A Super League air will inevitably hover over the Parc des Princes this Wednesday evening.
Not only because Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, the president of PSG, and Stéphane Moulin, the coach of the SCO, have, for undoubtedly different reasons, clearly displayed their opposition to the project which has shaken the football planet for 48 hours.
But because the story told by the Angevin coach in his words to fight against this almost closed League is also the one that will spice up the opposition between PSG and SCO Angers on Wednesday (6:45 p.m.), in quarter of the Coupe de France final.
If the technician of the SCO rebels that the Super League "cuts the grass under the foot of all the beautiful stories", those of which the public "is so fond" and which allows any team "to be able one day to reach the top ”is also, of course, because he dreams of this kind of adventure for himself and his team in the Parisian den.
A clash between David and Goliath.
A fight, a priori unbalanced, between the 5th richest club on the planet (636 million euros in turnover in 2020) and the 17th budget of Ligue 1 (
Editor's note: 45 million euros
).
An opposition between a mastodon, holder of the greatest number of successes in the Coupe de France (13), and a featherweight having as main feats of arms only two finals disputed 60 years apart (1957 and 2017).
But a magical meeting because, despite everyone's CV, no one can assure that he will be amputated by the emotion caused by suspense and surprise.
A period conducive to ambush
Four days after having whipped to win against Saint-Etienne (3-2), Mauricio Pochettino can guarantee that "positive energy" carries his group and that the Cup is important for him and his players, he cannot ignore that the period is also conducive to ambush. That the absences of Marco Verratti (thigh stroke), Rafinha (low back pain), Keylor Navas (shoulder), Abdou Diallo (calf) and Marquinhos (thigh) reduce his room for maneuver. That a week from the reception of Manchester City, he can not afford to lose other soldiers on the way and shoot too much on the rind of his strong men, like Mbappé and Kimpembe.
For having seen them bow, five times already since his arrival (4 defeats in L1 and 1 in LDC), he knows above all that his men are not always the most flamboyant when they do not feel in danger. “We know that we will not have an easy game against Angers, warned the Argentinian at a press conference. But we have to qualify for the semi-finals. “Otherwise, he would not only have been the first Parisian hitch in the final sprint. It will also have been the first militant match against the curious idea of football that has circulated in recent days.
