The Coupe de France final between Paris Saint-Germain and AS Saint-Etienne is now a day away.
For AS Saint-Etienne manager Claude Puel and his side, they will look to pull off one of the biggest upsets in Europe this season. They realize their standing as a major underdog heading into this fixture. During a pre-match press conference, Puel (via L’Equipe) touched on how he wants his team to prepare for the arduous task of facing the reigning Ligue 1 champions.
“We are not favorites,” Puel said. “The objective is to have fun, to be at a very good level, to play our all-out, to be actors. What I want is that we let go, we have nothing to lose, on the contrary.”
AS Saint-Etienne made early schedule changes to prepare for this cup final. The side featured in five friendly fixtures as a way to prepare to face PSG and also to get ready for the upcoming Ligue 1 season. However, PSG also played in club friendly fixtures in order to get in match-ready shape for its two domestic cup finals and the resumption of the UEFA Champions League knockout stage.
Puel spoke about the differences in readiness between the two teams heading into this cup final.
“The two teams made a different preparation,” Puel said. “We resumed a little earlier, we did a little land. Paris has surely been lighter, with a lot of changes of pace, speed, we see it in their friendly matches. They calibrated their preparation. They will be operational.”
Puel knows just what it will take in terms of mindset to dethrone PSG.
“Against PSG, it will be necessary to be efficient and courageous, to want to make the efforts together,” Puel said. “They showed all these ingredients during the preparation matches.”
Both teams sure are ready for this crucial domestic cup final encounter.
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