Brest and Lille lead the way as Ligue 1 clubs push on in Champions League

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All four French clubs in the competition have their sights set on the knockouts but PSG have a lot of work to do

By Raphaël Jucobin for Get French Football News

When the Champions League format was revamped, with four French teams included for the first time, few would have expected all four to be confident of reaching the next phase in late January. Even fewer would have expected Brest and Lille to be in the top eight, with PSG sitting just outside the playoff spots.

"We're going to try to qualify but, if we don't, the necessary measures will need to be taken," Luis Enrique cryptically explained after PSG's defeat to Atlético Madrid in November. His team had produced little from their 71% of possession and Ángel Correa's last-minute winner left them with just four points from four matches. Since then, PSG's chances of qualifying have only improved slightly. After a slender defeat by Bayern Munich and a convincing win at RB Salzburg, they are 25th in the 36-team table. Only the top 24 go through.