PSG will be aiming to advance to the next round of the 2020/21 Coupe de France when they take on Lille in the Round of 16 this midweek.
Current trophy holders PSG will be aiming to bounce back to winning ways and make it to the last eight stages of the Coupe de France when they face off against Lille at Parc des Princes on Wednesday evening.
PSG come into the game on the back of a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Nantes in Ligue 1. But the focus will now shift to the defence of their Coupe de France trophy. Having entered the competition at the Round of 64 stage, Les Parisiens defeated Caen 1-0, which was followed by a 3-0 win over Stade Brest in the previous round. Manager Mauricio Pochettino will hope that his side are able to continue in the same vein of form in the cup competition.
Lille, meanwhile, defeated Dijon 1-0 in their first game in the competition, before easing past Ajaccio 3-1 in the Round of 32 to set up the tie against the champions. Christophe Galtier’s side were held to a goalless draw by AS Monaco in their latest game in Ligue 1. Having opened up a three-point lead over PSG in the league, Les Dogues will be aiming to knock them out of the cup competition as well on Wednesday.
PSG and Lille have clashed once this season in Ligue 1, with the game ending in a goalless draw. Ahead of their latest meeting this week in Coupe de France, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams.
Team News & Tactics
PSG
Medical update ahead of #PSGLOSC https://t.co/kWOL908CmC
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) March 16, 2021
PSG will be without three first-team players for the cup tie against Lille, with star man Neymar missing out along with Juan Bernat and Pablo Sarabia. Angel Di Maria and Marquinhos could be given a day off after their homes were violently burgled during the match against Nantes at the weekend.
Having opted to rest a few of his regulars for the last game, Mauricio Pochettino is expected to field a strong side as he looks to advance towards winning his second trophy with the club. In goal, there is no looking past the reliable figure of veteran ace Keylor Navas.
Thilo Kehrer should be reinstated at right-back while Laywin Kurzawa should replace Abdou Diallo on the left side, from where he will pose a major threat with his forward forays. With Marquinhos unlikely to be involved, Diallo should instead move to the heart of the defence, where he should pair up with Presnel Kimpembe.
Idrissa Gueye should also make his way back into the lineup starting in the midfield double pivot alongside Leandro Paredes, where the pair will try and disrupt Lille’s gameplay and initiate quick turnovers. Marco Verratti should move into the No. 10 role from where he can feed the attackers with his razor-sharp passes.
Kylian Mbappe ought to move out to the left flank while Julian Draxler slots in on the right, from where he will constantly look to veer infield. Mauro Icardi, who made a substitute appearance in the last game, should be the man spearheading the PSG attack.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Navas; Kehrer, Diallo, Kimpembe, Kurzawa; Gueye, Paredes; Draxler, Verratti, Mbappe; Icardi
Lille
Lille do not have any major injury concerns heading into Wednesday’s game, with Isaac Lihadji the only player missing out. Like PSG, the visitors too will set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
? Our @coupedefrance last 16 battle with #PSG is next ? on Wednesday ? #PSGLOSC pic.twitter.com/fYPkmqzk2d
— LOSC Lille EN (@LOSC_EN) March 15, 2021
Jose Fonte ought to start at the heart of the defence alongside Sven Botman, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League previously. Flanking the centre-back duo on either side should be Zeki Celik and Domagoj Bradaric, who will come in at the expense of Reinildo Mandava at left-back.
Benjamin Andre will provide the experienced head in the middle of the park alongside the youthfulness of Boubakary Soumare, with Renato Sanches making way for the latter. These two will chiefly look to shield the defence for the visiting side while the creative onus falls on the shoulders of Yusuf Yazici in the No. 10 role.
He will be ably supported by the two wingers in Jonathan Bamba and Timothy Weah, although Luiz Araujo can also be an option for manager Christophe Galtier to consider. At the top, youngster Jonathan David could be set to make way for senior pro Burak Yilmaz against the champions.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Celik, Fonte, Botman, Bradaric; Andre, Soumare; Bamba, Yazici, Weah; Yilmaz
Key Stats
- PSG have won three of their last five matches across all competitions (D1 L1).
- Lille are unbeaten in their previous five fixtures in domestic competitions, winning three of those (D2).
- To date, PSG and Lille have met just twice in Coupe de France. The Parisians prevailed in 2006 in the quarterfinals but tasted defeat in the finals in 2011.
- PSG have lost just one of their last 20 matches against Lille across all competitions (W15 D4).
- PSG have managed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last three meetings against Lille in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Kylian Mbappe
The PSG superstar did not have the best of games last time out, which ended up hampering PSG’s chances, leading to them facing a shock defeat. On Wednesday night, Mbappe will need to step up and do so in a big way if his team are to stay alive in the cup competition, while also sending out a warning to Lille in the Ligue 1 title race.
So far this term, Mbappe has produced a fine tally of 26 goals and 9 assists from 34 games in all competitions. And he has a fairly decent record against Lille, having scored twice and set up six more goals in 5 appearances against Les Dogues. He will be out to boost that tally further and lead PSG to the next round of Coupe de France.
Prediction
PSG 1-0 Lille
Lille boast the best defensive record in Ligue 1 this season and will make life hard for PSG on Wednesday night. However, barring their shock defeat against Nantes last time out, Les Parisiens have done largely well under Mauricio Pochettino. Add to it, the quality and depth that they possess in their squad should help the current holders see off the challengers to progress to the next round.
I wishing the winning team the best
Nice game next week good luck jr naymar