Paris Saint-Germain vs. Lille: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Saturday’s Coupe de la Ligue final may feel like a home game for Paris Saint-Germain, but that doesn’t mean they will have it all their own way against Lille OSC.
The Parisians will be attempting to hold on to the trophy they won against SC Bastia last season, but in Les Dogues, they face one of the most in-form sides in France at the moment.
Since Frederic Antonetti replaced Herve Renard as coach of Lille back in November, only Laurent Blanc’s side have picked up more points than the northern club.
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During his 20 games in charge, the former Nice coach has led his team to 11 wins and just four defeats, and he has taken them all the way to Saturday’s final.
PSG are not in the best form, but they are still managing to pick up the results. Defeat in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals was a huge disappointment for the club, putting more pressure on their domestic results. The performance—discussed previously in this column—against Lorient in the Coupe de France semi-final was far from satisfactory, but they got the result and will take on Marseille in the final.
With the league championship already secured, Saturday’s cup could be the third part of a domestic quadruple, matching last season’s success, but Lille will not take it lying down. One thing you always get from an Antonetti team is fight and desire.
Date: Saturday, April 23, 2016
Time: 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m ET)
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
TV Info: BT Sport (UK), beIN Sport (U.S.)
Live Stream: beIN Sport Connect (U.S.)
Last Five Results
| Paris Saint-Germain | Lille OSC |
| W Lorient 0-1 PSG (Coupe de France) | W Gazelec 2-4 Lille (Ligue 1) |
| W PSG 6-0 Caen (Ligue 1) | W Lille 4-1 Monaco (Ligue 1) |
| L Man City 1-0 PSG (Champions League) | W Nantes 0-3 Lille (Ligue 1) |
| W Guingamp 0-2 PSG (Ligue 1) | W Lille 1-0 Toulouse (Ligue 1) |
| D PSG 2-2 Man City (Champions League) | W Bastia 1-2 Lille (Ligue 1) |
Team News
Marco Verratti and Thiago Motta are the biggest doubts in Blanc's squad this weekend. Both Italy internationals will likely miss out on the starting XI.
Javier Pastore is rumoured to be a surprise starter, playing beside Blaise Matuidi and Adrien Rabiot in the midfield three.
Blanc has to decide whether to start with Edinson Cavani or Lucas Moura upfront.
PSG (4-3-3): Kevin Trapp; Serge Aurier, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Maxwell; Javier Pastore, Adrien Rabiot, Blaise Matuidi; Angel Di Maria, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani
Marko Basa could make his return to the Lille defence for Saturday's final, but Friday's edition of L'Equipe suggests Renato Civelli will miss out. The Montenegrin defender will play beside Adama Soumaoro with Sebastien Corchia and Djibril Sidibe on the flanks.
Antonetti will have to decide on whether to play club-captain Rio Mavuba or Florent Balmont beside Mounir Obbadi and Ibrahim Amadou in Lille's midfield trio.
Up front, Portuguese striker Eder will be joined by Morgan Amalfitano and Sofiane Boufal on the wings.
Lille (4-3-3): Vincent Enyeama; Sebastien Corchia, Adama Soumaoro, Marko Basa, Djibril Sidibe; Ibrahim Amadou, Rio Mavuba, Mounir Obbadi; Morgan Amalfitano, Eder, Sofiane Boufal
Player to Watch
When a team wins six games in a row, you usually don’t have to look closely to see which players have made the biggest impact. Since making his debut on February 2, Portuguese striker Eder has scored five goals in the league, plus he has added three assists.
His best performance so far came in the 3-0 away win over Nantes. A lovely control and finish saw him score a superb opening goal—he scored his second late on, but he also played a hand in putting his team 2-0 up.
On loan from Swansea City, the former Sporting Braga man has added a focal point to the Lille attack. His ability to hold the ball up has helped bring others into play, and his intelligent movement and physical strength has given a new dimension to Antonetti’s front line.
His time at Swansea didn’t go well, he recently told France Football (in French) that he would not be against staying at Lille permanently. If he can score and help LOSC win their first Coupe de la Ligue trophy, the fans might not let him leave.
Key Battle
There are so many great battles all over the pitch, and a lot will depend on the 11 players who take the pitch on Saturday night. Lille have some issues at the back, and that’s not ideal when taking on a determined Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
However, in the midfield, Lille have a chance to take advantage of PSG’s slight weakness. With Marco Verratti still far from full fitness and Thiago Motta feeling the effects of a long, hard-working career, the current midfield has looked off the pace.
Rabiot, Matuidi and Benjamin Stambouli lacked creativity and rhythm on Tuesday night, and against the in-form Obbadi, Mavuba and Amadou, the league champions could lose that battle in the middle of the park.
Amadou, signed in the summer from AS Nancy, has been a revelation under Antonetti. He has the power and size to battle with the biggest players. He is also very mobile and active across the pitch, reading the play well and getting himself in the way of dangerous attacks.
He has also shown he can get forward and pick a pass, as well as adding the odd goal. If Amadou can rise to the occasion and push this Lille team forward, they may just have a chance of causing an upset in Paris.
Odds (via Oddschecker)
PSG: 4-11
Draw: 47-10
Lille: 10-1
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