This Saturday, the women’s teams of Paris Saint-Germain and Paris FC will face off at the Stade Jean Bouin (broadcast on Canal+Foot) at 9pm CET in the semi-final of the 2025-2026 Première Ligue Arkéma playoff. A match discussed by Parisian coach Paulo César at a press conference.
César: “We have a lot of doubts about them too. Just like they have doubts about us.”
What did you take away from the French Cup semi-final you won against them (2-1, April 4th)?
Our determination to defend well. Fifteen minutes with nine men isn’t easy. I think we need to maintain that same mindset, that determination to defend well. And then, we have the quality to unbalance this team.
It won’t be the same; the game will show us other things. Will they change their system? Will they change the players? We have a lot of doubts about them too. Just like they have doubts about us. We need to maintain the mindset we had in the French Cup semi-final…
César: “To move to the next stage, we need to sit down and talk.”
Would losing on Saturday be a failure?
No, not at all. Anyway, I never work with defeat in mind; I work to win. Then there’s the reality of the match itself, which will unfold. I think the season has been pretty good. Despite dropping nine points, I think we’ve shown something very promising with a young group. That’s very positive. Ultimately, it’s not up to me to judge. The sporting and general management can judge my work.
I’m very happy with what I’ve achieved this season, even with the defeats, even with the Champions League elimination. The overall assessment is positive. To move to the next stage, we need to sit down and discuss the best solutions so the team can further strengthen and be even better for next season.
Of course, no one can declare themselves the likely winner tonight. Even though PSG has the advantage of a better record this season in this derby (3 wins and 1 draw), nothing is ever easy, and PFC is certainly capable of pulling off a major upset tonight. There’s no room for complacency. On the other hand, confidence and determination are essential.
Paulo César and his team have plenty of arguments to gain the upper hand and secure qualification for the final (against Nantes or Lyon; the semi-final is at 6 p.m. this Saturday). That would already be a great achievement. The objective remains to win the title, as in the LFFP Cup and the Coupe de France. Except that Lyon was simply too strong.
This shouldn’t detract from the fact that PSG’s season record doesn’t seem so bad, despite significant difficulties to overcome. For example, the administrative blunder surrounding Florianne Jourde cost them 9 points in the league. The team displayed great character to climb back up. The Champions League run, with elimination in the group stage, remains the biggest disappointment. But it was also a season of renewal.
As has been said several times in recent years regarding PSG Women, managing the summer transfer window will be crucial for progress. They need stability to build on by adding players, whereas they’ve been plagued by waves of departures and arrivals, along with a change of coach. We’ll have to wait and see how things unfold. Paulo César seems ready to continue, with a thorough discussion to ensure the project is heading in the right direction.
