PSG v Lille – Genesio praises Paris, fears ‘the worst possible timing’

In partnership with

Parisfans.fr

·15 gennaio 2026

PSG v Lille – Genesio praises Paris, fears ‘the worst possible timing’

This Friday at 9 PM (broadcast on Ligue1+) Paris Saint-Germain (2nd) faces Lille (4th) at the Parc des Princes as part of the 18th day of Ligue 1 2025-2026. In a press conference, Bruno Génésio, Lille's coach, spoke about this match and the Parisian opponent. He is far from seeing good news in facing PSG after their elimination in the Coupe de France and rather highlights the great achievements of the club in recent months.

Genesio "what they are achieving is simply exceptional"

"The right time to take on PSG? I don't think there are good times to face PSG. They had a setback in the Coupe de France, but I believe what they are achieving is simply exceptional, because continuing to win and stringing together titles as they do is an exceptional performance. I believe that is the hardest thing in football, to win and keep winning, even when you have very good players, even when you are in a very big club. It's a real performance achieved by the coach with his group. We don't realize what they are doing. What happened in the Coupe de France can also happen, because they largely dominated, it's the charm of football. We saw in the first leg, they had a team that was diminished, but it wasn't simple either. Moreover, they are second, they know they can't afford too many mistakes."

Genesio "it will be even more important to be even more focused, to be even more effective if we want to compete."

A match full of dangers for LOSC? They say good teams never lose twice in a row. Since it's a very good team, it might be the worst time. We need to improve in concentration and attention to detail. We allow our opponents to take the advantage too often, too easily. Against Paris, it will be even more important to be even more focused, to be even more effective if we want to compete."

Genesio "these are always matches we want to play."

It's a match we should always take as a real pleasure, because going to the Parc, facing a great team, these are always matches we want to play. It's up to us to be more vigilant than in recent times. Against a team that is even superior to those we have faced recently, it won't forgive. We experienced it last year at the Parc, by making a catastrophic start to the match and it was over by halftime. The idea is to be very focused to give them nothing. They have enough weapons to create situations. We will also need ambition when we recover the ball, when we have some phases of possession to pose problems for them." said by Le 11 HDF.

We appreciate this respect and perspective from Génésio in a period where criticism falls very easily from the media and some supporters. Of course, the elimination in the Coupe de France is a failure and it's painful. However, there is nothing dramatic and the Parisians have not suddenly stopped playing or showing desire. They lacked efficiency. It happens. There are many things to manage this season, with a new status, different pressure, and fatigue. Which also plays into decisions with the ball, not just in running.

OneFootball Video

The Lille coach is well aware of the difficulty of playing at the Parc des Princes, which could even be heightened by the fact that Paris will want to react immediately. And, if possible, with style. Especially since they need to put pressure on Lens by temporarily taking first place (Lens plays this Saturday at 5 PM against Auxerre). Clearly, the Lille players will need to put in maximum effort and concentration to have a chance of getting a result at the Parc des Princes.

But Génésio also emphasizes that it's not about going there as victims. His team also has strengths and ambition, with things to accomplish to manage the Parisians as much as possible and thus hope to return to Lille with at least 1 point. It's also important to see the pleasure in facing one of the best teams in Europe, enjoy the challenge, and give everything to have no regrets.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.