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After weeks of hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a few friendly meetings overflown, things are starting to resume for PSG. Thomas Tuchel’s men face AS Saint-Étienne in the final of the Coupe de France on Friday.
The Paris Saint-Germain players certainly still have in mind the humiliation suffered last season in the final of the Coupe de France. Beaten on penalties by Rennes 2 – 2 after (6 – 5 tab), the Parisians had failed to win a fifth consecutive title.
This year, Thomas Tuchel’s men hope to erase this misstep in a new final, Friday July 24, against AS Saint-Étienne. After an aborted season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the reigning French champions are thirsty for victory. They largely dominated their subject in their three preparation matches. After crushing Le Havre (Ligue 2) on the score of 9-0, then the Belgians of the second division of Waasland-Beveren (7-0), they also came to the end of Celtic Glasgow (4-0) on Tuesday, making thus full of confidence.
Star Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring at the start of the match, while his teammate Neymar once again flaunted his good physical shape by scoring a goal and multiplying the dribbles.
“We play Friday, it’s always in the head. I’m happy, we did serious things, with no goals conceded and four goals scored. It was the last phase of the preparation against a very strong team, against whom It’s not easy to play. I’m happy. By giving 45 minutes to all the players, we have prepared in the best possible way, “said coach Thomas Tuchel after the meeting.
“PSG are here to win it all “
Captain Thiago Silva, who extended his contract by two months to play with Paris in the final of the Coupe de France and then that of the Coupe de la Ligue against Olympique Lyonnais and the end of the Champions League, was particularly in verve for his last match at the Parc des Princes. The Brazilian defender, at the club since 2012 but at the end of his contract at the end of the season, bade farewell to the supporters, but remains focused for the upcoming deadlines. “It’s not over yet,” he warned. “We still have a lot of things to do, three cups to go and get, that’s why we have to keep working. I hope I can come out with an award, that’s my goal.”
“I think everyone is ready for the Cup we have this week. It’s very important for the team and the club. Last year we didn’t win the competition and we will play against a opponent who wants to win it, “added his teammate Ander Herrera. “But everyone has seen that PSG are here to win everything. We have a very compact, very strong and very united squad.”
Despite the uncompensated departures of Edinson Cavani, Thomas Meunier and Tanguy Kouassi, who weakened the bench, the capital club will be able to count for this final on flagship players such as Mbappé, Neymar or Verrati. However, he will have to do without Juan Bernat, embarrassed by calf pain.
The Greens want to believe it
For its part, Saint-Étienne, after three encouraging first friendlies concluded with as many victories, was thwarted last Saturday at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium, behind closed doors, by the Belgian champion Anderlecht on the occasion of two matches of 75 minutes each and both lost (2-1, 1-0).
But the Greens, 38 years after their last Coupe de France final, want to believe it. Although they will not have the support of their supporters who boycott the match due to the sanitary conditions, they hope to lift the trophy.
“This will be my first Coupe de France final in seventeen years. It’s a title at the end. Having won the Coupe de la Ligue in 2013, I know what it means, it marks a lifetime and it would add a line on the palmares of the great history of the club “, explained to AFP the defender and captain of Saint-Étienne Loïc Perrin, who dreams of concluding his career with a success. Although he is not at all certain of being lined up for the kick-off of the final, after a knee injury, the experienced player extended his contract by one month, which expired on June 30. latest. He did not want to stop on a 17th place and an end of the championship truncated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Same story for coach Claude Puel in an interview with France TV Sport: “We will try to win it and already to finish at 11 unlike our two matches against [le PSG] this season, “he explained, while the Greens have not beaten PSG since 2012.” The context is very particular after this long stop. In general, we start a season with a championship match, this is a Coupe de France final. In terms of pace, physicality, approach to this match, it’s really very, very difficult. We try to do the best we can to adapt to these circumstances. It is something very particular that is imposed on us but we will have to take up the challenge. “
A challenge that is complicated in the absence of defender William Saliba, for lack of agreement with his new club, Arsenal. He had been transferred a year ago to the London club for 25 million euros and was loaned in the wake of a year to the Greens to play with them the past season. This package precipitated the return on loan of central defender Harold Moukoudi who played in Middlesborough in the English second division.
After three semi-finals lost in thirty years against Montpellier (1990), Nantes (1993) and Paris Saint-Germain (2015), it is the first time since 1982 that the Greens have reached the final of the competition, where they find their bête noire. In 1982, it was against the Parisian club that ASSE, led by a certain Michel Platini, lost on penalties (2-2, 5-6 tab).
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