PSG primed to tame leaders Lyon

April triumph
"We know a defeat will come eventually, but the later the better," said Lyon goalkeeper Grégory Coupet. The French international has cause for confidence as his team have won 12 and drawn four of their 16 league games. But they face tough opposition in the form of unpredictable PSG, who won on their last trip to the Gerland in April, thanks to a solitary Danijel Ljuboja goal.

PSG surprise
Lyon are on course for a fifth successive title, going into the match eleven points clear of second-placed AJ Auxerre, and for many in France the question is, who will finish behind them. PSG are certainly contenders, lying fourth, two points behind Auxerre, and striker Pauleta thinks they could spring a surprise. Ligue 1's top scorer said: "Everybody is ruling us out but we'll be totally committed."

Old spice
None more so than Vikash Dhorasoo, now plying his trade in the capital less than 18 months after leaving Lyon for AC Milan. "It will be a bit strange", the French international said. "I'll try to treat it like any other game." PSG's Lyon-born coach Laurent Fournier may make similar overtures, but after eight years at the Gerland from 1980-88, the fixture will have added spice for him.

Monaco warning
Fournier was also capped three times by France under his Lyon counterpart Gérard Houllier, who himself led PSG to the title 20 years ago. The former Liverpool FC manager looks poised to repeat the feat with Lyon but forward Sidney Govou is taking nothing for granted. "Remember two seasons ago," he said. "Monaco were a long way ahead at the halfway stage but we ended up champions. It can happen again."

'No pressure'
Coupet echoed those sentiments, but denied that PSG's victory in April will prey on the players' minds. "Absolutely not," he said. "There's no need to put unnecessary pressure on ourselves. There are three points on offer, yet even if we win and PSG slip 16 points behind us, their title hopes will remain alive."