Kombouaré: ‘Push back the boundaries’

Paris coach Antoine Kombouaré is determined to knock off Lyon at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.

Antoine, are you confident your team can defeat Lyon?
“Yes, luckily! I have enormous confidence in the squad. I’m convinced we can produce a big match on Sunday and get the win.”

How do you need to approach the match?
“We need to be capable of everything. We need to press and play high up the pitch to prevent Lyon from playing their usual game and also defend well when they are on top. It’s going to take a great PSG to do it. But we have a great chance. We’re playing at home and we want to earn respect and win. The players will be ready to fight. We’ll need to be strong tactically and mentally, push back our boundaries and stay united. A good run in the championship is founded on good home form.”

Is this game twice as important after the loss to Monaco?
“You have to do whatever you can to win after a defeat. It’s an important match because we’re playing at home and we want to continue our good run at the Parc. Beating Lyon will earn us more respect and that will help us win points in the battle for Europe. The players know this. We’re calm. The loss to Monaco was a blow, but we just have to get straight back to where we left off. Great players have that ability. We want be looking for excuses because we have a couple of players missing. We have easily enough players to get a result on Sunday.”

Is the absence of Stéphane Sessegnon a penalty?
“I have plenty of confidence in the player that will replace him. I had several possibilities and several question marks over this position. We need to find the right player while also keeping the best balance possible. It’s the same story in every club. Bordeaux would have a problem is Gourcuff or Chamakh got injured for a long spell.”

Do you have a message to send to the supporters after the incidents against Monaco?
“We need to form a real team; the supporters and us. We need to be one. Those that cost us points are not real supporters. The real fans agree with me. We need to do what we can to give the best image of this club that we can.”