OL and PSG will meet for the 6th time this season. (Photo by Ibrahim Ezzat/Anadolu via Getty Images)
- This Friday, May 17 at 9 p.m. (Paris time), Olympique Lyonnais (OL) will host Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Groupama Stadium to close this D1 Arkema season.
- A first championship final at home with perhaps a 17th coronation at the end.
- A 17th title for Lyon? Or PSG's second?
For the first time since 2004 and MHSC triumph, the title of France’s D1 Arkéma is not awarded at the end of the regular season, but at the end of a second phase, called “play-offs”.
After respectively beating Reims (6-0) and Paris FC (2-2, 5-4 after penalties), OL and PSG meet this Friday at Groupama Stadium for a final, with the winner crowned as the league’s champion.
Announced a year ago, this change of format which sees the first four clubs of the regular season qualify for the playoffs was defended at the time by Jean-Michel Aulas, who is today the president of the new Women's Professional League.
“We wanted to reform the competition to ensure that the D1 Arkema becomes more attractive.” At the time, 10 of the 12 D1 Arkema teams expressed their enthusiasm for this upheaval.
The 2 refractories? Well, OL and PSG. Tonight’s finalists.
Aulas Criticized By His Former Club
How efficient is Aulas' play-offs idea? (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
Lyon has had very little taste of the revolution initiated by its former president and has multiplied the media outings to regret this new format.
“I can perhaps understand that the authorities are upset to see OL win the championship every year. But I do not find it appropriate that the best solution is to establish these play-offs. This is neither cultural nor fair in terms of meritocracy,” lamented Vincent Ponsot, OL Féminin’s CEO at Le Progrès.
Before their semi-final match against Reims, Ponsot highlighted the risks of such formats, saying: “OL is 11 points clear of PSG and 26 points ahead of Reims. We could, not only lose the title but also miss out on a European qualification next season if we lose our two play-off matches. This is a total heresy.
Fortunately for him, by qualifying for the final, his club will be in the Champions League next season (from 2024-2025, the European places will again be for the first three of the regular season).
But PSG is also not particularly delighted with this change.
“We must maintain the league’s known spirit which is the test of endurance”, said Jocelyn Prêcheur, the Parisian coach, in the columns of Le Monde, also judging that the redesign was “too extreme”.
A Familiar Decisive Confrontation
Tabitha Chawinga has been PSG's most important offensive weapon. (Photo by Christian Liewig - ... [+]
As has been the case in the last years, the title will depend on the confrontation between OL and PSG.
Beaten only on the last matchday when they had sent their reserves team to Bordeaux (2-1), the Lyonnaises outrageously dominated the championship once again, and logically are taking on the role of favorites for this final.
With their psychological advantage over the Parisiennes, Sonia Bompastor’s squad is hoping to keep the title in Décines. Last month, OL eliminated PSG in the semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League (3-2, 1-2).
For this meeting, the French coach, who won the Coach of the Year award, can count on an almost complete group with the return of Ada Hegerberg. The absences concern the regulars: Griedge Mbock, Eugénie Le Somme, and Sara Däbritz.
And tonight, they go head-to-head for the sixth time this season.
“It's a lot”, said Kadidiatou Diani while laughing in the mixed zone.
“We are used to these confrontations. They are amazing to play, PSG are a great team and we as competitors, we like these matches”, continued PSG’s former star.
The Parisians have had a slightly more complicated season, and their star striker, Tabitha Chawinga, named best player of the year by the UNFP, top scorer, and passer in the championship, is uncertain due to pain in the left adductor.
Key Info
- Host City: Lyon
- Stadium: Groupama Stadium
- Capacity: 59,186
- Expected Spectators: Around 15,000
- Date: Friday, May 17
- Time: 9:00 p.m. (Paris Time)
- Where To Watch?
-France: Canal + Sport 360
-Worldwide: DAZN Website
PSG has not beaten OL since December 2022.
But despite being second throughout the regular season, with an 11-point gap, they can still be crowned France’s champions.
Insane, right?
