Paris Saint-Germain v Lyon: Genesio vows ´unlucky´ visitors will have a go

Lyon manager Bruno Genesio rued his team’s bad luck in drawing holders Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France last-16, but vowed to give everything to progress on Wednesday.

PSG won a domestic treble last season and are in impressive form as they look to repeat the feat this term. 

Laurent Blanc’s men lead Ligue 1 by an astonishing 24 points from Monaco, and have already booked their place in the Coupe de la Ligue final ahead of the Coupe de France tie.

The capital club defeated Marseille 2-1 in a tense Le Classique contest on Sunday, which was their 15th consecutive victory in all competitions. 

Lyon, meanwhile, have moved up to sixth in Ligue 1 and to within three points of the Champions League places which they hope to occupy by the conclusion of the season. 

Saturday’s victory at Angers was their second successive 3-0 win as they find form ahead of a pivotal final period of the campaign.

Genesio knows Lyon have been handed the most difficult draw in having to play PSG at Parc des Princes, but believes the upcoming fixture calendar will give them the opportunity to have a go.

“We will go as far as we can in the cup,” he told the club’s official website.

“We unlucky with the draw and it will be tough for us. We will have to recover well. Our schedule is pretty favourable in terms of having time to recover. We will give it our absolute best.

“[But] the important thing is to secure a top-three finish [in the league].”

At PSG, defender Serge Aurier was relieved to see Angel Di Maria’s winning goal continue their fine run of form against rivals Marseille ahead of the clash with Lyon.

“We have had a few tough moments, but also some good periods,” he said. “Both sides tried to play good football. 

“We knew we had to stay focused to the end, to stay calm and not panic. We managed to make the most of our chances and we were very solid at the back. We know that these [Classique] matches are very important for our supporters.”

The omens are not good for Lyon after three defeats to PSG already this season, including a 5-1 league defeat in December and a 2-1 Coupe de la Ligue reverse in January.

PSG have won the Coupe de France nine times, while Lyon are five-time winners having last triumphed in 2012.