Paris Saint-Germain and Saint-Etienne will clash in the finals of the Coupe de France at Stade de France in Paris.
Before the Covid-19 struck, PSG was at the top of the standings in Ligue 1, and when the league decided not to continue the season, PSG was declared a champion, which they would have probably won anyway because they had 12 points to spare in front of Marseille. In the 27 games that were played in the season, PSG has scored 75 goals, while their defense has been outstanding with 24 conceded goals. Before everything was paused, PSG has knocked out Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, and in a few weeks, PSG will face Atalanta in the quarterfinals. The new season started 10 days ago for PSG when they played their first friendly game, and in three games they played since then, PSG has won all three while scoring massive 20 goals and conceding 0 goals. PSG is the best team in France, there is no question about that, and with Mbappe, Cavani, Icardi, Neymar, Di Maria and a few others in their roster, it’s hard to say who is the most dangerous. PSG is offensive firepower that can beat anyone, but they have been known to get carried away and that is when PSG makes mistakes on the defensive end.
Saint-Etienne has played 4 friendly games since July 10th, and they have won the first two while losing the second two games. Saint-Etienne ended the short last season in low 17th place with only 30 points, and if we had a regular season, Saint-Etienne would have been in danger of relegation. Offensively, Saint-Etienne has been a disaster last season with only 29 scored goals, while they conceded 45 goals in 28 games. Saint-Etienne is an average team in France, and with the roster they have, I don’t expect them to get any higher than the middle of the Ligue 1 table, and I think they are aware of that as well. This Coupe de France finals are the chance for Saint-Etienne to win a trophy, but it’s unfortunate for them that they are playing against mighty PSG. I know that those friendly matches are not a true indicator of Saint-Etienne’s form, but they are an indicator, and judging by that, Saint-Etienne is not going to have a good time in this game. The season will start soon, and Saint-Etienne better find their head before that if they don’t want to fall behind early in the season.
PSG is the better team here, and the trends are heavily on their side. Saint-Etienne used to be one of the best teams in France, but those days are long gone. PSG is in a better form, and despite playing against bad teams in those friendly games, scoring 20 goals in 4 games is a fantastic feat. There is nothing else to do here but to side with PSG.