PSG vs. Saint-Etienne: Team News, Predicted Line-Ups, Live Stream and TV Info

Wednesday night sees the beginning of one of Paris Saint-Germain’s most difficult and season-critical periods in recent times as they take on Saint-Etienne for a place in the final of the Coupe de France.

The Parc des Princes will host the first of five games in four different competitions over 14 days that will ultimately define their whole season. Laurent Blanc also has a number of injuries and suspensions to contend with, putting a huge cloud over the rest of their campaign.

Date: Wednesday, April 7

Time: 8 p.m. GMT (9 p.m. CET)/4 p.m. ET

Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris

TV Info: beIN Sport (U.S.), France 2 (France)

Live Stream: beIN Sport Connect

Laurent Cipriani/Associated Press

Although delighted with the three points and the crucial Le Classique win over Marseille on Sunday, there was a bigger downside to the victory. Blanc will now have to do without Brazilian David Luiz for four weeks with an injury to his left thigh. He is also without Italian international Thiago Motta for 10 days with the same injury.

It puts a lot of pressure of the remaining midfielders that PSG can call upon, especially with the centre of the park one of Saint-Etienne’s strongest positions.

Form

Paris Saint-Germain

W Marseille 2-3 PSG - Ligue 1

W PSG 3-1 Lorient - Ligue 1

L Bordeaux 3-2 PSG - Ligue 1

D Chelsea 2-2 PSG - Champions League

W PSG 4-1 Lens - Ligue 1

Saint-Etienne

D AS Monaco 1-1 Saint-Etienne - Ligue 1

W Saint-Etienne 2-0 Lille OSC - Ligue 1

W Saint-Etienne 2-0 FC Lorient - Ligue 1

W US Boulogne 1-1 Saint-Etienne (3-4 on penalties) - Coupe de France

D Toulouse FC 1-1 Saint-Etienne - Ligue 1

Predicted Formations

Paris Saint-German (4-3-3): Nicolas Douchez; Gregory van der Wiel, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Lucas Digne; Marco Verratti, Adrien Rabiot, Blaise Matuidi; Javier Pastore, Edinson Cavani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Saint-Etienne (4-3-3): Stephane Ruffier; Francois Clerc, Kevin Theophile-Catherine, Loic Perrin, Franck Tabanou; Jeremy Clement, Landry N’Guemo, Fabien Lemoine; Max Gradel, Yohan Mollo, Mevlut Erding

Laurent Cipriani/Associated Press

Players to Watch

During Tuesday’s press conference, Saint-Etienne coach Christophe Galtier announced that attacking midfielder Romain Hamouma would be available for Les Verts for Wednesday’s cup match.

He will be a huge part of Galtier’s plans and was missed as they drew 1-1 with Monaco on Friday. The 28-yer-old contributed three assists as Les Stephanois beat Metz 3-2 before the international break but only lasted 45 minutes of the 2-0 win over Lille.

His performances have not been as crucial as they were last season, but with two goals and eight assists, Hamouma is still a crucial member of Saint-Etienne’s attack.

For the home side, with the injuries to Luiz and Motta, there will be an opportunity for Adrien Rabiot to gain more minutes and cement his place in the PSG midfield for the remaining two months.

He has shown in small portions that he is more than capable, and Wednesday is a great chance to further prove himself.

EuroFootball/Getty Images

Key Battle

Since his return from the Africa Cup of Nations, Ivorian Max Gradel has been excellent for Saint-Etienne.

His 10 goals and two assists have been a main reason why Les Verts are up at the business end of the table and look set for a place in the Europa League places.

If the former Leeds United winger can continue his form on Wednesday, he will give the away side a great chance of making the Coupe de France final.

Gradel will be up against either veteran Maxwell or France international Lucas Digne. Either way, it will be an excellent battle. Digne has the pace and strength to deal with Gradel’s excellent pace, but the Brazilian is a savvy veteran with bags of experience of playing at the highest level.

That battle could be key to success or failure for Galtier’s side, and a great performance from Gradel could spark a famous win for Saint-Etienne.

Odds (via Oddschecker)

PSG: 10-21

Draw: 10-3

Saint-Etienne: 15-2