Monaco vs Paris Saint Germain preview - Laurent Blanc wants PSG to hit peak Ligue 1 form against Monaco

Posted Saturday, August 29, 2015 by PA

Paris St Germain coach Laurent Blanc has presided over three wins in as many Ligue 1 games this season but believes an improved performance will be needed to overcome Monaco at the Stade Louis II on Sunday.

PSG's latest triumph, a 2-1 win at Montpellier, left the defending champions at the top of the standings, two points clear of nearest rivals Bastia, Angers and Nantes.

Blanc said to the French press: "Against Monaco, we'll have to improve a lot of things.

"We could have held onto the ball better against Montpellier and we lacked a cutting edge up front.

"If we improve those two technical areas of our play, we're going to be very, very good."

PSG are looking to win the league and the Coupe de France again this season, and to do better in the Champions League.

Blanc's team lost to eventual trophy winners Barcelona in the quarter-final stages last season.

They will take on 10-time European champions Real Madrid as well as Malmo and Shakhtar Donetsk in Group A of this year's competition.

"We all know our aim: qualify for the last 16 by always giving 100 per cent," PSG midfielder Blaise Matuidi said. "Real Madrid are always one of the favourites for the competition, we know their strengths and their world-class stars.

"Our ambition is to finish top of the group; that would be perfect.

"If you want to win the Champions League, you have to play these types of matches."

Before their European campaign kicks off, Blanc's men must focus on Ligue 1 matters.

They will be looking to improve their numbers at Monaco, where the club have won just three times in 39 trips.

PSG have failed to beat Monaco in their last three visits and they were also held to a 0-0 result by the Monegasques at the Parc des Princes last season.

A win on Sunday would be a boost in confidence for a Monaco side who have not been at their best so far.

Leonardo Jardim's Monaco men made it to the quarter-finals of Europe's elite club competition last season and had high hopes of going on another strong run this year.

A 2-1 home win over Valencia in their play-off tie on Thursday was not enough to overcome a big first-leg deficit.

The Spanish club won 4-3 on aggregate to leave Monaco in the Europa League.

"We are all sad but the Europa League is still a good competition," Monaco midfielder Jeremy Toulalan said. "On Sunday we face a big game and we must recover. We must respond."

Monaco, who finished third in Ligue 1 last season, are eighth in the early standings and have not claimed all three points in a league match since their 2-1 success at Nice in the opening week.

PSG are hoping to recover Zlatan Ibrahimovic in time for the trip to Monaco.

Ibrahimovic missed his team's opening three wins with a knee injury.

It remains to be seen if PSG's new signing Layvin Kurzawa will play on Sunday against his former club.

The France left-back this week joined the French champions in a 24 million euros (B#17.4million) transfer and has signed a five-year deal.