PSG vs Lyonnais - Tuchel rallies PSG players to make history with victory over Lyon

Posted Saturday, October 06, 2018 by PA

Head coach Thomas Tuchel wants Paris St Germain to maintain their commanding performances as they look to create history against Lyon.

Victory for PSG would be their ninth Ligue 1 success in a row from the start of the season, eclipsing the 82-year-old record set by Olympique Lillois during the 1936-37 campaign.

Tuchel is looking for his team to maintain their level of consistency at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.

“My players have shown they were hungry for wins. It is important that we continue to train with the same state of mind, the same mentality,” Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday morning.

“It’s our challenge to show that we want to win every game. The challenge is to play with this level of intensity in every game. This is a very important match and we have the opportunity to make a Ligue 1 record.”

Despite his side’s perfect start in Ligue 1, Tuchel is taking nothing for granted as he feels Lyon have saved their best performances this season for the bigger matches.

Lyon won away at Manchester City in the Champions League and defeated Marseille at home last month.

Tuchel knows it is not a game that the champions can take lightly, he said: “It’s a difficult match against a top team. Lyon are an extraordinary side.

“You can see they play their best games against very top teams like Marseille and Manchester City, we saw their true ability both times. Lyon are more when they are not considered favourites. We have prepared ourselves very seriously.”

Meanwhile, Tuchel has praised Marco Verratti ahead of Sunday’s match, calling him one of the best midfielders in the world.

PSG have missed the 25-year-old Italian at the start of this season, most notably when beaten by Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League, but he is fit again after injury and showed his importance in midweek as Tuchel’s team thrashed Red Star Belgrade 6-1.

“Marco Verratti is an important player, extraordinary – one of the best in the world,” said Tuchel.

“He finds solutions in the tightest of spaces and works like crazy to win the ball back. Marco influences others, like the fans. He is important.”

Marquinhos was rested in the Champions League on Wednesday night but Tuchel confirmed that the Brazil international will start against Lyon, possibly replacing suspended midfielder Adrien Rabiot in the side.

It remains to be seen whether Gianluigi Buffon or Alphonse Areola will start in goal. The keepers have been rotated recently because of the Italian’s Champions League suspension.