PARIS: Injuries to several key players mean that Paris Saint-Germain’s trip to struggling Evian in Ligue 1 today may prove a stiffer test than the reigning champions bargained for.
With captain Thiago Silva already out for several weeks with a hamstring injury, PSG saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic go off with a slight muscle tear in his side early in last week’s 2-0 home win against SC Bastia.
A first Ligue 1 win of the campaign for Laurent Blanc’s side was also overshadowed by a fractured vertebra suffered by Gregory Van der Wiel, while midfielder Thiago Motta’s nose was fractured following an ugly clash with Bastia’s Brazilian striker Brandao in the tunnel after the game.
There is plenty of depth to the capital club’s squad, with Serge Aurier, Yohan Cabaye, Blaise Matuidi and Ezequiel Lavezzi all starting on the bench last weekend, but the loss of Silva and Ibrahimovic in particular is an undoubted blow ahead of the game in Annecy.
When Paris faced Evian away last season, nobody expected their run of 26 Ligue 1 matches without defeat to come to an end, yet they were beaten 2-0.
In April 2013, Evian also knocked their illustrious opponents out of the French Cup quarter-finals on penalties, but it would still be a major surprise if they slipped up this time.
“We are a step ahead compared to this time last year,” says Blanc, whose team started last season slowly before running away with the title.
AFP
