The Coupe de France round of 16 fixture will see Paris Saint-Germain take on Brest, as Luis Enrique will want progression into the next stage.
In any other season, PSG taking on Brest would have been seen as a one-sided affair. But this time around, the latter have made a name for themselves. Luis Enrique will relish a challenge like this one, albeit in a cup competition; the Parisians are otherwise favourites to clinch the domestic trophy.
After starting their season playing catchup to the likes of AS Monaco and OGC Nice, PSG have established a solid foundation to win another Ligue 1 title. Their form in the Coupe de France is also one to admire, having not lost at home in the competition since January 2014.
They also began their defence of the Coupe de France in formidable fashion with a stellar 9-0 win over Revel at the start of January. They followed that up with a 4-1 win over Orleans and now find themselves hosting Ligue 1’s third-placed side Brest at the Parc des Princes.
Eric Roy’s side finds themselves in a promising position in Ligue 1, and he will want the team to continue with their impressive form for as long as possible. Brest are currently sitting third, with only two points separating them from second-placed Nice.
They also drew with Nice at the weekend, with the goalless affair seen more as a positive result by Roy. That result also ensured Brest extended their unbeaten run to eleven games. Whether the manager will prioritise an extended cup run over the ambitions of qualifying for the Champions League remains the question.
For Brest, their manager and fans would undoubtedly feel their team is second favourite against PSG, especially in Paris. However, for Roy, this is a game that can help his side understand a more formidable opponent better, as a good performance, irrespective of the final outcome, could still boost their confidence for the tests that lay ahead in their season.
Team News & Tactics
PSG
Luis Enrique will unlikely pay too much attention to the resurfaced links between Real Madrid and his star attacker, Kylian Mbappe. The forward could potentially move to Real Madrid; either way, the manager will expect a proper performance from the forward, and he is also the top scorer in the competition.
Mbappe will lead the line against Brest, with Goncalo Ramos likely to partner the French superstar in the attack. In terms of injuries, Presnel Kimpembe and Sergio Rico remain sidelined for the foreseeable future and have not played at all this season.
Layvin Kurzawa, Alexandre Letellier, and Nuno Mendes are all missing from action, and there are doubts about Milan Skriniar’s participation in this one as he continues to nurse an ankle problem, with Enrique likely to tread carefully with the defender.
Carlos Soler might play at right-back owing to the shortage of options, with Marquinhos and Danilo Pereira likely to play centrally, while Lucas Hernandez will feature at left-back. Enrique will continue to use Randal Kolo Muani in that indifferent midfield role as he looks to maximise his attacking options on the pitch.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Navas; Soler, Marquinhos, Pereira, Hernandez; Vitinha, Ruiz, Muani; Asensio; Ramos, Mbappe
Brest
Eric Roy will tinker with his selections for this cup clash, and he will want to make some changes and not overly upset all his regular Ligue 1 starters. For one, second-choice goalkeeper Gregoire Coudert, who has been a regular in cup competitions, will replace Marco Bizot between the sticks.
Brest also has their fair share of injury problems, with Bilal Brahimi, Jeremy Le Douaron, and Jordan Amavi all ruled out with respective injury problems. Roy could use this clash as an excellent opportunity to give some of his fringe stars, and those might include Julien Le Cardinal, who recently returned from an injury and could benefit from minutes.
Roy will mirror Enrique for his style and feature a 4-3-3 formation to match PSG. In the attack, Martin Satriano will lead the line for Brest, with Mathias Pereira Lage and Romain Del Castillo to support the former Inter Milan attacker in the front three.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Coudert; Lala, Le Cardinal, Brassier, Locko; Camara, Lees-Melou, Magnetti; Del Castillo, Satriano, Lage
Key Stats
- PSG are unbeaten in 27 competitive games against Brest.
- PSG are also unbeaten at home in the Coupe de France since January 2014.
- PSG are the highest-scoring team in this season’s Coupe de France
- Brest are unbeaten in their last five away games across all competitions.
- Brest are unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe has come into the news again for his persistent and now resurfaced links with Real Madrid. In truth, many have gotten tired of these stories, which often enter into a saga mode, and the results are always unexpected.
Luis Enrique would hope these new links do not faze the Frenchman and will give his utmost focus to matters for PSG. The Parisians still have an important season ahead. Mbappe, if he does depart, will want to go out on a bang, and what better way to do so than winning trophies? He will want to start with the Coupe de France by putting in a good performance against Brest.
Prediction
PSG 2-1 Brest
These are two teams in the Ligue 1 top three, angling for a big win over one another in the cup competition. Both these sides are in a good vein of form, which could make it for an entertaining clash, although PSG could come into this one as slight favourites.
Moreover, PSG have a formidable record in this competition, especially at home, where they are unbeaten in 27 games spanning from January 2014. Hence, while Brest may come into this one to nick a solid win, PSG will stay alert and instead take the win to move into the next round, albeit in a slender manner.