Dunkirk head coach Luis Castro urged his squad to savour the challenge of playing against Paris Saint-Germain’s constellation of international stars for a place in the final of the Coupe de France.
“They’re the best team that we’re likely to play against,” said the 44-year-old Portuguese on the eve of the clash at the Pierre Stade Mauroy in Lille on Tuesday night.
“Like any team, they have weak points and strong points … and there are a lot of strong points.”
On Saturday, PSG annihilated relegation-threatened Saint-Etienne 6-1 to establish a 21-point lead over second-placed Monaco.
PSG require one point from their last seven games to win a fourth consecutive domestic championship and a record-extending 13th top flight crown.
Dunkerque prepared for the match with a 2-0 setback at Bastia on Saturday to leave them eight points adrift of the second automatic spot for promotion from Ligue 2 to Ligue 1.
Recovery
“We don’t have much time to recover and prepare but it’s been like that before,” added Castro who made his name in his native Portugal coaching the Benfica under-19 side to the domestic title as well as the junior equivalent of the Champions League and Intercontinental Cup.
“We have to play with our own identity,” Castro said. “We will look at how PSG play and see how we can play against a team like that.
“Everyone saw what they did to Liverpool in Champions League. The players should be who they are. But if you don’t respect what PSG are, you’re not very bright.”
RFI
