Paris Saint-Germain intensifies its preparations for the final of the Champions League against Inter Milan while the Luis Enrique team will face foreigners of Rang Reim in the final of the Saturday Cup on Saturday, an occasion of a centerpiece which is not the priority for the two participants. The European Football Grand Prix of the European Club has been the number one PSG objective since the club’s takeover by Qatar Sports Investments almost 15 years ago. Everything else is secondary in comparison and especially now that they are just 90 minutes from the lifting of the Champions League trophy for the very first time.
However, Luis Enrique knows that maintaining the French Cup and thus finishing a net sweeping of domestic honors can only strengthen confidence before the shock with Inter in Munich’s Allianz Arena on May 31.
“Honestly, I focus on the two games, the final of the French Cup and the Champions League,” said the Spanish coach this week at a press conference at the PSG training base that was organized thinking about this last event.
“The best thing is that there is nothing special to prepare for us. We have gone so far by playing our football and now it is a question of revealing all the strength of that.”
The victory against Reims at the Stade de France would allow PSG to repeat its double triumph of the League and the Cup of last season, during the first campaign of Luis Enrique in charge.
Although they have never won the Champions League, they won the French Cup a record 15 times, including seven times in the last 10 seasons.
“We have to take one thing at a time. Before thinking of the Champions League, our thoughts are on the final of the French Cup, because it is important to win all the trophies,” said Ousmane Dembele, the top scorer of PSG this season with 33 goals in all competitions.
PSG has completed Ligue 1 in season 19 points from the Marseille finalist, a gulf that confirms how ahead of the others in France.
Their French cup race, however, was kind, launching four successive links against the opposition to the lower league since a victory over the penalties at the objective in December.
The fears of relegation of Reims
Now they take a side that clings to their high -flying status by a thread and the own objective of which is also elsewhere.
Reaching the final was enormous for Reims, which won the French Cup twice during their glory days in the 1950s, but had not been so far since 1977, when Saint-Etienne beat them to take the trophy.
However, the opportunity was embittered, even completely ruined, after being fell into the relegation site on the last day of the Ligue 1 season last weekend.
The trip to the national stadium is therefore between the two legs of the draw against the second Metz level, in which they must prevail if they want to stay in the elite next season.
The first leg on Wednesday ended with a 1-1 draw, with Reims coming from behind to get into good position before returning home next Thursday.
Coach Samba Diawara now hopes that his team will simply be able to go out and enjoy the final with the pressure.
“We have to make sure that we recover well and despite everything, try to take advantage of the final. We cannot sacrifice such an opportunity,” he said after Wednesday’s match.
“I want my players to savor it, really take advantage of the final, without compromising our chances for the following. I don’t want anyone who is injured.”
Reims, whose last major honor was the title of league won in 1962, can gain confidence in the fact that they kept PSG for shooting matches of the two championship meetings earlier this season.
Recent winners of the French Cup
2023/24: Paris Saint-Germain
2022/23: Toulouse
2021/22: Nantes
2020/21: Paris Saint-Germain
2019/20: Paris Saint-Germain
2018/19: Rennes
2017/18: Paris Saint-Germain
2016/17: Paris Saint-Germain
2015/16: Paris Saint-Germain
2014/15: Paris Saint-Germain
Most titles in the general classification (the most recent victory in parentheses):
15 – Paris Saint -Germain (2024)
10 – Marseille (1989)
6 – Saint -Etienne (1977), Lille (2011)
(With the exception of the title, this story has not been published by NDTV staff and is published from a unionized flow.)
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