Paris Saint-Germain vs Rennes

Paris Saint-Germain’s pursuit of a 15th Coupe de France title continues with a mouth-watering semi-final tie against Rennes at the Parc des Princes.

Paris Saint-Germain’s first appearance in the Coupe de France semi-finals since 2020/21 comes off the back of a spirited 2-0 league win at Marseille despite falling a man down in the first half. Runaway Ligue 1 leaders head into proceedings amidst a 25-game unbeaten run across all competitions (W18, D7), including a 3-1 win against Nice in the previous Coupe de France round. Moreover, Luis Enrique’s men have racked up three consecutive victories via multi-goal margins in the build-up to this clash, setting their bid to reach a record-breaking 20th appearance in the grand Coupe de France final. But Les Parisiens must be aware of their recent home struggles against Rennes, having failed to win their last two H2Hs in Paris (D1, L1).

Meanwhile, Rennes’ underwhelming 2-0 league defeat at Strasbourg over the weekend plunged them into a crisis, as they’ve now won just one of their last four competitive outings (D1, L2). That paints a bleak picture for Rennes’ hopes of lifting their third Coupe de France title, even though they’ve steamrolled into their first semi-finals since the triumphant 2018/19 campaign. Indeed, four of their previous five ties have come against lower-league opponents, including a clear-cut 3-1 win against fourth-tier Le Puy Foot 43 Auvergne in the quarter-finals. Worryingly for head coach Julien Stephan, Rennes’ last away win against top-flight opposition in the Coupe de France was in January 2020.