Paris Saint Germain vs Ludogorets Razgrad - Emery: Topping the group is still important



Posted Tuesday, December 06, 2016 by PA

Paris St Germain boss Unai Emery has told his side to keep their eyes on the prize of finishing top of Champions League Group A.

PSG host minnows Ludogorets knowing a victory will ensure they finish ahead of Arsenal, and potentially land an easier draw in the last 16.

"When we started our campaign in this competition, the objective was to top the group, and that hasn't changed," Emery said at his pre-match press conference.

"Topping the group is still important, especially for our confidence. We want to finish this group stage on top.

"We're not thinking about the other teams. We need to prepare for this match with confidence and be positive."

PSG missed the chance to go top of Ligue 1 at the weekend after they suffered a shock 3-0 defeat at Montpellier.

Emery has called on his side to put that setback behind them and finish the group stage in style.

"It's clear that this defeat hurt the team in terms of confidence," he added.

"We need to forget that match and focus on Tuesday, we need to start thinking about all the good things we achieved before that match.

"The team has been making progress, turning in good performances and collecting points. We need to be positive and work hard to prepare for Tuesday's match."

Emery will hand a fitness check to Thiago Motta, with the Italy midfielder battling to overcome a calf injury.

"We'll see how he feels after the training session," he said.

"He had some calf pain after the match against Angers and wasn't 100 per cent for the match against Montpellier."

Motta's fellow countryman and midfielder Marco Verratti is suspended for the clash.

Bulgarian champions Ludogorets are are in the driving seat in the race for the Europa League spot.

They only have to match what Basle do in their final game against Arsenal to finish third and prolong their European campaign.



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