Paris Saint-Germain will host Nice in the quarterfinals of the Coupe de France on Wednesday. The winners of this matchup will play Rennes for a spot in the championship game. Lyon and Valenciennes have already advanced to the semi-finals.
Preview (Paris Saint-Germain vs. Nice)
PSG was held to a 2-2 tie at home against Reims over the weekend, their third consecutive league match. It was an unimpressive display. That followed a 1-1 draw with Rennes and a recent deadlock with Monaco. However, with 10 points separating them from second-place Brest, manager Luis Enrique may now be inclined to concentrate primarily on the Coupe and the Champions League. Days after dominating Real Sociedad in San Sebastian in the Champions League, Kylian Mbappe was benched for Sunday’s match against Reims, adding yet another twist to the never-ending drama surrounding the player.
Though PSG has maintained that excellent record despite the recent dip in the league. Their last loss was in that tournament, away at San Siro against AC Milan 22 games ago. This is the first time in three seasons that PSG has advanced past the last 16 on the continent and into the Coupe quarterfinals following consecutive last-16 eliminations.
Faltering Lyon or second-tier cellar boys Valenciennes waiting in the final. PSG would have a great chance to win the Cup back. This season, Nice has previously defeated Ligue 1 rivals 3-2 at the Parc des Princes. Their recent complete surrender continued this past weekend. Following another setback, this time against relegation-threatened Montpellier, Francesco Farioli’s team has only managed two points from six games and now appears unlikely to challenge for Champions League spots.
Team News
Given the significance of this encounter, Mbappe, who was benched the previous weekend, is expected to return to the starting lineup in an attempt to increase his record of six goals in three Coupe de France games this season. For the draw against Reims, Enrique also changed goalkeepers. Giovanni Donnarumma is also a strong candidate to replace Keylor Navas in the starting lineup. However, he did return to the bench against Real Sociedad last Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Presnel Kimpembe, Milan Skriniar, and Marco Asensio are still out but may be back after the international break. Due to injuries, Nice will be without Sofieane Diop and Valentin Rosier in this match. However, Morgan Sanson made a 20-minute cameo off the bench over the weekend after recovering from a minor knee issue. Youssouf Ndayishimiye, a midfield player from Burundi, will also be available for Farioli to welcome back after serving a suspension for the team’s loss to Montpellier HSC.
Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Nice
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