PSG aim for unbeaten Ligue 1 season

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique stated that the prospect of completing the Ligue 1 season undefeated provided extra motivation for his team as they stand on the brink of securing another French title.

PSG are 21 points clear of nearest challengers Monaco with seven games remaining, meaning a draw at home to Angers on Saturday will be enough for them to be confirmed as champions already.

Luis Enrique’s side remains unbeaten after 27 games and, therefore, on course to become the first in French top-flight history to complete the campaign without losing a single match.

“There are records which did not interest me until today, but from now on I don’t think there is a better source of motivation for us than trying to remain unbeaten for the whole league season,” the Spanish coach told reporters at PSG’s training base outside Paris on Friday.

“We are already virtually champions, and keeping this unbeaten run going will help us to be ready in the French Cup, the final of which takes place at the end of May, and in the Champions League if we manage to get to the semi-finals.”

Even if PSG lose against Angers, they can still be confirmed as title winners on Saturday if Monaco loses at Brest later.

The Parisians are on course to match last season’s achievement of sweeping all the domestic honours after they beat second-tier Dunkerque 4-2 in the French Cup semi-finals in midweek.

They will play top-flight strugglers Reims in the final on May 24.

PSG will also face Aston Villa in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with the first leg at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

The closest any French side has come to an unbeaten season remains Nantes, who went undefeated through their first 32 games before losing their only game on the way to winning the title in 1994/95.

That was a 38-game season, while PSG will only play 34 matches in this campaign, with the league having recently been reduced from 20 clubs to 18.