Anderlecht not daunted by PSG's wow factor

Paris Saint-Germain FC have the potential to win the UEFA Champions League according to John van den Brom, who nevertheless remains hopeful his RSC Anderlecht side can "have a super day" in Brussels on Wednesday. Laurent Blanc does not see the cards stacked that much in his team's favour, dismissing the notion that the Group C leaders will rest players and warning of complacency against an Anderlecht outfit seeking to get off the mark.

Anderlecht
John van den Brom, coachOn the basis of the potential quality I have seen at PSG, and their budget, they have everything that makes it possible for them to win the Champions League. I have seen them in a couple of home matches and I was really impressed by their way of playing, by the big stars and the way those stars really play well together. That is what impressed me most, besides their quality. They really can go far in this tournament.

Zlatan [Ibrahimović] is Zlatan, he is something else; he has so many qualities. When you then hear during a match that Zlatan is substituted and [Edinson] Cavani replaces him, then you think 'wow'. When you have so many options as a coach, then it says a lot about the quality of our opponents. We will play against a star team. That is an honour, but also a challenge for a young team like ours to try to achieve something. That is nice.

Before a match I always say you have to try to win, but in this case that obviously is not easy. This is a really tough task for us. On the other side, there is always a chance; if PSG think too lightly about it, and we have a super day, then we could spring a surprise, and that is what you hope for as a coach.

Weekend result
Friday: RAEC Mons 0-2 Anderlecht (Mitrović 29, Mbemba 45)
Kaminski; Mbemba, Kouyaté, Nuytinck, N'Sakala; Milivojević, Tielemans, Praet; Bruno (Acheampong 71), Mitrović, Suárez.

• Aleksandar Mitrović returned from a three-match domestic ban to set Anderlecht on the way to victory.

Team news
Silvio Proto (ankle) and Ronald Vargas (knee) remain sidelined.

PSG
Laurent Blanc, coach
A win is an absolute must for us and will be a first step towards qualifying for the next stage. To keep my players sharp I am always saying that every match will be difficult. We do not take any match for granted. And that is exactly how we will handle the Anderlecht game. We go into every match the way we should, with the right attitude, and stay focused all match long.

As a team we create many chances and we do not always convert them. I cannot complain about the effort of my players, it is just sometimes a lack of efficiency in finishing. We need to be a bit more efficient in that, but with patience that will come.

I will keep rotating my players. We have a lot of quality players and there will be a number of new names tomorrow. We have not looked at the match against Saint-Étienne this weekend. For now only the match against Anderlecht counts and I will select the best team I can.

We cannot think that we will easily push Anderlecht aside; that will not happen. We always respect our opponents and that will be no different tomorrow.

Weekend result
Saturday: PSG 4-0 SC Bastia (Ibrahimović 10 13, Cavani 62 89pen)
Sirigu; Jallet (Van der Wiel 67), Alex, Marquinhos, Digne; Lucas, Rabiot, Matuidi, Ongenda; Ménez (Maxwell 71), Ibrahimović (Cavani 46).

• A much-changed PSG ensemble made light work of their Corsican opponents, Ibrahimović taking his tally to six in four appearances for club and country with a first-half double.

Team news
Javier Pastore missed the weekend victory. The playmaker returned to Argentina for "personal reasons" according to Blanc. 

Match fact
• The teams were paired together in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup third round, when a goalless first leg in Paris preceded a 1-1 draw in Brussels that took PSG through on away goals. John Bosman's 52nd-minute strike had given Anderlecht the lead, but Antoine Kombouaré levelled 14 minutes from time.