This Monday at 9:10 PM (CET), Paris Saint-Germain (2nd in Ligue 1) will face Paris FC (15th in Ligue 1) at the Parc des Princes in the Round of 32 of the 2025-2026 Coupe de France. In a press conference, Willem Geubbels, the 24-year-old Paris striker, spoke about the upcoming match, drawing on the experience of last Sunday’s Ligue 1 defeat (Matchday 17).
Geubbels: “We will try to repeat everything that was positive.”
“What lessons did you learn from that match?”
“I think that in transition, we were able to capitalize on what was asked of us. We were facing a PSG side that defended very high up the pitch. We knew that on the counter-attack, it was a bit more dangerous with the squad we had, our attack with good players on the ball who were very fast.”
We knew we’d be more dangerous by getting in behind their defense, and we tried to do that, especially on the penalty, which worked well. And maybe we could have done it even more. But against a team like PSG, we didn’t have the ability at certain times. But what we had to do, we did, and we’ll try to repeat everything that was positive on Monday.
Geubbels: “We also know that PSG isn’t going to maintain the same performance.”
Does this first match give you a little more hope for Monday’s game?
We saw some things to correct. But we also know that PSG isn’t going to maintain the same performance as last week. We’ll try to do what was asked of us this week during the match, and we’ll see what happens.
Monday will be a French Cup match. Is the approach different?
A little, yes. We often talk about the magic of the Cup. You never know what can happen. We’ll do everything we can to get through this round, but so will PSG. So, it’s going to be another great match,” said Geubbels, as reported by Le Parisien.
In the league, PFC put up a good fight against PSG and could well draw inspiration from that. This applies to their attacking style, as Geubbels mentioned, with their focus on exploiting space in behind the defense. But also defensively, given that coach Stéphane Gilli opted for a more defensive approach. It’s not what we prefer to see, but it makes sense against Luis Enrique’s team.
However, even though the two clubs are facing each other in quick succession, there’s no guarantee of a very similar match. Every game has its own story (as Marquinhos often says) and can hinge on various factors. PSG, for example, could have been more clinical last Sunday. There will certainly be different lineups, especially from Luis Enrique, who might opt for some rotation.
Nothing is guaranteed, and PFC will give their all to secure a memorable qualification. They have the advantage of having been able to fully prepare. But PSG won’t use their Champions Trophy match on Thursday as an excuse. They want to win everything, which means playing often. The squad is designed with this in mind, and they’ll have to show it on Monday.
