DOHA: Paris Saint-Germain would start Wednesday’s friendly against Italian Seria A giants Inter Milan on a high note. The Qatar Investment Authority-owned French club go into the sold-out match at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium with a 1-0 lead.
Wednesday’s match is part of the two-leg friendly that saw PSG beat the Italians in Marrakech in December last year.
Addressing a packed press conference ahead of the high-adrenaline encounter, the clubs managers gave thumbs up the encounter saying that it would provide them with the much needed exposure ahead of important matches scheduled early next year.
While PSG take on English Premier League side Chelsea in their UEFA Champions League ‘Round of 16’ in February, Inter will have to be content with showing their prowess against Seria A clubs. This despite the fact that their home ground San Siro will be hosting the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League final in May.
The 2016 final will mark the first time a final has been held at the San Siro where neither of its tenants will be able to win the competition, as Milan and Inter failed to finish in the top three of the 2014-15 Serie A and therefore did not qualify for the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League.
PSG manager Laurent Blanc echoed optimism with regards to the clubs performance in the season. “We have had a good season in the Ligue 1 so far and we would like to continue with the performances even though we do not have a goal per say.”
“When we started the season we were eyeing for a good outing in the UEFA Championships and we would be sticking to it,” he added.
Les Parisiens conveniently sit at the top of the Ligue 1 table with 51 points in 19 games. Their closest rival, Monaco are way behind with 32 points in equal number of matches. However, their run in the Champions League hasn’t been a bed of roses with Real Madrid overcoming them with a 1-0 win in the group stage in November this year, thereby pushing them to the second spot in Group ‘A’ with 13 points. Real Madrid finished atop the table with 16 points.
However Blanc intends to take on one match at a time and is focusing his energies on Wednesday’s match. “PSG objectives and scope have grown over the years. And it’s not just a French club anymore; we have a Qatari boss and so there has been a marked international flavour to it in the recent years.
“We would try and impress our Qatari owners when we take on Inter tomorrow.”
Roberto Mancini’s club may not be among the Champions League elites, but his spirits were clearly high. “It should be a good game for the audience and it would definitely give us a good outing. I must thank Qatar for organising such a match.”
On the home turf, however, Mancini’s men lead the standings with 36 points in 17 games. Fiorentina and Napoli follow close behind with 35 points in equal games.
“At the moment we are at the top of the league and that is what matters to us. We will aim for the Scudetto,” said Mancini.
