The Japan Times - PSG minds on Arsenal return as French clubs scrap for Champions League places

PSG are in a strong position to make it through to the second Champions League final in their history after Ousmane Dembele's early goal gave them a 1-0 win away to Arsenal in the first leg of their last-four tie on Tuesday.

The return leg will take place in Paris next Wednesday, and Luis Enrique's side risk having to do without their leading marksman Dembele after he came off in the second half in London.

"It is a minor thing but there is a doubt for the return match," Luis Enrique said following the first leg.

In the meantime the former Barcelona winger seems certain to play no part for PSG in Strasbourg, who will be hoping to capitalise and pick up precious points as they scrap for a place in the Champions League themselves.

PSG's hopes of becoming the first team ever to complete a French top-flight season without losing were ended after 30 games as they lost 3-1 at home to Nice last weekend.

However, they can still extend their run -- a record in Europe's major leagues -- without being beaten away from home to 40 games if they avoid defeat in Alsace.

Strasbourg come into the final three games of the campaign in seventh place, which will at best bring with it a spot in next season's UEFA Conference League.

Their fans would probably be delighted with that, but the club belonging to the American consortium BlueCo which also owns Chelsea is dreaming even bigger.

Coach Liam Rosenior, who has just extended his contract to 2028, has overseen a run of 11 matches without losing and Strasbourg come into the weekend only two points behind Lille in third.

Lille are two points behind second-placed Marseille, and those sides meet each other on Sunday in a huge game, the winner of which will take an enormous step towards guaranteeing a top-four finish and a Champions League berth.

Monaco, who are a point behind Lille in fourth, visit relegation-threatened Saint-Etienne on Saturday and have won only one of their last 10 away outings.

Paulo Fonseca's Lyon are another point back in fifth, level with both sixth-placed Nice and Strasbourg. They will be expected to get the better of a Lens side who appear to be in freefall.

Meanwhile Nice host struggling Reims as they look to build on last week's win away to PSG.

With just four points separating the six teams immediately behind PSG, nothing will be decided this weekend but all the European contenders know how damaging a slip-up could be.

Player to watch: Mason Greenwood

Greenwood has scored 19 Ligue 1 goals in his debut season for Marseille, a tally bettered only by the 21 of Dembele for PSG.

The Englishman has therefore already matched the number of league goals scored for Marseille by Didier Drogba in the Ivorian's one season at the Velodrome in 2003/04.

Greenwood will be hoping to make it 20 this weekend as Marseille go to Lille in that crucial showdown in the fight for Champions League qualification.

Key stats

11 - Strasbourg are unbeaten in their last 11 Ligue 1 outings

199 - Alexandre Lacazette is one goal away from reaching a double century for Lyon

39 - The number of games PSG have gone without losing away from home in Ligue 1 -- they can extend that to 40 by avoiding defeat in Strasbourg on Saturday

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Nice v Reims (1845)

Saturday

Strasbourg v Paris Saint-Germain (1500), Toulouse v Rennes (1700), Saint-Etienne v Monaco (1905)

Sunday

Nantes v Angers (1300), Lyon v Lens, Brest v Montpellier, Auxerre v Le Havre (all 1515), Lille v Marseille (1845)

Y.Mori--JT