ligue1-logo
Other Competitions

Coupe de France Preview: PSG, Brest look for semifinal spot

After Stade de Reims and AS Cannes sealed their places in the Coupe de France semifinals with wins today, now it's the turn of Ligue 1 McDonald's sides Paris Saint-Germain and Stade Brestois to do the same. The capital side will host fourth-tier side Stade-Brieuc, while the Bretons will welcome Ligue 2's USL Dunkerque -- read on for our preview of both matches.
E. DEVIN
Published on 02/26/2025 at 01:00
2-minute read
Éric Roy and Stade Brestois will look to set a club record by progressing to the Coupe de France semifinals.

Changes for PSG?

After a thrilling win over Olympique Lyonnais, and with a daunting UEFA Champions League tie against Liverpool looming next week, there's some suggestion that the hosts will ring the changes here. Indeed, manager Luis Enrique will have to make some changes, as Lee Kang-In and Vitinha have both joined long-term absentee Warren Zaïre-Emery on the treatment table, while Bradley Barcola and in-form Ousmane Dembélé are also expected to be rested ahead of Saturday's clash with LOSC Lille.

So many changes would unsettle many other sides, but Enrique was sanguine about the challenge of tomorrow's fixture, saying, "We were put under pressure in the previous rounds... That's inherent to the Coupe de France and is why several Ligue 1 teams are already out. Regardless of our opponents and of the competition, we always play with the same level of intensity, which is what defines our team"  But while Enrique is right to urge caution, given Stade-Brieuc have already claimed the scalps of Le Havre and OGC Nice in the competition, even with rotation, his side's considerable attacking gifts should be enough to see them through to the semifinals comfortably.

A worthy opponent for Brest

As for Éric Roy's Pirates, they will also have their work cut out for them. Despite Dunkerque playing in the second tier, they stunned LOSC Lille in the previous round and, led by on-loan Stade de Reims goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen and former top-flight striker Gaëtan Courtet, they look a handful for any side, sitting firmly in the battle for top-flight promotion. After a feisty scoreless draw with Strasbourg this past weekend, his side are back at their best defensively, but will have to show more going forward, something that will surely be helped by the likely return of Ludovic Ajorque to the starting eleven. 

Given that Brest have never gone past the quarterfinal stage of this competition, there is also a matter of continuing what has already been an historic season. Said Roy in the pre-match press conference about his approach to this match, Obviously, we want to continue the adventure in the Coupe de France. We've studied this Dunkerque team and we were able to discover a lot of qualities in their game. We are not going to play them with a feeling of superiority, but it can be a great challenge to beat this club record by going beyond the quarter-finals."

Read more:

>> Coupe de France: Reims reach historic semifinal

>> Corentin Tolisso: Lyon's veteran midfielder reborn 

 

ligue1-logo
Mercato