At the end of a breathless Ligue 1 season, the race for European places now hinges on the outcome of the Coupe de France final between PSG (already qualified for the Champions League) and Reims. Lyon (6th) and Strasbourg (7th) could see their European destiny turned upside down in the event of a Parisian victory, while Lyon striker Georges Mikautadze (22) has made no secret of his preference for a success for his compatriot Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (winger, 24, PSG), his team-mate in the Georgian national team, as relayed by L’Equipe.
“I’ll tell ‘Kvara’ to do the job,” chuckled the striker.”
This is a special case. Every year, by winning the French Cup, PSG offers (when it is also French Champion) an additional place in the European Cup to a Ligue 1 resident. This year, OL will be able to reach the Champions League’s little sister, which is no mean feat.
Mikautadze is friends with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and of course you have to understand what’s at stake in qualifying for the Europa League for a club like OL, whose future is in limbo, not least because of its troubled finances.
Now, from a sporting point of view, it’s better to be in the Europa League than the Conference League. We now await the final salvo of this championship, which will take place at the Stade de France between Reims and PSG.
