Paris Saint-Germain were lucky to escape with a point in their previous Ligue 1 encounter against St. Etienne and with it keep their position at the top of the table intact. However, come Friday, there is expected to be only one winner as the reigning French champions host struggling Lorient.
A stoppage time equaliser from Blaise Matuidi helped PSG pick up a point against St. Etienne, keeping them level on points with second-placed Monaco - PSG top the table on goal difference with 25 points from 11 matches.
PSG midfielder Thiago Motta acknowledged the side had gone through the ringer against St Etienne last Sunday.
"It was a very difficult match, especially in the first half," Motta said. "They played better than us, but we were able to lift our game as the match continued. In the end, I think a draw was a fair result.
"The main thing to remember was our ability to fight back, to get a goal back and then equalise in the final stages. Now we need to concentrate on Friday's match against Lorient.
"There will always be teams like Saint-Etienne that give it everything and cause us problems and it's up to us to answer the challenge, starting this Friday against Lorient"
Motta feels the 2-2 comeback draw, though, highlighted PSG's character. "It is one of this side's biggest strengths," he added. "We also proved it against Marseille, when we found ourselves down to ten men.
"This ability to bounce back in the face of adversity is what I'd like take from the game. It will serve us well because we will often find ourselves up against sides prepared to give everything to knock us off so it's a good thing to be able to fight back in the face of adversity."
Lorient will be happy to come away with a point from Paris, with the side currently just a place off the relegation zone, having picked up a mere 10 points from the first 11 games of the season.
Team News: Christophe Jallet and Javier Pastore are back in training for PSG following calk and thigh injuries respectively. However, they game against Lorient might come too soon for them, with skipper Thiago Silva also still sidelined.
"Physically he [Thiago] has done a great job," Blanc said. "We're on time (with his recovery). But we cannot afford a relapse, either for himself, for the club or the Brazilian team. It is good but we have to be careful."
Julien Quercia is ruled out for Lorient with an ankle problem.
Key men: PSG: Zlatan Ibrahimovic is on a terrific run of form, and the Swede will look at the Lorient match as the perfect opportunity to bulge his goalscoring figures for the season.
Lorient: Jeremie Aliadiere will be the man that Lorient look to for goals and the former Arsenal man will need to make full use of any opportunity presented during the 90 minutes.
Where to watch
The game is scheduled for a 1 am IST start on Saturday morning with live coverage on Ten Action and Ten HD.
Expected lineups: PSG: Sirigu; Van DerWiel, Marquinhos, Alex, Maxwell; Motta, Matuidi, Verratti; Cavani, Ibrahimovic, Lavezzi.
Lorient: Audard; Kone, Manga, Guerreiro, Baca; Jouffre, Coutadeur, Bryan Pele, Lautoa; Aboubakar, Aliadiere.
Prediction: 3-0 to PSG
