Ahead of their Coupe de France semi-final against USL Dunkerque at 21:10 CET tomorrow evening at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, let’s take a closer look at the next step for Les Parisiens in French football’s oldest competition. Whether it’s through the two teams’ journeys to get here, their current form or their players to watch, here’s an overview of the match that awaits Les Parisiens against the impressive Bleu et Blanc.
A look back on the journey so far
USLD came close to elimination in their very first game of this season's Coupe de France, as they scraped past sixth-tier outfit Stade Béthunois in the seventh round with a 7-6 penalty shootout win after a 0-0 draw, before recovering with a 2-0 victory over fourth-tier side FCM Aubervilliers in the following round. The northerners then caused an upset by beating Ligue 1 club AJ Auxerre 1-0 in the last 64, before running out 3-1 winners against another fourth-tier team, FCSR Haguenau, to set up a derby tie against Lille at none other than the Stade Pierre Mauroy, where, after making it 1-1 in the dying seconds, Les Bleu et Blanc emerged from a thrilling penalty shootout as 5-4 victors. Then, as they trailed by two goals at the 60-minute mark in their quarter-final against another Ligue 1 side, Brest, it seemed like their incredible run would end in Brittany, but in the space of just 20 minutes, USLD turned the game around to earn themselves a memorable 3-2 win and a place in their first Coupe de France semi-final in 96 years.
Like all Ligue 1 clubs, Paris Saint-Germain began their Coupe de France campaign at the last-64 stage. In their first match, Les Rouge et Bleu had to fight hard for a 1-1 draw with RC Lens before securing their passage into the last 32 with a 4-3 win on penalties. The draw would then provide them with a trip to a more manageable opponent in the form of fifth-tier side FC Espaly, who resisted Les Parisiens admirably but were unable to prevent them from recording a 4-2 victory that saw the visitors move into the last 16, where they would notch up a solid 2-0 win over Le Mans FC, followed by a 7-0 thrashing of fourth-tier team Stade Briochin in the quarter-finals.
THE TWO TEAMS' Form in numbers
The opposition’S strengths
Luís Castro tends to set his side up in a 4-3-3 formation. In goal, Adrián Ortolá has been the regular starter in the league, but the Spanish goalkeeper is expected to make way for French U-21 international Ewen Jaouen in the Coupe de France after his heroic performance in his team’s quarter-final win over LOSC. In front of him, captain Opa Sangante will undoubtedly be involved and will likely be joined by Vincent Sasso, who came through the youth ranks at Paris Saint-Germain and has been preferred to another former PSG youth player, 20-year-old Nehemiah Fernandez.
On the right side of the defence, it’s another former Parisian, Alec Georgen, who is expected to start. Essential to his team since the beginning of the season, the French full-back has been a regular starter, just like his counterpart on the opposite wing, Abner Felipe, who is currently enjoying free rein in his position given that his competitor, Núrio Fortuna, on loan from KAA Gent, is out injured.
In midfield, 21-year-old Lille loanee Ugo Raghouber could be preferred to Diogo Queirós in the CDM role, where he would probably be supported by Enzo Bardeli and Naatan Skyttä. Together, these two central midfielders have contributed 15 goals and nine assists since the beginning of the season and have been essential to the northerners' tactical setup. Alexi Pitu and Anto Sekongo are the ones paying the price in this respect, as both have been relegated to the substitutes' bench, although they could still come on and make a mid-game appearance against Les Rouge et Bleu.
In attack, winter signing Muhanad Al-Saad seems to be the preferred option to start on the right wing, but Kay Tejan’s versatility (as well as his three goals and five assists in all competitions this season) could shuffle the cards depending on the tactical approach adopted by the Portuguese coach. Used to playing as a centre-forward, Tejan faces competition from the experienced Gaëtan Courtet, who, with six goals and six assists to his name in 2024–2025, has so far been favoured in this position.
Although Courtet seems to have the upper hand in the bid for a starting spot, the former Guingamp man will still need to be wary of Yacine Bammou, whose seven goals and three assists during the current campaign mean that he could have a role to play against Luis Enrique’s men. Finally, on the left flank, competition is fierce between two promising players: Gessime Yassine (two goals and two assists in 2024–2025) and Maxence Rivera (three goals and two assists during the same period). It’s hard to say which of these two young players will start on Tuesday night, highlighting the attacking strength available to the Dunkerque coaching staff.
