Coach of Red Star, Habib Beye was asked about Orléans’ chances of creating a surprise against PSG in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, next Saturday (8:45 p.m.). If the former OM player logically places the capital club in the shoes of the favorite, he on the other hand insisted on the trap that such a meeting could represent. “If PSG are at their level, the Orléanais will have a lot of fun but the reality is that they will have no chance. If PSG plays at its level, a National club cannot beat PSG today. On the other hand, if PSG is a little sufficient in the approach and especially if Orléans is capable of doing what they did to us this evening (Friday). I’m not making a comparison but I’m just saying that they came to us with a playing ambition that few teams have had. They looked for us one on one very high up the pitch, knowing the quality we have to get the ball out. They took a big risk and gave us problems like few teams have given us in this aspect. I start from the principle that if PSG is less good and they manage to put this in place, it will be a very good Coupe de France match.
And to add: “I think that Karim (Mokeddem, the Orléans coach) is going to play PSG with a lot of ambitions. He will want his players to have fun but he also knows clearly that the gap is abysmal between these two teams, even if only on paper. Now in a Coupe de France match, an L1 team sometimes takes 10-15 minutes to get into their match. And on a less good pitch than that of the Parc des Princes, a less strong atmosphere than that of the Parc des Princes and a little complacency on the Parisian side, you have the cocktail to create a surprise in the Coupe de France. There have already been exploits in the past. I wish them. Record holder for Cup trophies in France (14), PSG – which lost in Rodez (3-1 ap), then in National, during the 2008-2009 season – will do without such an outcome…
