Paris Saint-Germain may be moving towards their first Ligue 1 crown since 1994, but their exit from two cup competitions and rumours of a management shake-up have put a cloud over the club.
Defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals was followed on Wednesday by a shock French Cup quarter-final elimination at the hands of modest Evian on penalties.
On top of that, star signing David Beckham ran into a barrage of criticism for his sloppy defensive play that led to Evian's equaliser.
Furthermore, doubts about the future of sporting director Leonardo and claims that coach Carlo Ancelotti could replace Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, leaves the big-spending club with several questions marks heading into the off-season.
The 53-year-old Italian was furious with his side's meek Cup exit.
"It's a huge disappointment especially because of the attitude of the team which wasn't good," fumed the former AC Milan and Chelsea handler, whose side have an eight-point lead in Ligue 1.
"You can lose a match but not like that. We had no concentration and no character. Am I angry with the team? Yes! Against the whole team. It was our worst game of the season and our attitude was dreadful."
Meanwhile, several teams are scrapping for the two other Champions League places.
Marseille are second in the table, six points behind PSG, after they beat Brest 1-0 at home on Saturday.
Third are Lyon, 2-1 away winners at defending champions Montpellier on Friday. Lyon are two points behind Marseille.
Saint-Etienne, Nice and Lille are also in contention for one of the prized Champions League spots. Lille go to Bastia on Sunday.
At the bottom, Sochaux are one point above the relegation zone and have a home match against Bordeaux while Nancy have their sights focussed on overtaking them if they can take maximum points against an Evian side who have reached their first French Cup semi-final.
Lorient, who also reached the last four in midweek, travel to Toulouse while Reims host Valenciennes.
Fixtures (all times GMT):
Sunday
Bastia v Lille (1200), Toulouse v Lorient (1500), Sochaux v Bordeaux (1500), Reims v Valenciennes (1500), Nancy v Evian (1500), Paris Saint-Germain (1900)
Source: AFP
