Coupe de France 2018/19 Tactical Preview: Stade Rennais vs Paris Saint-Germain

On Saturday, Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to complete their second straight domestic double against Stade Rennais. After the disappointment in Europe,  winning the league and the Coupe de France are viewed as the bare minimum for Thomas Tuchel. PSG finally claimed the league title the previous weekend with a 3-1 victory over AS Monaco, but this is only after failing in their last two attempts with an embarrassing 5-1 defeat to Lille and then a 3-2 loss to FC Nantes.

Stade Rennais under Julien Stéphan has had an up-and-down season but is limping into this match. In their previous four matches, all in the league, they have only claimed two draws and two losses. The last piece of silverware that the Brittany side’s claimed was the Coupe de France in 1971. But this final represents a chance to win a trophy, secure a spot in the UEFA Europa League next season, and compound the misery that the Parisiens have suffered this season.

Current Form

PSG qualified for the Coupe de France final after an easy 3-0 victory over Nantes in the semi-finals. On their way to the finals, Thomas Tuchel’s side has scored 15 goals, while conceding none. The strength of their cup run has transferred to their league form, but they have stuttered as of late. After their victory over Nantes in the semi-finals, they went three matches without a victory in Ligue 1.

However, this run of poor form corresponds with a lengthy injury list for Les Parisiens. Over the past month, PSG have missed Neymar, Angel Di Maria, Edinson Cavani, Thomas Meunier, Thiago Silva, Kylian Mbappé and Marquinhos. The result has been several fringe and youth players getting playing time as PSG was already 20 points ahead in Ligue 1 with a goal differential almost 50 goals better than the side in second place.

Their most recent match was a 3-1 victory at home against AS Monaco. They claimed the Ligue 1 title a few hours before kick-off when Lille was held to a draw away to Toulouse, but they desired a victory to turn around their run of poor form. PSG looked better in their final match before the Coupe de France final as they welcomed players back from injury and they were able to defeat the 2016/17 Ligue 1 champions easily.

Stade Rennais has been winless in their last four matches, conceding nine goals while scoring six. Their last victory came on 2 April, when they surprised Olympique Lyonnaise 3-2 in the Coupe de France semi-final. This victory away to Lyon booked their ticket to the cup final. Sitting 13 points above the relegation zone, with only five matches remaining, this allows them to concentrate their attention on bringing the Coupe de France back to Brittany.

How will Rennais line up?

Ludovic Baal, Romain Danze, Rafik Guitane and Jordan Siebatcheu are all injured for Stade Rennais and will miss the final, but their front six are all healthy. This means we are likely to see an attacking line-up for Julien Stéphan’s side.