This Sunday at 8:45 p.m. (broadcast on Ligue1+), Paris Saint-Germain will face Nantes at the Stade de la Beaujoire for the opening match of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season. In a press conference, Nantes midfielder Francis Coquelin, 34, shared his thoughts on whether this might be a good time to take on Paris, given the champions’ shortened preparation due to the Club World Cup.
Coquelin: “In five minutes they’re capable of making the difference.”
“It’s never easy to face PSG. We saw it against Tottenham in the UEFA Super Cup (2-2, 4-3 on penalties, Wednesday). They were 2-0 down, we thought it was over, and in five minutes they were capable of turning it around. We saw that their substitutes step up, they’ve created a mentality, a mindset that shows they might be the best team in the world.”
Coquelin: “We’re not going to be victims.”
“So I don’t think there’s ever a good moment to play them. But we’re going to try to fight with our weapons. We’re not going to be victims—we’re going there to play a very good match and try to bring back points,” he told L’Équipe.
Of course, the temptation to think PSG will be easier to play against must be avoided. They may not be at their peak, but the real danger would be to approach the game too lightly. The Parisians remain a formidable collective, and they showed only a few days ago that their entire squad is dangerous.
That said, Coquelin might be slightly overstating things—it’s probably “easier” to face PSG this Sunday than when they’re running at full strength later in the season. But Nantes won’t be at their best either, especially as the team is still under reconstruction. As the midfielder highlighted, there’s no room for complaints or excuses. They will have to give everything to maximize their chances of securing at least one point.
