Coupe de France Preview: PSG v Bordeaux
Laurent Blanc believes his Paris Saint-Germain players are behind him ahead of Wednesday's Coupe de France clash with out-of-sorts Bordeaux.
Laurent Blanc has denied talk that he has lost the Paris Saint-Germain dressing room ahead of Wednesday's Coupe de France round of 32 clash with Bordeaux.
So far this season PSG have failed to recapture the form that saw them secure a Ligue 1 and Coupe de la Ligue double in the 2013/14 campaign.
The Parisian giants are third in Ligue 1 and trail leaders Lyon by four points after drawing eight and lost two of their 21 games in the French top flight.
PSG were able to move back above Saint-Etienne by coming from behind to beat struggling Evian 4-2 at Parc des Princes on Sunday.
That victory came on the back of a 1-0 Coupe de la Ligue quarter-final win at Saint-Etienne last week, but Blanc has still had to contend with questions over his position.
Blanc was not helped by Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi missing the champions' mid-season training camp in Morocco and then reporting late to their first session on French soil.
The South American duo were hit with a club suspension and missed three games before returning at the weekend, with Cavani coming off the bench to round off the scoring.
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A defiant Blanc believes PSG are united ahead of the Coupe de France clash with his former club at Parc des Princes.
He told beIN Sports: "I think the players are behind me. It's the same in every club: when you get results, things are fine, the coach's messages get through, the players get on well.
"When the results aren't so good, the messages aren't received so well, people say the coach can't motivate his players... But I don't feel there is a gap between me and the players."
PSG beat Montpellier 3-0 in the previous round courtesy of second-half goals from Clement Chantome, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lucas Moura.
Bordeaux head to the capital on the back of a 2-1 home defeat against Nice on Friday, which leaves them seventh in the table.
A 2-1 victory over Toulouse in the round of 64 is the only success Willy Sagnol's men have managed in their last six matches.
Sagnol must pick his side up after they surrendered a lead at home to Nice and suffered a dramatic defeat when Alassane Plea popped up with a late winner for the visitors.
Bordeaux defender Tiago Ilori is available to return after recovering from a hamstring injury.