Destiny sometimes has surprising surprises in store. This Sunday, at the end of the 32nd finals of the Coupe de France, the draw offered a Parisian derby between Paris Saint-Germain and Paris FC. An improbable poster which will take place next Sunday January 11, a week after the first meeting between the two teams in Ligue 1, and three days after the Champions Trophy against OM… in Kuwait.
For PSG, this draw is therefore, from a logistical point of view, excellent news. Because this allows Luis Enrique’s men to avoid a trip, perhaps to a small team with a capricious terrain, just three days after his long trip to the Middle East. They won’t even have to cross the street to reach the Jean-Bouin stadium and challenge their neighbors.
A godsend at the heart of a very busy month of January, including the last two matches of the Champions League league phase against Sporting Lisbon and Newcastle.
At the PFC, “we will do everything to pass”
For Paris FC, it’s a new gala poster. And it’s also a great opportunity a week after making his mark against the European champions in Ligue 1. The teammates of Jonathan Ikoné, trained at PSG and author of a hat-trick against Raon-l’Étape this Saturday, will however not be favorites. “We’re going to play twice in a row against PSG, and at the Parc in the Cup… So it’s not the best draw, by far, but we’re going to do everything we can to get through,” promised Stéphane Gilli, the Paris FC coach. The Coupe de France is not a priority for the promoted team, ready to put all its strength into the championship to ensure its maintenance as quickly as possible.
The draws reserved some interesting posters, including three duels between Ligue 1 teams: Nantes-Nice, Lille-Lyon and Angers-Toulouse. If the majority of elite clubs have qualified for the rest of the competition, with the exception of Brest and Le Havre, there are still a few clubs from lower divisions, notably Avranches (National 2), Chantilly (National 2), Istres (National 2), Hauts Lyonnais (National 3), Bayeux (Regional 1) and Montreuil (Regional 1).
No dream poster for Montreuil
The Ile-de-France club, now Tom Thumb in the competition, was finally hoping to measure up to a big name in French football, after having played Bandrele, Granville and Chauvigny. This will ultimately not be the case since Montreuillois will host Amiens (Ligue 2). “There is no disappointment, it remains a professional team,” judged goalkeeper Oumar Sissoko after the announcement of the poster. Some players would have preferred to play against a slightly more prestigious club but we are going to face a professional team, which trains every day. It will be a difficult match. »
The other little Tom Thumb, Bayeux, had better luck by offering himself a gala poster against Olympique de Marseille. An opponent they so hoped to challenge after beating Blois in the 32nd. “It’s incredible, I couldn’t dream of anything better for the guys,” said President Luis Ferreira-Pavesi at the microphone of BeIN Sports. It’s a pleasure to bring together a great team like that. We did it guys! »
The posters for the round of 16:
- Lille (L1) – Lyon (L1)
- Angers (L1) – Toulouse (L1)
- PSG (L1) – Paris FC (L1)
- Nantes (L1) – Nice (L1)
- Bayeux (R1) – Marseille (L1)
- Le Puy (N1) – Reims (L2)
- Sochaux (N1) – Lens (L1)
- Haut Lyonnais (N3) – Lorient (L1)
- Montreuil (R1) – Amiens (L2)
- Orleans (N1) – Monaco (L1)
- Istres (N2) – Laval (L2)
- Strasbourg (L1) – Avranches (N2)
- Le Mans (L2) – Nancy (L2)
- Metz (L1) – Montpellier (L2)
- Chantilly (N2) – Rennes (L1)
- Bastia (L2) – Troyes (L2)
