N/A
Paris Saint-Germain have won every piece of domestic silverware going in France since the start of the 2014-15 season.
But they face a real threat to their Coupe de La Ligue crown in Saturday's 2016-17 final in Lyon against Monaco.
Leonardo Jardim's impressive young side—who are heading Ligue 1—will be desperate to end PSG's supremacy, and they have all the tools to do so.
Read on for a preview of what should be a fascinating clash at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, as well as team news, scheduling information and viewing details.
Date: Saturday, April 1
Time: 8 p.m. BST, 3 p.m. ET
TV Info: BT Sport 3 (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: BT Sport website, beIN Sports Connect
According to Ligue1.com, PSG could be without centre-back Marquinhos for the final after he picked up a thigh injury on international duty with Brazil, while forward Radamel Falcao and full-back Djibril Sidibe are both doubts for Monaco.
Meanwhile, Fabinho, one of Monaco's key operators this season in central midfield, is suspended, per ESPN FC's Jonathan Johnson:
PSG know how to win the French League Cup. They have triumphed in the competition in each of the last three seasons, and manager Unai Emery will be hugely motivated to claim his first major piece of silverware as PSG boss, especially given the embarrassing fashion in which his side crashed out of the UEFA Champions League.
Domestic dominance is now necessary for Emery's first season in charge not to be considered a failure, but in Monaco they face a foe of remarkable power.
Monaco have players throughout the squad who can find the back of the net. Their goalscoring as a team this season has been quite phenomenal—they have netted 87 goals in 30 league games.
Falcao may be missing for Saturday's clash but in-form 18-year-old Kylian Mbappe will be available, and he will be a huge threat to the PSG defence, per football analyst David O'Brien:
The likelihood is that PSG will not be able to prevent Monaco from scoring, but the defending champions have plenty of their own firepower.
Edinson Cavani will, as ever, be the main threat for Emery's side in attack. Out of the shadow of Zlatan Ibrahimovic the Uruguayan is enjoying the best season of his career and has netted 38 goals in 39 appearances across all competitions, per WhoScored.com.
Julian Draxler and Angel Di Maria will likely be supporting him in attack, and the trio have the ability to cause Monaco all kinds of problems.
Both sides are in excellent form, with Monaco having won their last six games in a row and PSG unbeaten domestically since December.
Per Ligue1.com, PSG's Javier Pastore believes his side have come good at the perfect moment:
We're coming into the final straight in the league, two months of competition that will make or break the season. We've come back to form just at the right time.
We need to win everything. We have to be at 100 per cent on the pitch, each of us, to achieve our goals. These last four seasons, we have won a lot of domestic titles. Each time, we have gone out to do that with great desire. We'll try to do the same thing on Saturday. We know we're playing a great team, but we're also very strong.
This season Monaco have got the better of PSG in their two league contests—they won 3-1 at home and earned a 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes.
However, PSG have the experience of winning trophies, which could prove telling despite Monaco's fantastic form so far in 2016-17.
Paris Saint-Germain won their sixth Coupe de la Ligue title with a 2-1 victory over Lille OSC at Stade de France on Saturday.
It was also a third consecutive triumph in the competition for Laurent Blanc’s men, who are the all-time record-holders by some way (Bordeaux, Marseille and Strasbourg are joint-second, having won three each).
Argentina international pair Javier Pastore and Angel Di Maria got the goals for Les Parisiens in the capital, while Djibril Sidibe scored Les Dogues’ fine consolation effort. However, the manner of the French champions’ victory was fortuitous, and LOSC arguably deserved to at least go to extra time.
PSG’s largely underwhelming performance does not mean nobody caught the eye, though. Pastore, making his first starting appearance since the 9-0 win away at ESTAC Troyes back in early March, put in an encouraging 79-minute showing.
The 26-year-old took his volleyed opening goal well—even if Layvin Kurzawa was in an offside position and arguably interfering with Lille goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama—and the South American also gave Blanc’s men a noticeable creative boost.
After weeks without the man from Cordoba, Argentina, and Marco Verratti, the difference playing one of them from the start at the expense of the cumbersome—and injured—Thiago Motta was clear for all to see.
Speaking with PSG’s official website after the final whistle, Pastore was delighted to have played such a key role in the team’s latest piece of silverware.
It was great to score and also to win this final. We wanted to qualify for the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, but we didn’t get there this season. This final came ten days after that elimination and we wanted to win. No matter the competition, the motivation is always the same.
Today we showed our ability to stand up to the challenge, especially with just 10 men. It’s good for the club and the players. The Coupe de France final against Marseille? It will be another very tough game. We have a month to prepare for that game. We want the same outcome as today.
After his performance and goal at Stade de France on Saturday, perhaps Pastore can finally start to put what has been a nightmarish season of injuries and fitness problems behind him and finish the campaign with a bit of momentum ahead of this summer’s Copa America.
The Albiceleste star has shown in recent weeks he is ready to banish the memories of his physical frustrations after appearances against Manchester City in the Champions League, FC Lorient in the Coupe de France and now Lille in the Coupe de la Ligue.
What Blanc must do now is integrate the No. 27 back in into the starting XI as quickly as he can, particularly if the returning Verratti is unable to feature in every match between now and the end of the season with the 2016 UEFA European Championship just around the corner.
With this summer’s Copa America Centenario looming for Pastore, the former Palermo man needs to get match fit. PSG also have the Coupe de France final against bitter rivals Marseille to come at Stade de France, and the cultured playmaker could be important—if fit.
Pastore was not at his scintillating best against Lille, but of all the players on the pitch in the capital on Saturday, he was the least likely to be on top of his game because of his lack of match fitness.
The fact he was able to stand head and shoulders above his team-mates and that the encounter was still won in 90 minutes speaks volumes about how disappointing PSG’s showing actually was.
Saturday’s Coupe de la Ligue final may feel like a home game for Paris Saint-Germain, but that doesn’t mean they will have it all their own way against Lille OSC.
The Parisians will be attempting to hold on to the trophy they won against SC Bastia last season, but in Les Dogues, they face one of the most in-form sides in France at the moment.
Since Frederic Antonetti replaced Herve Renard as coach of Lille back in November, only Laurent Blanc’s side have picked up more points than the northern club.
During his 20 games in charge, the former Nice coach has led his team to 11 wins and just four defeats, and he has taken them all the way to Saturday’s final.
PSG are not in the best form, but they are still managing to pick up the results. Defeat in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals was a huge disappointment for the club, putting more pressure on their domestic results. The performance—discussed previously in this column—against Lorient in the Coupe de France semi-final was far from satisfactory, but they got the result and will take on Marseille in the final.
With the league championship already secured, Saturday’s cup could be the third part of a domestic quadruple, matching last season’s success, but Lille will not take it lying down. One thing you always get from an Antonetti team is fight and desire.
Date: Saturday, April 23, 2016
Time: 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m ET)
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
TV Info: BT Sport (UK), beIN Sport (U.S.)
Live Stream: beIN Sport Connect (U.S.)
Last Five Results
| Paris Saint-Germain | Lille OSC |
| W Lorient 0-1 PSG (Coupe de France) | W Gazelec 2-4 Lille (Ligue 1) |
| W PSG 6-0 Caen (Ligue 1) | W Lille 4-1 Monaco (Ligue 1) |
| L Man City 1-0 PSG (Champions League) | W Nantes 0-3 Lille (Ligue 1) |
| W Guingamp 0-2 PSG (Ligue 1) | W Lille 1-0 Toulouse (Ligue 1) |
| D PSG 2-2 Man City (Champions League) | W Bastia 1-2 Lille (Ligue 1) |
Team News
Marco Verratti and Thiago Motta are the biggest doubts in Blanc's squad this weekend. Both Italy internationals will likely miss out on the starting XI.
Javier Pastore is rumoured to be a surprise starter, playing beside Blaise Matuidi and Adrien Rabiot in the midfield three.
Blanc has to decide whether to start with Edinson Cavani or Lucas Moura upfront.
PSG (4-3-3): Kevin Trapp; Serge Aurier, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Maxwell; Javier Pastore, Adrien Rabiot, Blaise Matuidi; Angel Di Maria, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani
Marko Basa could make his return to the Lille defence for Saturday's final, but Friday's edition of L'Equipe suggests Renato Civelli will miss out. The Montenegrin defender will play beside Adama Soumaoro with Sebastien Corchia and Djibril Sidibe on the flanks.
Antonetti will have to decide on whether to play club-captain Rio Mavuba or Florent Balmont beside Mounir Obbadi and Ibrahim Amadou in Lille's midfield trio.
Up front, Portuguese striker Eder will be joined by Morgan Amalfitano and Sofiane Boufal on the wings.
Lille (4-3-3): Vincent Enyeama; Sebastien Corchia, Adama Soumaoro, Marko Basa, Djibril Sidibe; Ibrahim Amadou, Rio Mavuba, Mounir Obbadi; Morgan Amalfitano, Eder, Sofiane Boufal
Player to Watch
When a team wins six games in a row, you usually don’t have to look closely to see which players have made the biggest impact. Since making his debut on February 2, Portuguese striker Eder has scored five goals in the league, plus he has added three assists.
His best performance so far came in the 3-0 away win over Nantes. A lovely control and finish saw him score a superb opening goal—he scored his second late on, but he also played a hand in putting his team 2-0 up.
On loan from Swansea City, the former Sporting Braga man has added a focal point to the Lille attack. His ability to hold the ball up has helped bring others into play, and his intelligent movement and physical strength has given a new dimension to Antonetti’s front line.
His time at Swansea didn’t go well, he recently told France Football (in French) that he would not be against staying at Lille permanently. If he can score and help LOSC win their first Coupe de la Ligue trophy, the fans might not let him leave.
Key Battle
There are so many great battles all over the pitch, and a lot will depend on the 11 players who take the pitch on Saturday night. Lille have some issues at the back, and that’s not ideal when taking on a determined Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
However, in the midfield, Lille have a chance to take advantage of PSG’s slight weakness. With Marco Verratti still far from full fitness and Thiago Motta feeling the effects of a long, hard-working career, the current midfield has looked off the pace.
Rabiot, Matuidi and Benjamin Stambouli lacked creativity and rhythm on Tuesday night, and against the in-form Obbadi, Mavuba and Amadou, the league champions could lose that battle in the middle of the park.
Amadou, signed in the summer from AS Nancy, has been a revelation under Antonetti. He has the power and size to battle with the biggest players. He is also very mobile and active across the pitch, reading the play well and getting himself in the way of dangerous attacks.
He has also shown he can get forward and pick a pass, as well as adding the odd goal. If Amadou can rise to the occasion and push this Lille team forward, they may just have a chance of causing an upset in Paris.
Odds (via Oddschecker)
PSG: 4-11
Draw: 47-10
Lille: 10-1
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain welcome Toulouse to Parc des Princes in the semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue in what will be the final instalment of their recent tripleheader.
If the Ligue 1 leaders can beat Dominique Arribage’s strugglers, they will have reached a third consecutive League Cup final at Stade de France.
Date: Wednesday, January 27
Time: 9:05 p.m. CET (8:05 p.m. GMT/3:05 p.m. EST)
Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris
TV Info: France 3 (France), BT Sport Europe (8:45p.m. GMT), beIN Sports 4 (USA)
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect
Preamble
PSG and Toulouse must be sick of the sight of each other by now. For the third time in the space of 11 days, the pair will meet in domestic competition for one last time this season on Wednesday.
Laurent Blanc’s men have won their Ligue 1 and Coupe de France encounters, but there will be a place in the Coupe de la Ligue final at stake at Parc des Princes.
Les Parisiens are gunning for a third straight appearance at Stade de France in this competition, while Toulouse have only ever been involved in one domestic cup final—their Coupe de France win of 1957.
The odds are stacked overwhelmingly against Le Tefece's earning a berth in the final. However, as they showed in last week’s narrow 2-1 defeat away at PSG in the Coupe de la Ligue, they are capable of pushing the capital club when the hosts rotate heavily—as is likely on Wednesday.
Form Lines (all competitions)
PSG
W 2-0 vs. SC Bastia (Ligue 1)
W 2-1 vs. Olympique Lyonnais (Coupe de la Ligue)
W 0-1 vs. Toulouse (Ligue 1)
W 2-1 vs. Toulouse (Coupe de France)
W 5-1 vs. Angers SCO (Ligue 1)
Toulouse
W 1-3 vs. Stade de Reims (Ligue 1)
W 2-1 (AET) vs. Olympique de Marseille (Coupe de la Ligue)
L 0-1 vs. PSG (Ligue 1)
L 2-1 vs. PSG (Coupe de France)
L 4-0 vs. AS Monaco (Ligue 1)
Predicted Formations
Paris-Toulouse : Les compos probables (L'Équipe) #PSGTFC #PSG pic.twitter.com/59gnhFkdQ9
— Paris No Limit™ (@ParisNoLimit) January 27, 2016
PSG (4-3-3): Douchez; Aurier, Marquinhos, Luiz, Kurzawa; Motta, Rabiot, Matuidi; Di Maria, Ibrahimovic (c), Cavani.
Toulouse (5-4-1): Goicoechea; Somalia, Spajic (c), Yago, Tisserand, Matheus; Regattin, Doumbia, Machach, Ben Yedder; Pesic.
Player to Watch
PSG’s man of the moment is Angel Di Maria. The Argentina international scored two superb goals—one a spectacular lobbed volley—in Les Parisiens’ merciless 5-1 mauling of Angers SCO last Saturday and will likely feature against Toulouse on Wednesday.
El Fideo likes the Coupe de la Ligue, having provided two superb assists in two substitute appearances, so it will be interesting to see what he can produce when played from the start.
Di Maria has eight goals and 11 assists from 19 appearances across all domestic competitions so far this season, and Toulouse will be dreading coming up against the in-form South American.
As for Arribage’s men, their main threat for PSG to keep an eye on will be Wissam Ben Yedder.
The Frenchman’s ability in front of goal needs no introduction—Ben Yedder has 10 goals from his last 12 appearances across all domestic competitions—and he is the player Blanc’s men should be most wary of on Wednesday.
Key Battle
For Toulouse to stand any chance of reaching the Coupe de la Ligue final, they will need to stop the defending champions from scoring.
If Arribage’s side cannot prevent PSG from finding the back of the net, there is little chance they will outscore them to win.
After a 4-0 thrashing away at Monaco last Sunday, Le Tefece have plenty to work on before they take to the Parc des Princes pitch.
The 5-4-1 formation used at Stade Louis II over the weekend did not work, so Aribage will have to rethink his tactical plans after a good showing in Paris last week.
Odds (Oddschecker)
PSG: 1-4
Toulouse: 13-1
Draw: 32-5
Paris Saint-Germain have started 2016 brightly. They got the job done against Wasquehal in the Coupe de France and then continued their great league form with a 2-0 home win over SC Bastia on Friday night.
On Wednesday, they face Olympique Lyonnais as they try to retain the Coupe de la Ligue trophy they lifted last season, but the signs are that the quarter-final won’t be as plain sailing as it was when Lyon last visited the Parc des Princes in December.
Hubert Fournier was relieved of his duties as head coach after the 2-1 defeat away at Gazelec. His assistant Bruno Genesio has taken control, and the recent signs have been very positive.
Kicking off with a 7-0 win in the Coupe de France against Limoges, everyone was keen not to get carried away, and even though Troyes are bottom of Ligue 1, starting life in their new stadium with a 4-1 win is the ideal way to warm up for this cup clash.
PSG ran out 5-1 winners when they last met and Lyon failed to turn up. It will be a huge barometer of how much a difference Genesio has made in the short time he has been in charge, but PSG still start the tie as strong favourites.
Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Time: 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m ET)
Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris
TV Info: BT Sport (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
Form Lines
| Paris Saint-Germain | Olympique Lyonnais |
| PSG 1-0 Saint-Etienne - Coupe de la Ligue | PSG 5-1 Lyon - Ligue 1 |
| Caen 3-0 PSG - Ligue 1 | Lyon 2-1 Tours - Coupe de la Ligue |
| Inter 0-1 PSG - Friendly | Gazelec 2-1 Lyon - Ligue 1 |
| Wasquehal 0-1 PSG - Coupe de France | Limoges 0-7 Lyon - Coupe de France |
| PSG 2-0 Bastia - Ligue 1 | Lyon 4-1 Troyes - Ligue 1 |
For the visitors, Maxime Gonalons and Claudio Beauvue missed Monday’s training session, via the official Lyon website (in French), and will be doubts to start on Wednesday. Mathieu Valbuena will miss out, as he is continuing to recover, but the game comes too soon. Without Gonalons, expect Jordan Ferri or Steed Malbranque to play in the centre of Lyon’s three-man midfield.
Thiago Silva is likely to be rested on Wednesday after picking up a knock, with Marquinhos the obvious replacement in the heart of the defence.
This game will also give Blanc an opportunity to return Javier Pastore to the starting XI—plus provide minutes to some of the less-used members of the squad.
PSG (4-3-3): Salvatore Sirigu; Gregory van der Wiel, Marquinhos, David Luiz; Layvin Kurzawa; Adrien Rabiot, Benjamin Stambouli, Javier Pastore; Lucas Moura, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Edinson Cavani
Lyon (4-3-3): Mathieu Gorgelin; Christophe Jallet, Bakary Kone, Samuel Umtiti, Jeremy Morel; Jordan Ferri, Steed Malbranque, Corentin Tolisso; Maxwell Cornet, Alexandre Lacazette, Aldo Kalulu
Player to Watch
Lyon were given a huge boost on Saturday when centre-back Samuel Umtiti was able to start against Troyes. He played against Limoges in the cup, but that was his first league game back since the 3-0 win over Saint-Etienne at the start of November.
In the nine games that the France under-21 international missed, Lyon conceded 19 goals. Les Gones had only conceded 14 games all season in comparison—highlighting just how important the 22-year-old is to how his club performs.
Umtiti is a leader all over the pitch: commanding in the air, strong in the tackle and he also has the ability to bring the ball out of defence with confidence and composure.
No matter what combination Blanc starts with on Wednesday, Umtiti will be taking on the best attack in France. It would be a shock to see them concede five with their best defender in the back line.
Key Battle
If Blanc decides to rest Angel Di Maria on Wednesday, it could give Brazilian Lucas Moura the chance to play on the right of the attack. That gives Genesio a difficult choice on the left of his defence. It’s not just the Brazilian’s space and dribbling ability that will cause problems, but it’s his tendency to drift, come central and play between the lines.
To cover him, you need a defender with mobility and intelligence—a player able to track his runs and help communicate with the midfielders, helping them restrict Lucas’ space. Jeremy Morel started against Troyes, and he may be the best option on Wednesday. He can also play at centre-back, and he is perhaps the better defensive option than someone like Henri Bedimo. The Cameroonian is great going forward and provides Lyon with strength in defence—however, he may not be the best at tracking the forward’s smart movement.
One other possibility would be to play the versatile Tolisso in that position, but you then lose his presence in the midfield. It’s a hard decision to balance, but winning the battle in the middle of the park is just as important.
He may not be in the best run of form, but if you give Lucas too much space and let him run at your defence, he can provide moments of magic—at his best, he can be unstoppable.
Odds (via Odds Checker)
Home win: 1/3
Away win: 10/1
Draw: 5/1
PSG continue the defence of their French League Cup crown with a last-16 clash against St Etienne at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
Laurent Blanc's side are once again threatening to carry all before them domestically, as the 5-1 mauling of Lyon at the weekend moved them 17 points clear of the chasing pack in Ligue 1. Angers, who occupy second place in the table, are closer to the relegation places in terms of points than they are to the runaway leaders.
Angers, second in Ligue 1, are closer to the relegation zone than to PSG. pic.twitter.com/owaDNwxKyk
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) December 15, 2015
With just two games remaining before the break for Christmas, PSG travel to Caen on Saturday, Blanc could well be persuaded to shuffle his pack a shade. But given the strength in depth at Blanc's disposal, the visiting Verts will be faced with a formidable XI whoever the manager decides to pick.
And they will come up against a side who are focused on mopping up all silverware available to them, as PSG skipper Thiago Silva told the club's official website:
Like last season, we will try and win everything. The Champions League is a very important objective for us, but so is the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue. We have a good squad and the coach can make all the changes he likes, without it affecting the quality of our play. That's a very positive thing for us because we want to win all four competitions. If we can continue like this, we can have a very good season.
While Thiago Silva has made positive noises about targeting victory on all fronts, Blanc has made it clear that domestic cups are not a priority. Blanc said at a press conference on Tuesday:
The fixture list is very congested. The matches are coming thick and fast and it's almost impossible with the two domestic cup competitions.
Some will say we have a very rich squad, in terms of quality and quantity, but our players still get injured and suspended.
We will try and win every competition, but our priority lies with the Ligue 1 championship and the Champions League. I'm not writing off any competition, but I know how to prioritise.
St Etienne head into this game in poor form, as they have won just one of their past eight games in all competitions—but a straw for Les Verts to clutch at is they were the last team to topple PSG in this competition, way back in the 2012/13 iteration.
Verts coach Christophe Galtier will be without Kevin Malcuit who was shown a red card in the 1-0 loss at the hands of Monaco, while PSG will hand a rare start to reserve keeper Salvatore Sirigu.
Sirigu has had to watch from the bench following the arrival of Kevin Trapp, but the latter made a real blunder in the win over Lyon and Blanc can use the meeting with St Etienne as the ideal chance to hand the understudy a chance and fire a warning to his No. 1.
Date: Wednesday, December 16
Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. local time
Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris
TV Info: beIN Sports (US), BT Sport 1 (UK only)
Live Stream: beIN Sports (US) BT Sport (UK only)
| PSG | St Etienne |
| Lyon 5-1 (W) | Monaco 1-0 (L) |
| Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 (W) | Lazio 1-1 |
| Nice 3-0 (W) | Rennes 1-1 |
| Angers 0-0 | Lille 1-0 (L) |
| Troyes 4-1 (W) | Guingamp 3-0 (W) |
Player to Watch
Blanc has options available to him, and he could well hand a recall to Javier Pastore. The Argentinian has been battling a calf problem, but he is closing in on a return to full fitness and Blanc may well hand him some valuable minutes against Les Verts.
The PSG squad is full of talent, but Argentina international Pastore is as gifted as anyone, and it will be interesting to see what shape he is in.
PSG have bigger tasks ahead, notably Chelsea in the Champions League early next year, and Blanc will be buoyed if Pastore can propel himself to full fitness and form over the course of the next few weeks.
Odds (courtesy of Oddschecker)
PSG: 2-7
Draw: 11-2
St Etienne: 13-1
