PSG have received a significant boost ahead of their Champions League last-16 tie against Chelsea next month.
The two sides will clash across two legs on March 11 and March 17, with Liam Rosenior’s side travelling to the Parc des Princes first.
The tie comes in the midst of a hectic schedule for both teams as they battle on multiple fronts, but PSG have made a move to ensure they are in as good a shape as possible.
Luis Enrique’s side wrote to Ligue 1’s governing body, the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), requesting that their domestic fixture in between the two legs be postponed.
PSG were scheduled to take on Nantes on March 15, but the French giants asked that this game be rearranged to ensure they would have six days of rest.
And their appeal was accepted by the LFP, who released a statement on Saturday explaining their decision.
PSG’s request to postpone their domestic game between the first and second leg of their Champions League tie last-16 against Chelsea has been accepted by the LFP
‘At the request of Paris Saint-Germain,’ the statement began. ‘In order to best prepare for their two-legged tie against Chelsea in the Champions League round of 16, the LFP Board of Directors, with the agreement of FC Nantes, has decided that the Paris Saint-Germain vs FC Nantes match will be played in the week of April 20.
‘The exact date and time of this match will be determined later.’
PSG were handed a similar boost for their quarter-final tie against Aston Villa last season, with their domestic fixture – ironically also against Nantes – pushed back a week to boost their chances of victory in Europe.
Enrique’s side ended up beating Villa 5-4 on aggregate before they went on to win the Champions League.
The LFP have been known to grant similar requests for Marseille and Lille when those teams have competed in European knockout competitions in recent years.
However, their decision to help PSG left several Chelsea fans frustrated as they took to social media to give their thoughts.
One said: ‘Must be nice for PSG to ask to rest players at will,’ before another added: ‘Do this every year. Have such a huge advantage in that respect.’
A third frustrated supporter said: ‘French clubs are playing CL on easy mode. Imagine if PL clubs had this treatment. So unfair.’
In between the first and second leg, Chelsea face Newcastle, who have their own Champions League tie against Barcelona to look forward to.
Meanwhile, speaking on TNT Sports after Bournemouth’s 1-1 draw with Sunderland on Saturday lunchtime, Peter Crouch and Joe Cole weighed in with their thoughts on how the six English sides in the Champions League would be impacted.
‘It’s huge,’ Crouch said. ‘You’ve got Sunderland vs Bournemouth here, teams that are maybe lower down but they’re so tough to play against and it’s relentless.
‘Arsenal will be playing tough games consistently and it’s difficult when the (French) league are cancelling games for PSG to help them succeed in Europe. The Premier League has never done that.
‘It’s relentless. Having said that, Arsenal have one of the best squads in Europe and if they keep everyone fit they have more than enough to fight on both fronts.’
Joe Cole added: ‘It’s not uncommon. When I played in France (for Lille), and we had a Champions League game, they would often move the game to benefit us and give us as much recovery time as possible.’
