PSG closing in on second step of unprecedented domestic treble

PSG closed in on the Ligue 1 title with a 6-0 win over Guingamp, while Caen stunned Lyon 3-0.

Following last weekend's Ligue 1 action, Paris Saint-Germain are so close to a third consecutive Ligue 1 title that they almost have both hands wrapped around the Hexagoal trophy.

A thumping 6-0 win over EA Guingamp last Friday was followed up by a 3-0 defeat for second-placed Olympique Lyonnais away at Stade Malherbe Caen, creating a six-point lead at the top of Le Championnat for the capital club with just two games remaining. On top of that, PSG now lead OL's goal difference by seven after trailing Hubert Fournier's men by two going into last weekend's games.

Barring a complete implosion over the final two games, Les Parisiens will be champions for the fifth time in their history. For Lyon to still win the title, it requires Laurent Blanc's men to lose both of their games heavily, and Les Gones winning both of theirs by handsome scores.

It is a highly unlikely scenario, but that does not mean that PSG can afford to become complacent now. While they have been unstoppable in Ligue 1 recently -- winning seven games in a row since a 3-2 loss away at Girondins de Bordeaux back in March -- six points is not the most convincing of margins and it reflects this season's lack of dominance.

Back in 2012-13, the French capital outfit -- then under Carlo Ancelotti -- finished 12 points clear of bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille after Les Phoceens' late season loss of form. The following campaign, Blanc's first in charge, PSG finished nine points ahead of AS Monaco after the principality outfit also lost momentum in the final weeks, but had provided stiffer overall competition than OM.

Similar is unlikely to happen in the final two weeks of this term, so the defending French champions need to make sure that they preserve their current six-point advantage and give themselves the best possible chance of maximising the points gap by winning their two remaining games.

PSG go to Montpellier HSC this coming weekend before hosting Stade de Reims on the final day of the season. Even if Blanc's men win both of those final fixtures, this campaign -- statistically speaking -- will have been weaker than last term.

A third straight Ligue 1 title is in reach for PSG, but it has been far from easy for manager Laurent Blanc.

Last season Les Parisiens finished with 89 points; this time the best they can get is 83. The attack, currently with 78 goals, could usurp the 84 managed last season, but PSG have already conceded 10 more goals than they did in 2013-14 and that tally could still worsen in the two final matches.

There is one thing that can change a very ordinary-looking season into a more special one though and that is the Coupe de France final coming up at the end of May.

Assuming that PSG do not throw away the title with a pair of improbable defeats, a Ligue 1-Coupe de le Ligue domestic double will have been completed for the second straight time. A Coupe de France victory over AJ Auxerre on top of that would complete a French domestic treble for the first time in history.

Not even the great Lyon side of the early 2000's ever managed to win all three pieces of domestic silverware at the same time, so becoming the first would be something very special indeed. However, if PSG want to make sure they become France's first-ever domestic treble-winning side, they need to keep their current form going.

Wins over Montpellier and Reims would keep Blanc's team in their current prolific form -- 26 goals scored and only six conceded in their recent run of seven straight wins -- and PSG with that sort of momentum behind them would almost certainly beat Auxerre to seal the Coupe de France title.

However, a loss of form now over these final two league games because of complacency could become problematic at Stade de France on Saturday May 30.

It has been a tough season for Les Parisiens is some respects; a large number of players struggled for fitness after the FIFA World Cup and found it difficult coping with the physical demands of a gruelling season in which they competed on four different fronts until April. Winning three of those four trophies would be an impressive end of season result though, which is why PSG must only view a third straight Ligue 1 title as step two of three completed.