Matuidi targets ´exceptional´ victory

Blaise Matuidi believes progressing to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals would be an “exceptional” achievement for Paris Saint-Germain.

Laurent Blanc’s side face Chelsea in the second leg of a quarter-final on Tuesday boasting a 3-1 lead from their meeting in Paris last week.

Matuidi, a regular feature for PSG since moving from Saint-Etienne in 2011, feels the Ligue 1 champions can demonstrate how far they have come in recent years by reaching the last four of Europe’s premier club competition.

“To qualify for the semi-finals would be exceptional for the club and for France. There are 90 minutes between us and the final four,” he said.

“The team is completely focused on the task at hand. The squad has a lot of experienced players and we want to show how good we are out on the pitch.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, PSG’s top scorer this term, has been ruled out of the second leg due to a hamstring injury.

However, Matuidi feels his team has sufficient firepower to break down Chelsea again.

“Zlatan’s goals have been one of the highlights of this Champions League and we need to do everything to qualify so that he too can play in the semi-finals,” the France international added.

“Our squad has a number of great players, such as Edinson Cavani, ready to make history.”