PSG boss Christophe Galtier has said his side won't be taking their cup tie with Pays de Cassel lightly - despite the five-division gulf that separates the two sides in this fairytale round of 32 fixture.
With two defeats in their last three league outings - 3-1 away to Lens in R17 and 1-0 in Rennes in R19 - and a looming Champions League round of 16 tie with Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain are looking to right the ship in the new year as they take on Pays de Cassel in the Coupe de France's round of 32.
'We'll go there with the best possible team'
But coach Christophe Galtier isn't assuming it will be a walk in the park for his superstar side, even though Lionel Messi will be rested. Indeed, PSG's big cheese has made it clear that the capital club will not only be looking to win but to play better than they have been of late.
"Playing against amateur clubs is what the Coupe de France is all about. Every year, there are huge upsets, so we'll need to be focused," explained Galtier ahead of the tie at the Stade Bollaert in Lens, where PSG famously came unstuck early in the New Year. "We'll be playing in a full stadium that didn't bring us much luck last time out. We'll go there with the best possible team, and we want to go through and to raise our game."
Thus we should see Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr across the front line, as was the case in their mid-week exhibition match against Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi All-stars side, which the capital club won 5-4.
'There are things for us to put right'
"Spending three days together has given us some squad unity again. We had a solid game despite finishing it with ten men, but we need a lot of training sessions to get our level and our form back," explained Galtier, clearly pleased to have the ructions of the World Cup schedule in the rear-view mirror. "We've got everyone back fit, so we can no longer hide behind certain players being absent. There are things for us to put right. The game against Riyadh was a good, high-standard one against world-class players. It was a very good practice session."
Whether it was a good enough practice session remains to be seen, but what's for sure is that Pays de Cassel will be playing the match of lifetime and will give it their all. Allez!
