The final piece of silverware in French football will be decided on Saturday night at the Stade de France, when Paris Saint-Germain face Reims in the final of the Coupe de France.
Both clubs have endured vastly different emotions this season, with PSG still on for an unprecedented treble, while Reims’ top-flight future is still not secure.
Match preview
History beckons for PSG over the next week, as they could become the first French club ever to complete a treble consisting of Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the Champions League.
Luis Enrique‘s men returned to form in their final two Ligue 1 games of the season, beating Montpellier and Auxerre, scoring seven goals in the process, responding well to missing out on an unbeaten season.
The PSG boss named a strong side for the Auxerre clash last week, as he looks to have his players in top condition ahead of the two finals on the horizon over the next seven days.
PSG will be huge favourites for this final, given the dominance they have enjoyed domestically over the past decade, especially in this competition, where they reached all seven finals between 2015 and 2021, winning six.
Back-to-back round-of-16 exits in 2022 and 2023 were a huge shock, but Enrique guided the Parisians to cup glory a year ago, beating Lyon in the showpiece event in 2024.
Despite only being in existence for 54 years, PSG have remarkably won this competition on 15 occasions, but this could be their most routine success to date.
PSG have not played a top-flight club since the round-of-64 victory over Lens, going on to face semi-pro Espaly, third-tier Le Mans, fourth-tier Stade Briochin, and Ligue 2’s Dunkerque in the semi-finals.
It can be argued that Reims are at a similar level to Dunkerque too, given their finish in Ligue 1, and the fact Dunkerque performed so well in the second tier this season.
Reims are a club with a storied history, looking to rediscover the glory days of the 1950s and 1960s, but they continue to go through tough times.
Six Ligue 1 titles and two Coupe de France trophies sit in their cabinet, but manager Samba Diawara will be devastated that the main focus is now ensuring their top-flight survival, instead of enjoying this once-in-a-generation moment.
Reims have won nothing since the 1961-62 Ligue 1 title, and you have to go back to 1958 to find the last time they were Coupe winners, with the Rouges et Blancs now competing in their first final since 1977.
It is quite the surprise that Reims find themselves in the final, considering they were dumped out by lower-league opposition in three of the last four seasons, but they will even admit themselves that the Gods have been looking down on them during this run.
Penalties were required to see off Monaco, Bourgoin Jallieu and Angers to reach the semi-finals, where they met fourth-tier Cannes, and narrowly progressed 2-1 thanks to Teddy Teuma‘s winner.
What makes it even more remarkable is that the bulk of that cup run coincided with a 15-game winless streak in Ligue 1, which contributed to their dreadful league finish.
Diawara’s men won four out of five games in late-March and into April, but after losing their final three games, they have ended up in the relegation playoff with Metz, despite being five points clear after gameweek 31.
The first leg of that playoff took place on Wednesday, with the scores ending level at 1-1, and it is not the type of distraction Reims would have wanted once they knew they had a cup final to look forward to.
Team News
After naming a strong XI versus Auxerre, there is little doubt that PSG will be at full strength here, and it could be the same team that Enrique names against Inter Milan next week, barring any injuries.
The only position up for debate is out wide, where Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue are battling for a start in attack alongside player of the season Ousmane Dembele, and influential winter signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
PSG’s squad is fully fit though, so Enrique has the ability to rotate if he chooses, especially with the likes of Goncalo Ramos in reserve, and the Portuguese striker is the club’s top scorer in the Coupe this season with five goals.
Reims will be without Reda Khadra, Mohamed Daramy and Yaya Fofana due to injury, while the semi-final match-winner Teuma has not played a minute since the win over Cannes, with his time at the club surely over.
Aurelio Buta and Junya Ito were both absent from the squad that faced Metz on Wednesday, possibly with this fixture and the second leg in mind, and the latter returning would be a huge boost, as no player created more chances than him in Ligue 1 this season (83).
Keito Nakamura will likely have the biggest say if Reims are to accomplish anything this weekend, as the Japanese forward is far and away the club’s top scorer with 12 goals, and he returned from suspension to play 90 minutes in midweek.
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Sekine, Okumu, Kipre, Akieme; Patrick, Gbane, Atangana; Ito, Siebatcheu, Nakamura
We say: Paris Saint-Germain 5-0 Reims
Reims’ drop into the relegation playoff means they must be very careful choosing what to prioritise, and there is a good chance Thursday’s second leg at home to Metz will be at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
That should allow a rampant PSG to take advantage, and with Enrique set to name a strong XI, this could be one of the most one-sided Coupe de France finals in recent memory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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