PSG vs. St Etienne: Team News, Preview, Live Stream and TV Info

PSG continue the defence of their French League Cup crown with a last-16 clash against St Etienne at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

Laurent Blanc's side are once again threatening to carry all before them domestically, as the 5-1 mauling of Lyon at the weekend moved them 17 points clear of the chasing pack in Ligue 1. Angers, who occupy second place in the table, are closer to the relegation places in terms of points than they are to the runaway leaders.

"

Angers, second in Ligue 1, are closer to the relegation zone than to PSG. pic.twitter.com/owaDNwxKyk

— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) December 15, 2015"

With just two games remaining before the break for Christmas, PSG travel to Caen on Saturday, Blanc could well be persuaded to shuffle his pack a shade. But given the strength in depth at Blanc's disposal, the visiting Verts will be faced with a formidable XI whoever the manager decides to pick.

And they will come up against a side who are focused on mopping up all silverware available to them, as PSG skipper Thiago Silva told the club's official website:

"

Like last season, we will try and win everything. The Champions League is a very important objective for us, but so is the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue. We have a good squad and the coach can make all the changes he likes, without it affecting the quality of our play. That's a very positive thing for us because we want to win all four competitions. If we can continue like this, we can have a very good season.

"

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

While Thiago Silva has made positive noises about targeting victory on all fronts, Blanc has made it clear that domestic cups are not a priority. Blanc said at a press conference on Tuesday:

"

The fixture list is very congested. The matches are coming thick and fast and it's almost impossible with the two domestic cup competitions.

Some will say we have a very rich squad, in terms of quality and quantity, but our players still get injured and suspended.

We will try and win every competition, but our priority lies with the Ligue 1 championship and the Champions League. I'm not writing off any competition, but I know how to prioritise.

"

St Etienne head into this game in poor form, as they have won just one of their past eight games in all competitions—but a straw for Les Verts to clutch at is they were the last team to topple PSG in this competition, way back in the 2012/13 iteration.

Verts coach Christophe Galtier will be without Kevin Malcuit who was shown a red card in the 1-0 loss at the hands of Monaco, while PSG will hand a rare start to reserve keeper Salvatore Sirigu.

Sirigu has had to watch from the bench following the arrival of Kevin Trapp, but the latter made a real blunder in the win over Lyon and Blanc can use the meeting with St Etienne as the ideal chance to hand the understudy a chance and fire a warning to his No. 1.

Date: Wednesday, December 16

Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. local time

Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris

TV Info: beIN Sports (US), BT Sport 1 (UK only)

Live Stream: beIN Sports (US) BT Sport (UK only) 

PSG	St Etienne
Lyon 5-1 (W)	Monaco 1-0 (L)
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 (W)	Lazio 1-1
Nice 3-0 (W)	Rennes 1-1
Angers 0-0	Lille 1-0 (L)
Troyes 4-1 (W)	Guingamp 3-0 (W)

Player to Watch

Blanc has options available to him, and he could well hand a recall to Javier Pastore. The Argentinian has been battling a calf problem, but he is closing in on a return to full fitness and Blanc may well hand him some valuable minutes against Les Verts.

The PSG squad is full of talent, but Argentina international Pastore is as gifted as anyone, and it will be interesting to see what shape he is in.

PSG have bigger tasks ahead, notably Chelsea in the Champions League early next year, and Blanc will be buoyed if Pastore can propel himself to full fitness and form over the course of the next few weeks.

Odds (courtesy of Oddschecker)

PSG: 2-7

Draw: 11-2

St Etienne: 13-1