Ludogorets boss Georgi Dermendzhiev warns Arsenal his side will struggle to claim PSG win
Ludogorets Razgrad manager Georgi Dermendzhiev has warned Arsenal to his side will struggle to do them a favour in their Champions League clash with Paris St Germain.
Arsenal will be unable to top Group A unless the Bulgarian champions depart the Parc des Princes with at least a point after ceding control of the group to PSG with a 2-2 draw at the Emirates last month.
The Gunners trip to Switzerland, where they take on FC Basel, also has a bearing on Dermendzhiev’s side. Both the Swiss champions and Ludogorets are tied on two points, with the latter guaranteed progress into the Europa League if they can match their rivals’ results at St Jakob Park.
Ludogorets pushed PSG hard when the two sides met in Sofia in September, taking a 16th minute lead through Brazilian Natanael before Blaise Matuidi and an Edinson Cavani brace secured the points for the Parisians, and whilst their manager is hoping for a repeat performance on Tuesday he acknowledged it will be a tough task against one of Europe’s top sides.
“We want to be positive and give a good account of ourselves, to make the most of our advantages,” Dermendzhiev said.
“We played well in our last game, but Paris are a class team full of quality and we'll have to perform well. Fans are in for an enjoyable match.
“I don't want to follow the score from the other game. We'll just focus on ourselves and see what happens.”
It has been suggested that, with the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City on course to finish second or having already guaranteed that they will do so, group winners will enjoy less of an advantage than they have held in previous years.
Yet after his side battled to claim the 2-2 that put them in the driving seat in Group A PSG boss Unai Emery is loath to see them throw it away at the Parc des Princes.
“When we started our campaign in this competition, the objective was to top the group, and that hasn't changed,” Emery said.
“Topping the group is still important, especially for our confidence. We want to finish this group stage on top.
“We're not thinking about the other teams. We need to prepare for this match with confidence and be positive.”
ArticleLudogorets boss warns Arsenal his side will struggle to claim PSG winLudogorets RazgradParis Saint-GermainArsenalChampions League