Bordeaux v Paris Saint-Germain: Matuidi wants no let-up from record-breaking champions
Blaise Matuidi has challenged Paris Saint-Germain to extend their record Ligue 1 points haul in the last two matches of the season, starting at Bordeaux on Wednesday.
After battering Troyes 9-0 on March 13 to secure a fourth successive domestic title, PSG lost their next match to Monaco and also bowed out of the Champions League quarter-finals to Manchester City.
However, PSG are now back in form, having churned out five successive league victories, scoring 20 and conceding only one in the process.
Edinson Cavani’s hat-trick in a 4-0 demolition of Gazelec Ajaccio on Saturday lifted them to 92 points - a record tally for the French top flight.
Other benchmarks have tumbled as well. Victory at Bordeaux would complete a return of 50 points in away matches this term, a feat only previously achieved across La Liga, the Premier League, the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 this century by Real Madrid in 2011-12.
Their 15 away wins is the most in Ligue 1 in a single season, while PSG also went beyond Marseille’s 1970-71 record of 94 goals on Saturday, moving on to 97.
As the century of strikes looms, Ligue 1 Player of the Year Zlatan Ibrahimovic has 35 strikes to his name, with former PSG great Carlos Bianchi the last player to score more in a season when he reached 37 in 1977-78.
But Matuidi wants no let up from the champions, telling the club’s official website: “With the victory against Ajaccio we broke the record points in the league.
“Now we have to finish the season well and why not get closer to 100 points? We cannot reach more than 98, but that would be fabulous.
“In Bordeaux, it will be a special occasion, especially for the coach who led the team,” he added, referring to Laurent Blanc’s reign at Les Girondins from 2007 to 2010.
Bordeaux battled to a 2-2 draw at Parc des Princes back in September, with Henri Saivet sent-off after scoring and winger Wahbi Khazri - both players having now left the club - netting a second equaliser for the 10 men 11 minutes from time.
They face the champions in encouraging form, having won back-to-back Ligue 1 matches for the first time since Ulrich Rame replaced Willy Sagnol as head coach in March.
Diego Rolan’s brace inspired a 4-2 win at relegated Troyes, while in-form Cheick Diabate was the man at the double in last weekend’s 3-0 win over Lorient.
Bordeaux find themselves comfortably positioned in mid-table as a result; they are 11th with 49 points and a final day trip to Caen on the horizon, knowing victory would see them finish above their opponents, regardless of the outcome against PSG.
PSG’s Marco Verratti learnt he would miss Euro 2016 with Italy due to groin surgery last week, while the champions will assess Javier Pastore - another influential midfielder who has suffered an injury-ravaged campaign - after the Argentina international missed out once more in Corsica last time out.
Key Opta stats
- Bordeaux have one win in nine Ligue 1 attempts against PSG, with four draws and four losses apiece.
- PSG have only won three of their last 25 trips to Bordeaux, although two of those wins have come in the last three visits.
- Bordeaux have scored seven goals in their last two Ligue 1 games, one more than in their previous eight combined.
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored three of PSG’s last five goals against Bordeaux in Ligue 1.
- Cheick Diabate has scored 10 goals in 13 Ligue 1 games in 2016 after failing to score in the previous nine.