Neymar tries a through ball, but Kylian Mbappé is caught offside. 37' Foul by Birama Touré (Auxerre). 36' Attempt blocked. Mathias Autret (Auxerre) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Lassine Sinayoko. 35' Offside, Paris Saint Germain. Neymar tries a through ball, but Lionel Messi is caught offside. 34' Lionel Messi (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Mathias Autret (Auxerre). Corner, Auxerre. Conceded by Marco Verratti. 32' Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Paul Joly.
Based wide on the left in the 4-2-3-1 starting XI unveiled by Vannuchi on Thursday, one of Serge Aurier, Gregory van der Wiel or Marquinhos will have his hands full trying to keep Baby quiet. Michel Euler/Associated PressAs for PSG, few players in the team are in as good form as Edinson Cavani right now. Javier Pastore’s absence through suspension is a big blow, but even without him, there will be plenty of players capable of supplying El Matador with the opportunities he needs to continue his rich run of scoring form. The Uruguayan has 12 goals in his last eight domestic games and could add to his extremely strong finish to the campaign with more goals in Saturday’s finalCavani was in poor form for large parts of the season, but he has come good at the right time and can end his domestic campaign with more silverware before heading off on Copa America duty.
Strike partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic should be back alongside him, but Cavani will be a bigger danger to Auxerre at this moment in time. LIONEL CIRONNEAU/Associated PressKey BattleOne of Auxerre’s few experienced players, captain Sebastien Puygrenier will have his hands full in the centre of defence against Ibrahimovic at Stade de FranceMichel Euler/Associated PressThe Frenchman, a wily and uncompromising veteran, will be crucial for Vannuchi’s men on Saturday. Not only will he be expected to get physical with the Swede, but he will also be important in keeping some of the younger, more inexperienced members of this Auxerre side in check and stopping them from being overawed by the occasion. Ibrahimovic, returning from the calf problem that kept him out of PSG’s final two games of the Ligue 1 season, will be keen to make up for lost time as he chases Pauleta’s all-time scoring record of 109.
m. BST (9 p. CEST) / 3 p. EDTVenue: Stade de France, ParisTV Info: France 2 (France) and beIN Sports (USA) at 2:55 p. ETLive Stream: beIN Sports CONNECT (USA)Kamil Zihnioglu/Associated PressPreamblePSG ended the Ligue 1 season in spectacular fashion, scoring 31 goals in their last nine league matches. Les Parisiens’ nine-game winning run set a new club record in Le Championnat. The French champions are coming into this clash against fallen giants Auxerre with plenty of momentum, while AJA’s Ligue 2 campaign came to a halt some time ago.
Auxerre vs. PSG: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV InfoPascal Le Segretain/Getty ImagesLigue 2 side AJ Auxerre and Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain meet at Stade de France on Saturday evening in the 98th Coupe de France final, French football’s most prestigious domestic cup competition.
18' Foul by Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain). 17' Corner, Auxerre. Conceded by Gianluigi Donnarumma. Attempt saved. M'Baye Niang (Auxerre) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Hamza Sakhi with a through ball. 14' Corner, Auxerre. Conceded by Nordi Mukiele. Foul by Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint Germain). Hamza Sakhi (Auxerre) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Blanc’s men are chasing an unprecedented domestic treble, and victory at Stade de France on Saturday would end what has been a mixed season in glittering fashion. PSG were familiar with Auxerre up until their relegation from the top flight at the end of the 2011-12 campaign, but the Burgundy-based outfit are now more of an unknown quantity to the men from the capital. REMY DE LA MAUVINIERE/Associated PressBoth sides have considerable history in this competition.
2-2 vs. US Creteil-Lusitanos (Ligue 2)D. 1-1 vs. Chamois Niortais (Ligue 2)D. 0-0 vs. GFC Ajaccio (Ligue 2)D. Stade Lavallois (Ligue 2)PSGW. 3-2 vs. Stade de Reims (Ligue 1)W. 1-2 vs. Montpellier (Ligue 1)W. 6-0 vs. EA Guingamp (Ligue 1)W. 0-2 vs. Nantes (Ligue 1)W. 3-1 vs. FC Metz (Ligue 1)Kamil Zihnioglu/Associated PressPredicted FormationsFFW @FrenchFtWeeklyPredicted lineups from @lequipe #AJAPSG #CoupedeFrance http://t. co/YBjgt9yuBFPlayer to Watch Per SideTraditionally, Auxerre have been famed for their ability to identify and nurture young talent. The once-famous club has fallen on hard times, though, and the golden days under emblematic coach Guy Roux are now further away than ever before.
PSG vs Auxerre: Live stream, TV channel, kick-off - Goal.com
On paper, this should be a routine win for Laurent Blanc’s men. However, PSG are under pressure to pick up the trophy to become the first team in French football history to complete a domestic treble. Victory would also seal their ninth Coupe de France, which would move them to within one of record holders Olympique de Marseille on 10. Jean-Luc Vannuchi’s Auxerre are not in the best form, having failed to win any of their last seven Ligue 2 games. If they pull off an improbable shock win in the capital on Saturday, though, it would be their fifth Coupe de France and first since 2005. REMY DE LA MAUVINIERE/Associated PressDate: Saturday, May 30Time: 8 p.
David Rogers/Getty ImagesThese days, although there have still been a large number of players coming through the celebrated youth academy in Appoigny, there is less top homegrown talent in the actual squad. The best recent prospects, such as Stade Rennais' Paul-Georges Ntep, Arsenal's Yaya Sanogo, SC Braga's Willy Boly, FC Utrecht's Sebastien Haller and Manchester city's Thierry Ambrose, have been swiftly moved on for little or nothing, leaving AJA to operate on a shoestring budget. A bargain pick up for Auxerre last summer was midfielder Amara Baby. The 26-year-old has scored six goals in Ligue 2 alone this season and will be one of the main threats to PSG on Saturday.
How to Watch Paris Saint-Germain vs. AJ Auxerre: Live Stream, TV Channel, Start TimeThe No. 1 team in Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain, hosts 15th-ranked AJ Auxerre at Parc des Princes in Paris on Sunday at 7:00 AM ET. PSG picked up the victory in its last outing 2-1 over FC Lorient away from home on November 6. FC Lorient was outshot in the matchup, six to 16. PSG got its only goals from Neymar and Danilo Pereira in that game versus FC Lorient. In its most recent outing on November 4, AJ Auxerre drew with Troyes 1-1 on the road, while recording six fewer shots than Troyes. Gaetan Perrin scored his team’s only goal in the match.
PSG are eight-time winners; Auxerre are four-time champions after a rich spell of success between 1994 and 2005. PSG had to see off Montpellier HSC, Girondins de Bordeaux, FC Nantes, AS Monaco and AS Saint-Etienne to reach their 13th Coupe de France final. AJA ousted SC Dinsheim, Sarreguemines FC, RC Strasbourg Alsace, Jura Sud Foot, Vendee Poire-sur-Vie Football, Stade Brestois and EA Guingamp to reach their sixth.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Auxerre: Picks, predictions, how to
The odds are stacked firmly against Auxerre, but the Coupe de France is everything the English FA Cup claims to be. The "magic of the cup" is genuinely alive in France, and each year this competition witnesses multiple big shocks. This fixture could produce one of them. Can Auxerre do the unthinkable and deny PSG a historic French domestic treble? Michel Euler/Associated PressForm Lines AuxerreL. 2-1 vs. Havre AC (Ligue 2)D.
31' Foul by Neymar (Paris Saint Germain). Rayan Raveloson (Auxerre) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 29' Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Paul Joly (Auxerre). 27' Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Julian Jeanvier. 23' Attempt blocked. Lionel Messi (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Neymar with a headed pass. 21' Attempt saved. Lassine Sinayoko (Auxerre) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Hamza Sakhi.
%competition_name% (Sky Sports)45'+3' First Half ends, Paris Saint Germain 1, Auxerre 0. 45'+1' Attempt missed. Hamza Sakhi (Auxerre) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Mathias Autret. 44' Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Gideon Mensah. 43' Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Gideon Mensah (Auxerre). 39' Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Hamza Sakhi (Auxerre). 38' Offside, Paris Saint Germain.
Auxerre vs. PSG: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream