PSG aims to break QF barrier in Champions League

Paris Saint-Germain puts the UEFA Champions League final four on top of their to-do list after finishing an extensive preseason tour in North America. While the French side is poised to get the team’s fourth successive Ligue 1 trophy, PSG is also looking to break through the quarterfinal round of the Champions league after failing to reach the last-4 stage of the European tournament in the past three seasons.

Paris played a host of European giants in a busy 18-day tour of North America, defeating Benfica, Fiorentina, and Manchester United, while only suffering a loss against Chelsea via penalty shootout. PSG is full of confidence heading into the playoff stage of the Champions League after beating several potential European rivals this summer. With Paris’ renewed optimism, the French side is hoping to finally break the barrier that stopped them from advancing to the semifinal stage in the last three years.

PSG captain Thiago Silva is assertive about the club’s chances of grabbing the European Cup with the way they had played in North America. The 30-year-old Brazilian cited that Paris’ strong defence and striking prowess courtesy of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani will help PSG’s campaign in winning the Champions League this season. However, the pressure is on PSG coach Laurent Blanc, who has insisted that demands for a UEFA Champions League win are growing in Paris and that the club is trying to live up the expectations by improving the team.

“Paris are among the biggest teams. I think we'll break our quarter-final duck,” Blanc said, according to UEFA’s official website.

Meanwhile, PSG’s newest addition Angel Di Maria claimed his main goal at Parc des Princes is to help Les Parisiens win the Champions League. Di Maria, who was part of Real Madrid’s 2013-2013 roster that won the European Cup, completed a move with PSG after a lackluster season at the helm of United boss Louis Van Gaal.

"They made it to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, so my objective was to arrive to Paris and help them through the quarter-final barrier, which they have struggled [with] the past two seasons,” Di Maria said, reports Pulse. "I will try to do the best I can to help the club to those objectives and reach the final stages of the Champions League."

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