Preview: Parisiens looking to continue unbeaten run
The Capital side have been unbeaten in the Champions League in the last ten outings and will be hoping to better their tally when they face Belgium based club Anderlecht. Even though they were knocked out of the Champions League in the Quarter- Finals last season, their elimination was a result of an away goal advantage to Barcelona after both legs finished with the scores levelled.
Laurent’s Blanc men will however make their trip to Brussels in a confident mood currently undefeated in all competitions this season. Les Rouge-et-Bleu will aim to make it three wins out of three when they face Anderlecht, having already scored easy victories over Olympiacos and Benfica.
Thiago Motta who scored a brace as PSG defeated Olympiacos 4-1 in Greece is set to return after serving his suspension, Italian international Marco Verrati will also be in contention for a starting berth in the PSG eleven.
The Anderlecht defence will have to be cautious of PSG duo Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani both of whom have been in impeccable form as of late. The pair earned the praise of their manager Laurent Blanc who commended the sublime goals the star strikers scored in PSG’s 4-0 victory over Bastia and insisted that the two forwards can continue to impress when playing together.
‘‘What is the best goal from Ibra and Cavani? They are both beautiful,’’ Blanc said.
‘‘Both are difficult to score. For Ibra you must be very flexible and for Cavani you should be technically very good."
‘‘I’m sure they can play together. We have to get it right to ensure that they are effective when they play together.’’
With a formidable strike force, PSG are being considered as the forerunners for the Champions League crown this season. The Capital club have scored in every of their last 28 matches, last time the Parisien club failed to score was back in March when a second half goal from Grzegorz Krychowiak gave Reims a 1-0 victory over the defending French champions.
PSG’s counterparts from Belgium on the other hand are on a dismal form having made their worst start to a league season in 15 years. The defending champions are currently fifth in the Belgian Jupiler League Table having already lost four times in the 11 matches they have played so far.
The Paars-wit have lost both of their Champions League matches against Benfica and Olympiacos and as things stand at the moment the Belgian side are set for their third consecutive defeat in the tournament.
A weekend win over RAEC Mons will however give them confidence to pull off a major upset when they meet PSG on Wednesday.
John van den Brom will miss out on the services of goalkeeper Silvio Proto who will continue to nurse his ankle injury, whereas Ronald Vargas is unlikely to recover from his knee injury.
Paris Saint Germain’s inspirational captain Thiago Silva who is struggling with a hamstring injury will sit out the tie, however his country man Marquinhos who has scored in both the Champions League matches this season will be at the heart of the defence and will look to continue his good form for his new club.
Javier Pastore has once again been ruled out and will not be available for the match on Wednesday whereas Christophe Jallet who started the match against Bastia on Wednesday has also been ruled out.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, Live scores
Watch Anderlecht vs Paris Saint-Germain live on Wednseday, October 23, 2013:
In Canada at 14:45 on Sportsnet World Online
In UK at 19:45 BST on Sky Sports Red Button
In USA at 14:45 ET on Fox Sports Net, MSG Plus, Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Sports Florida, Fox Soccer 2Go
Fans based in France can watch the match live on beIN Sport 1.
For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the Anderlecht vs Paris Saint-Germain match page.
