Saturday evening, at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, in the North, Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain face each other in the final of the Coupe de France. In the event of victory, the Parisian club can win a fifteenth title in its history in this competition, a record.
Paris SG to end Luis Enrique’s first season in style, Lyon to complete six months of recovery: the two best teams in France in 2024 face each other in the final of the Coupe de France on Saturday (9:00 p.m.) at the Pierre-Stade Mauroy de Villeneuve-d’Ascq (North). For PSG, winning a 15th Coupe de France – a record – is one of the main priorities of the season, after two eliminations at the round of 16 stage. For the team coached by Luis Enrique, it is also a question of finishing on a good note after two major setbacks in a hitherto successful exercise.
Absence of official tribute
First, the elimination in the semi-final of the Champions League. There is nothing shameful in itself, especially for the first year of a new coach, but the caliber of the opponent, Dortmund, and the inability to score in both matches left a bitter taste in the mouth of the Spaniard, by his own admission. Second false note, tensions between the club and its French superstar Kylian Mbappé have resumed with a vengeance since the public announcement on May 10, via a simple video, of his departure this summer, already announced to the leaders in February.
A lack of official tribute during his last match at the Parc des Princes two days later, an absence from the squad for the last two Ligue 1 matches and his much-discussed appearance in Cannes finished off the atmosphere before the final. of Cup.
Mental toughness
Luis Enrique, who has often truncated his playing time since February, however announced on Friday that the top scorer in the club’s history would “of course” start. The coach needs it. A defeat would indeed be very frowned upon in the capital, especially since PSG dominated Lyon in the two championship confrontations, by the same clear score (4-1). “It’s not the same thing, it was the championship and now it’s a final,” midfielder Vitinha cautiously confided to PSG media.
The Lyonnais have nothing to lose. And they are riding the euphoria of their incredible comeback in the second half of the championship. In 2024, OL won 12 matches out of 17 in L1, paying off big teams like Monaco, Lille or Brest after incredible scenarios proving their mental solidity. The last-minute victory over Strasbourg (2-1) last Sunday allowed the Lyonnais to take a sixth place synonymous with the Europa League, unexpected after a disastrous start to the season.
Lyon relies in particular on a rediscovered Alexandre Lacazette, tied for second in the championship scorers’ ranking with 19 goals, who did not tremble while scoring the decisive penalty against Strasbourg. “We will have to enjoy playing this final and play it to the fullest, not being afraid of doing badly, not having regrets at the end, that we manage to include periods where we could make them doubt,” declared the striker to the French Football Federation (FFF).
“Complicated duels”
“Lacazette is a very great player, I have often played against him, I see how dangerous he is, he has quality in and outside the box, he is complete and experienced, we must always take a look at him , the duels are complicated against him,” greeted PSG captain Marquinhos. Lyon is also under the spell of Pierre Sage, director of the training center placed on the bench after the failures of Laurent Blanc and Fabio Grosso. With his simple and effective precepts, his paid coaching during the match and his good nature, the man who recently had to pass his coaching diploma is the great architect of the Rhone’s recent successes.
Since his arrival, “everything has changed, he managed to turn around a difficult situation”, paid tribute to Luis Enrique, for whom “next season, it is a team which will play for the title like us”. On Saturday, “they can prove dangerous very quickly, they will have opportunities”, anticipated the Spanish coach. Against Paris in April, Pierre Sage nevertheless made a mistake by fielding a very offensive eleven, allowing the future champions of France to enjoy themselves from the start. There is little chance that Pierre Sage, who will remain at OL next season according to its president John Textor, will return to such tactics on Saturday.
