PSG rival Entente Feignies Aulnoye represents the romantic heart of the Coupe de France

Entente Feignies Aulnoye FC from Championnat National 3 (5th place France) will face defending Coupe de France champions Paris Saint-Germain in round 64 this Sunday at Valenciennes FC’s Stade du Hainaut with magic in the air. . Friday’s ugliness when Paris FC vs. Olympique Lyonnais abandoned after 45 minutes due to another example of the crowd problems that French football is having this season. However, that doesn’t take away from what is arguably the most exciting domestic league in Europe.

PSG head coach Mauricio Pochettino said: “The chance to play against a team from another league is fantastic. “We’ll show our respect by knowing how they play and analyzing their game against what promises to be an interesting game.

“This is a special competition and all the clubs are excited to participate. Going up against Feignies Aulnoye gives you the opportunity to share a special moment. As a foreigner, the Coupe de France is important because of it. are passionate and emotional.These are rewarding contests to play in.

“There is always a risk of underestimating your opponents, so we must show full respect to Feignies Aulnoye. France creates many surprises, like in Spain and England, for the sake of magic. of the opponent can complicate the game.”

The upside-down history of the Coupe de France

Many would point to PSG’s six trophies from the last seven which could be confirmation of the capital club’s dominance here, but it should be noted that there are still five different winners since last year. 2011 with Lille OSC, Lyon, Girondins de Bordeaux, EA Guingamp and Stade Rennais all winning.

PSG’s Qatari owners arrived at the Parc des Princes in 2011, but it wasn’t until 2015 that Les Parisiens reached the Coupe de France final and won the title for the first time under their current leadership.

That year, the finalists were defeated was the once mighty AJ Auxerre of Ligue 2, but the real magic of this competition is shown in the fact that over the past decade, the two clubs Championnat National (third place) made it to the big event at the Stade de France at US Quevilly and Les Herbiers Vendee Football.

Guingamp, one of five different championship teams since 2011, won just two years ago in 2009 when they beat Breton’s rivals Rennes while still a Ligue 2 side – a feat that falls short of 4th place then and now without Calais RUFC reached the final in 2000 only to lose to FC Nantes with a score of 2-1.

A sea of ​​hope of French minnows

These days the whole Coupe de France is a thing of immense beauty with an incredible 8,506 participants across the country and overseas territories, reduced to 64 coming this weekend, where PSG entered the game with names like Mayotte and Reunion still represented.

The magic isn’t limited to the little-known like Feignies Aulnoye getting their moment in the sun in front of the giants as the five-time historic winner Red Star will host AS Monaco on the pitch. their mythical Stade Bauer house.

Lower than even Feignies Aulnoye is seventh-placed JS Chemin Bas d’Avignon, who will host Ligue 1 Clermont Foot 63 while sixth-place L’Ecole de Sport Reims Sainte-Anne Carnot Chatillons will face the giants. head neighbor Stade de Reims at a mismatched derby.

ES Cannet Rocheville were unlucky to see their bid to host the 10-time Olympique de Marseille in Cannes denied, which means they will likely face destruction at the Stade Velodrome without There is no comfort in being able to call it a draw at home.

There’s some consolation in the fact that the unspoken rule from clubs that are smaller in size than their rivals is that they often allow cultists to keep ticket sales which can often take over the entire budget. every year by a number of clubs further in the domestic chain .

Despite the rotation, PSG will still launch some stars

Although Lionel Messi and other superstars are likely to be rotated by PSG this weekend in Valenciennes, Les Parisiens could still field the likes of Sergio Ramos and a number of talented young players during the ban. by Kylian Mbappe in the middle of next week will make him make his final appearance in 2021.

Krzysztof Ziecik, who coached Feignies Aulnoye with Jean Antunes, said: “The danger is stopping and drooling in front of the likes of Messi and Mbappe. “We can’t stop our players from daydreaming and thinking about shirts they can swap – it’s simply being human.

“However, we depend on making sure they understand that there is still a game to play and there will be television cameras. We must not make ourselves look ridiculous and for that we have to be respectful. respect your game plan.”

For clubs like Feignies Aulnoye, these opportunities don’t present themselves too often and even if their dreams may not last too long while the game is on, it’s the building of clashes. This often becomes the stuff of local legend and sometimes, sometimes, even more so.