Match Previews

Struggling PSG will have one eye on Sunday's league match... Injured trio of Clement (sp)(mid), Yepes (r)(def) and Rodriguez (sp)(mid) to miss out again...Le Guen names huge squad of 21,,,Cisse (sp)(def) in squad but unlikely to feature due to injury... Following defeat to Auxerre at the weekend Paris St Germain plunged deeper into the relegation zone at the bottom of Ligue 1, leaving them in their lowest league position since May 1988. Relegation is now a real possibility for the French capital’s premier club and so the UEFA Cup tie with Benfica may well take a back seat despite leading by two goals to one from the first leg. Despite this many of PSG’s best recent performances have come in the competition, although it is hard to see Paul Le Guen wanting many of his top stars to bust a gut in this fixture ahead of a vital clash with Stade Rennais on Sunday. It would seem unlikely that PSG will change things around from the first leg a great deal as their injury problems have remained the same, with Jeremy Clement (sp), Mario Yepes (r) and Christian Rodriguez (sp) all set to miss out. Kalou (sp) and Pauleta (r) are likely to start together in attack. Pauleta has become an increasingly peripheral part of the PSG squad, partly because relations between he and Le Guen are allegedly strained and partly because of an apparently lack of form. The veteran Portuguese striker seems set to leave the club in the summer but will not want to see them relegated. Peguy Luyindula (r) will be on the bench should the front two require back-up while the midfield should be marshalled by Chantome (sp) and Hellebuyck (sp) in the centre with Jerome Rothen (k) providing real class down the left-wing while Frau (sp), generally regarded as a striker, does likewise on the right. Cisse (sp) is included into the squad but is unlikely to play due to a slight knock. Defensively PSG will look a little makeshift with Sakho (sp) likely to be preferred to replace Yepes as opposed to Drame (sp), who would normally be expected to take the role. Sakho will be partnered in the centre of defence by Rozenhal (r) while Mendy (r) features on the right-hand side. Sylvian Armand (r), who was a doubt for the defeat with Auxerre last weekend, should once again start at right back while in goal Landreau (r) will continue. Paul Le Guen has named a squad of twenty-one, including young players Larrys Mabaila and David N'Gog, who both seem unlikely to feature. Several players, including Cisse, Luyindula and Rozenhal have affirmed PSG's committment to the UEFA Cup and also their belief that they can avoid relegation.