Why Mandanda vs. Ibrahimovic Will Be Key Marseille vs. PSG Battle

Moments make finals, and on Saturday, two of the season’s outstanding players will do battle as Paris Saint-Germain take on Olympique de Marseille for the last trophy of the French season.

PSG’s rivals from the south will travel to the Stade de France to try to prevent the side from the capital winning the Coupe de France, putting a stop to their second straight quadruple.

The man that will be the most important factor in Marseille having any chance of winning at the weekend is goalkeeper Steve Mandanda. His battle against the league’s top scorer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, will ultimately determine the destination of the trophy on Saturday night.

Both players are expected to feature in their last game for their respective clubs, and both have built an amazing legacy over their time in French football.

Just like Ibrahimovic, Mandanda is a free agent at the end of June and will decide his future after Saturday’s showpiece, per Tuttosport (h/t the Daily Express' Charlie Phillippe). The cup final will see the France international complete his ninth season at the Stade Velodrome, and this has been perhaps his most crucial.

As Marseille struggled for results, the performances from Mandanda kept them above water. His one-man rescue job did not go unnoticed, and the 31-year-old was named as Ligue 1’s Goalkeeper of the Year this month—the fourth time he has picked up the award.

Despite Mandanda conceding more goals than Vincent Enyeama of Lille OSC, without the Frenchman between the posts, Marseille’s season could have been much, much worse—a nightmare not worth thinking about for their fans.

With the former AS Monaco goalkeeper leading his team out on Saturday, Marseille have a chance of success. However, the other factor in who lifts the trophy is the man that Mandanda has to stop.

Before the last league game against Nantes, Ibrahimovic told the world that it would be his final match at the Parc des Princes, confirming he will leave PSG at the end of the season. That means Saturday’s final will be the Swede’s last outing for the Parisian club.

Last Saturday’s game was halted on the 10th minute so PSG fans could pay tribute to their iconic talisman. This weekend, he will hope to finalise the perfect send-off, finishing his time at the club with another trophy and perhaps more goals.

His double against Les Canaris took his tally for the season to 38 league goals, and his Ligue 1 career ended with 113 goals in 122 games. In the Coupe de France, the 34-year-old has scored 14 goals in just 12 appearances. That is an incredible return, and he will be hoping to add to that in his final game for the club.

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In the two league games between PSG and Marseille this term, Ibrahimovic has scored three times past Mandanda. In fact, the Swede has enjoyed a good run against the shot-stopper. Since arriving in France, the former Barcelona striker has made eight appearances against the Frenchman and has scored seven times.

To make things worse for Marseille, Mandanda hasn’t kept a clean sheet against the champions over the past four seasons. If the Stade Velodrome side want to claim that Coupe de France trophy and qualify for the UEFA Europa League, they need Mandanda to have the game of his life.

Ibrahimovic is in form and in the mood to say goodbye with a bang, but in Mandanda, Marseille have a goalkeeper able to stop him. He hasn’t managed that yet, but cup finals are won by moments.

Marseille need to hope this is their moment.