This Sunday at 9pm (broadcast on beIN SPORTS in France), Paris Saint-Germain take on Lens at Stade Bollaert in the round of 32 of the Coupe de France 2024-2025. At a press conference, Lens coach Will Still spoke about the match and his team’s opponents.
Still: “We want to play in Europe, we want to win as many games as possible”.
“Maybe it has something to do with my English side, but like the FA Cup in England, for me the French Cup is something romantic, something important, and inevitably a prize you want to win because, it sounds very stereotypical, but it’s the shortest route to Europe. We want to play in Europe, we want to win as many games as possible, so that’s a goal in itself. The Cup is a beautiful thing, and it makes for some unlikely match scenarios.
Still “It’s a Cup match, it’s at home in Bollaert”.
“We’re aware of the scale of the challenge, but we’re going to try to put Paris to the test as much as possible. If we think it’s unplayable, we might as well not play at all. We want to show that our first half at the Parc (1-0, November 2) wasn’t true to ourselves. And the context is different. It’s a Cup match, it’s at home in Bollaert. We’re going to play it poetically and romantically like a final.”
The advantage of a cup match is that everything remains open and possible for the teams announced as outsiders. Nevertheless, Lens at home remains a very dangerous team, and one with a great deal of experience at the very highest level. Of course, the players will be keen to eliminate PSG on home soil, and will be giving 100% to end the year on a high.
Nevertheless, the club from the capital is on a good run of form. The French Cup remains one of their main objectives, and they will have to defend this title in a match that already promises to be very intense. Luis Enrique’s men have the opportunity to confirm their title credentials and build up even more confidence as they look ahead to 2025.
