soul and with a little fortune, the round ball will bounce your way. This Sunday evening in la Ville-Lumière, as I look out at les Rouge et Bleu amongst the Parc des Princes faithful, I'll take great solace in not only the story of a club rising up against adversity but restoring pride in this great crest. Passion, go with no regrets.

Photo Source: Paris Saint-Germaine

Mickaël Landreau leads Paris Saint-Germain run for championship

Paris Saint-Germain continued on championship run with a 1-0 defeat of Lorient on the strength of Ludovic Giuly's goal. With the victory les Rouge et Bleu are now only a single point behind Lyonnais and look ahead to next weeks match against l'OM with critical importance.

Les Merlus trying to break off a terrible run of matches, came out fast and were close to taking the lead first with Marama Vahirua effort the rang off the cross bar and then Kevin Gameiro was denied by Mickaël Landreau in spectacular fashion. However after Clément Chantôme drew a foul, Ceará's free-kick into the area was headed back from Guillaume Hoarau to Ludovic Giuly, with the veteran volleying the ball into the net with resolve. Both sides showed attacking intent through the break, a late flurry by Morgan Amalfitano wandered close to the line before Sammy Traoré scurried to clear off the line. With defending in the final third impenetrable and the match went to the break without further mark.

At the restart both sides showed commitment to their tactical plan, to wish Paul Le Guen was intent on a counter rich trident of Ludovic Giuly, Péguy Luyindula and Guillaume Hoarau. Going forward Lorient 'keeper Fabien Audard and his defending unit continuously denied the Parisians efforts, showing brilliant command of the pitch and ensuring sight lines were cut down to the minimum. Finally with ten minutes remaining Mickaël Landreau stamped his name on the match in a breathtaking moment. As Morgan Amalfitano's effort graces Sammy Traoré hand, M. Falcone points to the spot and it is now up to les Rouge et Bleu 'keeper. Rafik Saïfi steps up to the spot and coyly attempts to move Mickaël Landreau as he fires the ball straight but the Parisian 'keeper would not be fooled and denied the attempt. Without further incident the match concluded with Paris Saint-Germain victorious 1-0.

Photo Source: Paris Saint-Germain

PSG v Lorient match preview

Following a very fortunate scheduling run against lower table clubs, the tables have turned for Paris Saint-Germain as they entering a significantly difficult run of matches. Four points removed from Lyonnais in first place the Parisians have five matches in just over two weeks, including the next round of UEFA Cup and both l'OM and Toulouse. As they travel to face Lorient at Stade du Moustoir Saturday evening they face a new set of challenges with a series of absences.

To complicate matters both Claude Makélélé and Stéphane Sessegnon are suspended and both Mamadou Sakho and Grégory Bourillon are injured. Given the schedule and the lack of depth on the squad Paul Le Guen will be faced with a number of challenging tactical choices likely resulting in Clément Chantôme stepping in to handle Claude Makélélé and Ludovic Giuly steering the attack as Stéphane Sessegnon has. Quite obviously choices are compromised at striker with Guillaume Hoarau paired with either Mateja Kežman or Péguy Luyindula. This is jumbled because young Mr Hoarau is questionably one-hundred per-cent and given the heavy work demands les Rouge et Bleu are treading in tenuous waters.

For Christian Gourcuff les Merlus, the last two months have been a near disaster and without a win since mid-December. While they have corrected defending weaknesses, they have found the net six times in seven matches and at best playing for a draw. They are without André Ayew but have promising young striker Kevin Gameiro back.

Rodez Aveyron triumphant in Coupe de France

The brilliance of the Coupe de France, where each year David meets Golaith continues as Rodez Aveyron defeats Paris Saint-Germain. The loss is a doubly painful for the Parisians as Lyonnais were equally knocked out, leaving the trophy up for grabs. Whether les Rouge et Bleu took Rodez lightly is quite obviously answered with the score-line but it worth noting the impassioned play of the home side.

With Claude Makélélé and Stéphane Sessegnon suspended, Paul Le Guen utilized Clément Chantôme, Jérémy Clément, Péguy Luyindula and Jérôme Rothen in the midfield and it was quite obviously their play was both uninspired and laboured from the busy schedule of late. The lack of bench depth of the Parisians cost dearly as the attacking vision was lacking and the Rodez held its own with a stubborn defending vision.

The match started well for PSG as Jérôme Rothen free-kick was sent into the net by Sammy Traoré only nine minutes into the match. In a night he will never forget, twenty-four year-old Jérémy Choplin a product of Le Mans system, threatened to level the match from midfielder Gaetan Belaud's provisions however PSG maintained its lead going into the break. At the restart les Rouge et Bleu came out strong but finishing was deplorable and five minutes past the hour, defending broke down resulting in Jérémy Choplin free in on Mickaël Landreau and closing out to the delight of the home supporters. The beneficiary of good fortune and continued poor final touches by PSG, the match went to extra time with Jérémy Choplin providing the winner with a powerful drive from thirty-five metres with five minutes remaining. Three minutes later Miguel Pacios added his mark to the evening with a splendid volley from inside the box, bringing the match to its final 3-1 score.

Mateja Kežman returns in Coupe de France against Rodez Aveyron

Paris Saint-Germain travel to face Rodez Aveyron in the final sixteen of the Coupe de France. Quite obviously the Parisians come in heavily favoured against the lower division side however they can expect all out resistance from Franck Rizzeto' side.

Mateja Kežman returns in les Rouge et Bleu but Claude Makélélé and Stéphane Sessegnon are both in the sin-bin along with Grégory Bourillon, Mamadou Sakho and Loris Arnaud out with injury. On the youth front, nineteen year-old midfielder Abdelaziz Barrada will debut along with fellow protégé's Maxime Partouche and Tripy Makonda.

Paris Saint-Germain closes in on Lyonnais with victory over Nancy

Paris Saint-Germain brilliant week continued with a flourishing 4-1 romp over Nancy at Parc des Princes. Coupled with the Rennais and Lyonnais playing to a draw, les Rouge et Bleu find themselves only four points behind the defending champions in second place.

With the painful memories of last spring turned aside the Parisians billowed with confidence after the mid-week UEFA Cup win and charged forward with impassioned play. At the tenth minute Parc des Princes came to its feet as Jérôme Rothen's free-kick was headed by Guillaume Hoarau into the back of the net. Not enough for Paul Le Guen's side as they sensed the opening and took it only two minutes later as Stéphane Sessegnon surged forward in a powerful run before crossing to Ludovic Giuly with the veteran finishing efficiently. Up by two Nancy was on its back heels reeling for the quick goal explosion and after slowing the pace of the match were able to draw one back on the half hour as Julien Féret sent a well crafted ball over Mickaël Landreau. The goal seemed to stir the Parisians anger and as quick as can be they were back on the attack. Ludovic Giuly rocked the post nine minutes before the break after accepting Guillaume Hoarau through ball but four minutes later the brilliant young striker continued to make his claim as one of the most exciting talents in Football. Shaking off his mark, he accepted Jérôme Rothen's free-kick provision and dispatched the ball into the netting to make it 3-1 in PSG's favour. Returning from the break after a brief Nancy threat, the Parisians cued up the celebration as Claude Makélélé played Stéphane Sessegnon into the area and after a delightful one-two with Guillaume Hoarau, he drilled the ball in. With twenty minutes remaining Guillaume Hoarau and Ludovic Giuly took a bow with Péguy Luyindula and Clément Chantôme coming in. Paris Saint-Germain continued to flourish in the attack but were unable to add to the margin and the match concluded with a hearty 4-1 victory



Photo credit: C.Gavelle / PSG

PSG welcomes Nancy to Parc des Princes

Following a very fortunate schedule in the first two months of the calendar year, the Parisians are locked into second place of the Ligue 1 table six points off Olympique Lyonnais. However the table has turned now and the schedule takes on a steep climb as face seven matches in the next three weeks including UEFA Cup ties against Braga, Toulouse and ominous Ides of March meeting against l'OM. Couple in foreboding losses of Claude Makélélé and Stéphane Sessegnon to suspension, les Rouge et Bleu know that three points are an absolute must against Pablo Correa's Nancy-Lorraine on Sunday.

For Nancy, the end of February couldn't come sooner as they were without a win and suffered through a series of disappointing finishes that has their long-term manager considering a series of major changes. Looking back to last weeks loss to l'OL, Karim Benzema netted the winning strike in the dying moments just as did David Hellebuyck the week before for Nice and remarkably three weeks prior Jimmy Briand scored with a few minutes remaining to provide Rennais a draw. While Nancy is painfully only four points above the drop zone, this is a very fine team that merely is being victimized by poor focus in the later stages of the match.

For the match Paul Le Guen will have a near fully fit squad. Both Ludovic Giuly and Guillaume Hoarau were well rested against VfL Wolfsburg and should be ready to go, along with Claude Makélélé and Stéphane Sessegnon whose trip to the sin-bin doesn't start to next week.

brilliant photo of Michel Platini during his time for Nancy from L'Equipe

LFP hands down suspensions

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) has handed down suspensions to Claude Makélélé and Stéphane Sessegnon regarding their actions in the recent match against Saint-Étienne. While difficult losses for the Parisians, they were both expected and highly warranted.

Against Saint-Étienne, Stéphane Sessegnon retaliated against Blaise Matuidi's hard foul with an obvious head-butt while Claude Makélélé launched into a deplorable two footed tackle against Yohan Benalouane that could have caused a serious injury.

Their respective suspensions will commence on Monday with Stéphane Sessegnon out for three matches and Claude Makélélé out for two. Unfortunately this is highly costly loss as les Rouge et Bleu will be without Stéphane Sessegnon in their crucial match against l'OM at Parc des Princes on March 15.

Le Magnifique Rouge et Bleu

In a shockingly easy fashion, Paris Saint-Germain defeated VfL Wolfsburg 3-1 in Volkswagen Arena. Handing the German club their first loss at home this year, the Parisians now advance to the round of sixteen where they will face SC Braga on March 12.

While Wolfsburg attacked, each effort was held back and slowly Paul Le Guen's side gained confidence. With seven minuted left in the half Jan Šimůnek was adjudged for bringing down Jérôme Rothen in the area and the spot was pointed to. Calmly Péguy Luyindula stepped up and gave les Rouge et Bleu the lead they would not relinquish. On the hour Jérôme Rothen scored from the edge of the area on an absolutely foul piece of defending that should embarrass Wolfsburg as he was left unmarked before finishing with a brilliantly placed drive. Japan international Makoto Hasebe drew one back three minutes later and he powered into the box. However the two goal margin was restored at the seventy-third minute when following a poor challenge by Andrea Barzagli on Péguy Luyindula a free-kick was awarded. Clément Chantôme's strike was flicked in the net by Péguy Luyindula for his second of the night to take the match to a 3-1 conclusion.

PSG v Wolfsburg match preview

After stumbling through the early stages of the UEFA Cup, Paris Saint-Germain travels to Wolfsburg holding a distinct two goal advantage after defeating the German side at Parc des Princes last week.

Wolfsburg is coming off a spectacular victory over Hertha Berlin on the weekend and yet to lose at home. However they will need to overcome a two goal disadvantage and les Rouge et Bleu will unquestionably take a more defensive approach as they look to nullify Wolfsburg's high-scoring duo of Edin Džeko and Zvjezdan Misimović. Equally they home side will need to go forward in the match without the services of Brazilian striker Grafite who is out with a knee injury. Paul Le Guen is without Claude Makélélé for the match ahead of Sundays clash against Nancy and will likely use Larrys Mabiala in his place.

Prior to the match Ceará acknowledged Lique 1 is the club's priority:

"The board and the coaching staff have made it clear that Ligue 1 is our priority. We want to show that we're strong and in the hunt in the league and then after that, we have two other parallel competitions to play in.

"Obviously we want to go as far as we can in all the competitions and that's why we still have to play well on Thursday to qualify for the last-16 of the UEFA Cup. But the number one goal is still the league championship and we want to hold onto this second place."

Should the Parisians advance they will face the winner of Standard de Liège v SC Braga, with the Portuguese side most likely as they hold a three goal advantage.

a difficult challenge at Stade des Alpes

Riding the crest of a four match winning streak PSG travel to face Grenoble Saturday evening. While the charm and beauty of the surrounding area is perfect is quite obvious, for a visiting Football club the Stade des Alpes can be a daunting task. Mehmed Baždarević's side made a number of fine acquisitions during the transfer season and coming off successive draws to Valenciennes and Bordeaux. Strong on defending, Grenoble is putting forth a well disciplined, high-energy performance as they look secure their spot well outside of the relegation zone.

Given Paul Le Guen's rather remarkable decision to keep Claude Makélélé, Ludovic Giuly, Stéphane Sessegnon, Mickaël Landreau, Ceará and Jérémy Clément out of the lineup that easily defeated Wolfsburg in the UEFA Cup, the squad is quite rested and ready to go. They have no new injuries and all are expected to play. Impressed with his contribution Tripy Makonda has been included in Paul Le Guen's squad list.

The manager said of the match:

“We’re confident, even if we were beaten by Grenoble earlier this season. This team is hard to play against and will be playing in front of a sell out crowd. But we’re use to that. Grenoble used the January transfer window well to get the few missing pieces they need to reach their own goals.”

Of the keys to the match he added:

“We’re coming off a good performance away to Nantes and I’d like us to produce a repeat performance. We could drop to third or fourth place and still bounce back so there’s no need to panic. Nor get carried away with sitting second. The most important thing will be where we are at the end of the season.”

Guillaume Hoarau knows Grenoble will be tough

Playing in Stade des Alpes is never easy and Grenoble will be ready this weekend for an important clash against the Parisians.

Guillaume Hoarau said of the formidable side:

“Grenoble are a tough team to play against. I know what I’m talking about, because I’ve played them a number of times in recent seasons. On Saturday, the stadium will be sold out and there’ll be a great atmosphere in the stands. We’ll try to play to our strengths and also see how Grenoble are playing. We have the quality to get all three points and we have to impose ourselves, like we’ve been doing at the Parc des Princes recently.”

Lead by Bosnia and Herzegovina great Mehmed Baždarević Grenoble is mid Ligue 1 table but only three points above the drop zone. By far the best defending side outside of the top third of the table they put forth a superb effort last week squeezing out a draw against Bordeaux and looking for points against les Rouge et Bleu.

PSG overwhelms Wolfsburg 2-0

As expected Paul Le Guen made a number of changes to his normal starting eleven with Claude Makélélé, Ludovic Giuly, Stéphane Sessegnon, Mickaël Landreau, Ceará and Jérémy Clément either given the evening off or on the bench. However in their place was a voracious group including nineteen year old Tripy Makonda who completely dominated VfL Wolfsburg in route to a 2-0 victory.

Tactically the Parisians overwhelmed Wolfsburg with superiour midfield play and while cautious in the attack, they slowly worked out of their cocoon. Nine minutes before the break PSG blossomed the confidence first with Jérôme Rothen cross to Guillaume Hoarau ending without a mark. Four minutes later Parc des Princes rose to its feet with Clément Chantôme flourishing run and cross to Fabrice Pancrate being saved by the Wolfsburg 'keeper Diego Benaglio.

After the break the Parisians continued with an attacking pulse with Clément Chantôme and Guillaume Hoarau threatening early but still there was no score. Searching for inspiration, Paul Le Guen called upon Stéphane Sessegnon and provided eighteen year-old Maxime Partouche his European debut at the seventy first minute. Finally with eleven minutes remaining Jérôme Rothen free-kick was nodded into the back of the net Guillaume Hoarau to give les Rouge et Bleu the 1-0 lead. A few minutes later he scored his second of the day as he rose high to head in Clément Chantôme's corner to double the margin. Searching for this third of the evening he struck the post with a clever short however the match concluded without a further score and a dominating 2-0 victory by PSG.

In attendance, President Nicolas Sarkozy said of les Rouge et Bleu triumphant play:

"It was a great game and a good performance from the PSG side. They scored twice and could even have added a third. PSG are second in the league, the results in Europe are good – what more could you ask for? It’s a great way to end the day."