Paris Saint Germain vs Lorient - Blanc could ring changes for Lorient visit

Posted Tuesday, February 02, 2016 by PA

Paris St Germain coach Laurent Blanc may use the possibility of record achievements to motivate his players, but will not chase them at all costs.

PSG are 24 points clear as they canter towards a fourth successive Ligue 1 title, leaving many to question what motivation remains for Blanc's players.

He has played down talk of the first unbeaten season in the league's history but it remains a possibility, while their own records of 27 wins and 89 points from two years ago are firmly under threat - this season's tallies are already at 20 and 63.

Seven straight league wins mean they are also halfway to Bordeaux's all-time record run in Ligue 1 but Blanc may nevertheless rotate his team against Lorient on Wednesday with an eye on greater challenges to come, such as Sunday's "Classique" away to Marseille.

"I want the team to be fit for all challenges," Blanc said at his pre-match press conference. "That is more important than records.

"That can be a source of motivation but in no way will I put a team out to chase a record.

"If I fielded the same team every game, you would be saying - maybe with good reason - 'he is crazy'. You have to find a balance.

"We must rotate to avoid injuries but we cannot think that only Champions League games are important.

"It is our mentality - the players want to win every game."

Blanc still has doubts over the fitness of David Luiz and Javier Pastore, while Gregory van der Wiel is a confirmed absentee. Thiago Silva and Layvin Kurzawa are both available.

Such is PSG's dominance this season that Lorient go into the game with less than half of their opponents' points total, despite lying only six points outside the European places in a creditable 12th.

In a busy finale to the transfer window, Les Merlus sold defender Lamine Kone to Sunderland, replaced him with on-loan pair Lindsay Rose and Yrondu Musavu-King and also signed Troyes playmaker Jimmy Cabot.

The latter told the club's website: "I had achieved what I could at Troyes. Lorient have a style of play everyone knows and have been in Ligue 1 for 10 years. It's a perfect club at the start of my career."