Saint-Denis (AFP)
PSG captain Thiago Silva was preferred to French world champion Presnel Kimpembe to start the Coupe de France final against Saint-Etienne on Friday (9:10 p.m.), which marks the return of competitive football in France.
Thiago Silva, who lives at 35 - unless the situation turns around - his last Coupe de France final, will start in defense with Marquinhos, Thilo Kehrer and young Mitchel Bakker.
The other surprise in the team aligned by the Parisian coach Thomas Tuchel is the tenure of Leandro Paredes in the midfield, in place of Marco Verratti.
In attack, the "Fantastic Four" Neymar, Di Maria, Mbappé and Icardi are all aligned.
On the side of Saint-Etienne, captain Loïc Perrin will play the last game of his career as a holder.
The experienced central defender (34) has extended his contract by one month, which expired on June 30. He did not want to stop on a 17th place and an end of the championship truncated by the coronavirus pandemic.
After the anticipated end of Ligue 1 in the spring, Parisians and Stéphanois are preparing to play the first official meeting in France since March 10, in front of the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, and 5,000 spectators, the gauge authorized in the stadium by health protocol.
The teams:
Paris SG: Navas - Kehrer, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Bakker - Di Maria, Gueye, Paredes, Neymar - Icardi, Mbappé
Coach: Thomas Tuchel
AS Saint-Etienne: Moulin - Debuchy, Maçon, Fofana, Perrin, Kolodziejczak - Camara, M'Vila - Hamouma, Boudebouz, Bouanga
Trainer: Claude Puel
Referee: Amaury Delerue
© 2020 AFP