After their qualification at Chambly (2-1), in the locker room on Friday, the Racing players dreamed of falling against PSG. Thirty years after its last participation in a round of 16 of the Coupe de France – also in National 2, it reached the quarter-finals against Auxerre (2-1 defeat at Bauer) in 1994 – the Colombes club will certainly not play , not against the Parisian stars. But he still inherited a good draw with Lille, 5th in Ligue 1.
“We are happy, excited, we are already looking forward to it,” underlines coach Guillaume Norbert. It’s a big Ligue 1 team, regularly European. The players are also very happy. I could already hear them talking among themselves about individuals from Lille like Jonathan David… The beauty of sport means that in a match anything is possible. We are going to face Lille with the desire to have the best possible match. »
This Monday evening, the players gathered at the clubhouse to follow the draw together. “We didn’t jump for joy as if it were PSG but we are really very happy,” underlines striker Marvin Emmanuel, 1st scorer against Chambly. We are human beings like them. The qualification will be played over 90 minutes. We have nothing to lose. It’s incredible what we’re experiencing. Our club has a great historical past. We want to go as far as possible. I experienced indescribable joy, a huge thrill with the supporters on Friday. We all want to relive that. We can’t wait to play this round of 16 even if we have an important match this weekend in the championship against the Guingamp reserve. »
In the Paris region or in Lille?
“Last year, I played in R1 in Neuilly-sur-Marne, a lot of us came from below in the team, we didn’t expect to play so quickly against a Ligue 1, admits, his side, midfielder Ibrahim Camara, brother of Paris FC (L2) midfielder Adama. We are really happy. It’s really nice to face a team that is at the top of the table in L1. They don’t swing, they are strong in transition and on the sides. It’s going to be a big match. »
It remains to be seen where the match will take place. With the renovation of the Yves-du-Manoir stadium for the Olympics, Racing has been forced for more than a year to relocate its National 2 matches to Versailles and to the Le Gallo stadium in Boulogne-Billancourt. Two speakers that are not up to standard. Racing leaders will have to quickly find approved land in Île-de-France, or move to Lille. “Several clubs have already contacted us to lend us their stadium,” explains Guillaume Norbert. We will get to work tomorrow (Tuesday) to determine the best option. »
“We don’t yet know where we are going to play, it’s the unknown,” concludes Marvin Emmanuel. Personally, I am mixed. I would like to play this match in the Paris region for our supporters but going to play in Lille at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium would not bother me at all. It’s a magnificent stadium…”
