Paris Saint-Germain v Lyon: Thiago Silva makes league and European glory his Christmas wish
Success for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 and the Champions League would be a Christmas wish come true for Thiago Silva.
Thiago Silva is targeting a Paris Saint-Germain victory over Lyon this weekend as he looks to fulfill his Christmas wish of achieving a league and European double.
Unbeaten PSG are 15 points clear at the summit of Ligue 1 and wrapped up a successful Champions League group stage with a 2-0 win against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.
Asked what was on his Christmas list ahead of the clash with Lyon, the Brazil international said: "As every year, my first wish is that the club, the team, continue on this path.
"Then I ask for the Champions League and the championship."
PSG are without a win in their last three league meetings with Lyon, whose own Champions League quest ended despite a 2-0 win in Valencia.
While Lyon may not have qualified for the last 16, dropping into the Europa League after finishing third behind Zenit and Gent in Group H, Thiago Silva is wary of the positive impact the result will have on Sunday's opponents.
"I think they will play a good match after their victory in the Champions League," he continued. "Even if they were eliminated, it brings many positive things to the team.
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"They will demonstrate that they are a good team... because it's a special match. When you play matches like this, you're always focused, as they were in Valencia.
"I think this will be a decisive match, but it will be more important later.
"We do not think about Lyon, but about our own game."
PSG's trailblazing start to the Ligue 1 season ranks second only to Lyon's run to kick off of the 2006-07 campaign, when they racked up 46 points in their first 17 matches - PSG have managed 45.
"I think the club's domination is clearly visible since the beginning of the season," explained Thiago Silva. "But we must continue working.
"In football, everything can go very fast. If one relaxes, perhaps we can... get in trouble by the end of season.
"We must continue like this, with the concentration required to produce good performances, to win the three games before the winter break.
"One of the big pluses of this season is that we have conceded few goals [8]. This gives the opportunity to win a lot of matches, as the offensive players make the difference."
Lyon's chances have been hit by the news that Alexandre Lacazette is to miss the rest of 2015 with a hamstring injury sustained while scoring the second goal against Valencia.
Key Opta stats:
- PSG have failed to score only once in their last 12 games against Lyon in Ligue 1.
- Laurent Blanc's men are unbeaten in their last seven home games against Lyon in Ligue 1 (W5 D2), keeping five clean sheets in that run.
- PSG are the only team yet to lose a game among the Top 5 European leagues.
- The men from the French capital are unbeaten in their last 26 Ligue 1 games (W23 D3), their best run since March-December 2013.
- Paris have scored 40 goals agter 17 league games, their best tally ever in Ligue 1.
- Lyon are winless in their last four Ligue 1 games (D1 L3), their worst run since September-October 2013 (5).
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