in failure for two years, PSG aims for a new final at the expense of Rennes

Deprived of a final since 2021, the record holder for victories intends to revive his tradition, in the semi-finals against Stade Rennes on Wednesday.

With a 12-point lead with seven games remaining, the title of French champion extends its arms to Paris Saint-Germain. If there is any suspense left on the national scene, it is in the Coupe de France. Confidence boosted by its victory in Marseille (2-0), on Sunday, the capital club faces Rennes in the semi-finals, Wednesday April 3, at the Parc des Princes (9:10 p.m.). “One more step and we will be in the final! It’s a very powerful stimulant.”declared Parisian coach Luis Enrique at a press conference on Tuesday.

The oldest competition has a special place in the history of the Parisian club, of which she makes up a good part of the record: 14 victories, a record, is more than the Champions Trophy (12) and the championship (11 ). However, these last two seasons, the adventure ended in the round of 16: in Marseille last year (2-1), as in 2022 against OGC Nice (0-0, 5-6 on penalties). to goal). “In the championship, we can make up for it, not in the Cup. Even if we were better, we were unable to do what was necessary to win”reacted the coach at the time, Mauricio Pochettino.

The bad memory of Rennes

Two very unusual failures under the Qatari era: between 2015 and 2021, the club reached the final of the Coupe de France seven times in a row, for six successes and only one failure, in 2019, against Stade Rennais (2- 2, 5-6 on penalties). On the Breton bench, Julien Stéphan was having his first experience as a head coach. Recalled in November 2023, he dreams of a second final, this time in Lille, Saturday May 25.

“The Coupe de France is one of our goals this season. We We must take the competition with total firmness given the importance of this trophy.”, declared Luis Enrique on January 6, the day before the start of the competition against Revel (Regional 1). A big 9-0 victory which made Kylian Mbappé the top Parisian scorer in the history of the competition, with 34 goals now, six more than François M’Pelé.

Although his team remains in contention in all competitions, the Spanish technician has proven through his team compositions that the Cup was indeed a priority: during the four matches played, he only started a player with status once. as a reserve, against Revel, midfielder Cher Ndour (18 years old), loaned shortly after to Braga.

Grand Slam goal

With the Coupe de la Ligue having disappeared in 2020, after a ninth and final victory, PSG can win all of the national competitions for the first time in four years. He has already won the Champions Trophy on January 6, against Toulouse (2-0).

Since the takeover of PSG by Qatar Sport Investment in 2011, four coaches have achieved the Grand Slam: Laurent Blanc (2015, 2016), Unai Emery (2018) and Thomas Tuchel (2020). Luis Enrique can become the fifth, but the first in his first season on the bench. His three predecessors had each lost a title during their first year – the Coupe de France for the Cévenol and the German, the championship for the Basque.

Choosing your goals is not Luis Enrique’s style. Coach at FC Barcelona, ​​he won the Copa del Rey three times in a row, between 2015 and 2017. The first season, however, his team was in high demand since it went to the end of five competitions (Spanish championship, Champions League, European Super Cup and Club World Cup).