PARIS — If they had their way, France's leading clubs would have done away with the League Cup a long time ago, but Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon both need the boost of winning Saturday's final. The sides meet at the Stade de France in the final of the country's secondary knockout competition just six days after Lyon beat the capital club 1-0 at the Stade de Gerland in Ligue 1. Under normal circumstances, PSG would be the heavy favorite, but a difficult last 10 days have considerably increased the pressure on Laurent Blanc's side. Following the agony of its Champions League elimination at the quarterfinal stage on away goals to Chelsea, Paris saw its run of eight consecutive league wins ended in Lyon, a result that means it will have to wait until next Wednesday's meeting with Evian at the earliest before retaining the title. But if another Ligue 1 crown is inevitable, Blanc knows his team must win the oft-derided League Cup — a trophy the club has won three times before — if it is to improve on its record last season under Carlo Ancelotti. “The last week has been difficult. That's the way it is. We have to move on,” says midfielder Yohan Cabaye. “We have the chance to play for a title. It's a different competition and there is no doubt that the players are ready and determined.” Failure could have serious consequences for the coach himself, who has said he will not give a definitive answer to the offer of a contract extension until after the final. The former France coach has another year remaining but the recent run of back-to-back defeats, something the club had not experienced since 2011, has led to speculation that he could be sacked and force president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to give him the dreaded vote of confidence this week. “He is our coach today and I insist that I want him to stay. I was very clear about that before the second leg of the Champions League tie against Chelsea and my opinion did not change after that match,” Al-Khelaifi told daily Le Parisien. “Laurent Blanc has my unconditional support and nothing that happens on the field can change that.” Despite beating PSG last Sunday, Lyon is currently in fifth place in Ligue 1 and is at risk of finishing beneath its bitter rival Saint-Etienne as well as missing out on Champions League qualification once again. Knocked out of the Europa League by Juventus last week, this could still go down as a successful season for OL if it can secure the League Cup, a trophy it has only won once before. Remi Garde, who oversaw Lyon's French Cup triumph two years ago when it also lost the League Cup final to Marseille, is confident despite a raft of absences for what will be his team's 56th match of a long season. “The spirit of the team is great at the moment. It was important for us to win ahead of the final,” he said in reference to last week's win against the same opponents, which was secured by a goal from young midfielder Jordan Ferri. He is suspended this weekend, while Gueida Fofana, Yoann Gourcuff and Clement Grenier are injured, leaving Lyon particularly light on options in midfield. However, it is the absence of another player that could have the most profound impact on the showpiece, as Lyon bid to repeat their victory against PSG in the final of the French Cup in 2008, when a Sidney Govou goal in extra time secured them a 1-0 win and a league and cup double. PSG is still without 40-goal top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is in Sweden recovering from the thigh injury suffered against Chelsea. There has been a noticeable drop in form from PSG in the games it has played without Ibrahimovic since he arrived in France at the start of last season. It has lost five of the 16 matches he has missed in that time. This season it has lost five games — four of them without Ibrahimovic in the line-up. Hannover wins Hannover boosted its chances of avoiding Bundesliga relegation by holding on for a 3-2 win at Eintracht Frankfurt Thursday. Poor defending allowed the visitors to score in the second minute, when Leon Andreasen's header from Christian Pander's cross sent the ball inside the far post. Martin Lanig equalized from close range 11 minutes later, but Lars Stindl restored Hannover's lead in the 20th, when Pander again provided the cross. Didier Ya Konan made it 3-1 nine minutes later after some good play from Andreasen. Alexander Meier pulled one back in the 68th, but the home side couldn't equalize in a bad-tempered end to the game. With three games remaining, Hannover joined Frankfurt eight points clear of the relegation zone. — Agencies
