Having finished third in the regular season, Paulo César’s players have thus qualified for this second edition of the Arkéma Première Ligue play-offs. Last season, the Parisiennes also faced Paris FC in the semi-finals. At the Parc des Princes, the Rouge et Bleu put on a show, dominating their rivals with a 3-0 victory. Romée Leuchter and Sakina Karchaoui in particular thrilled the crowd despite the pouring rain over the capital.
The clashes between the women’s teams of Paris Saint-Germain and Paris FC have been thrilling from start to finish this season, across all competitions. This Saturday, our Rouge et Bleu will contest their fifth derby of the season against their neighbours PFC. In addition to the two fixtures in the Arkéma Première Ligue regular season, Paulo César’s players have also faced off against Sandrine Soubeyrand’s side in the Coupe de France and in the inaugural edition of the Coupe LFFP.
So far, these derbies have largely gone in favour of Sakina Karchaoui and her teammates. Although the two sides drew in the league first time around, Merveille Kanjinga and Romée Leuchter led the way a few months later at Charléty to secure a clear-cut, flawless victory (0–3). Less than a week later, it was at home that Romée Leuchter, Merveille Kanjinga and Rasheedat Ajibade put on a show in the Coupe LFFP semi-final, securing Paris’s place in the final in Abidjan. Finally, last April, at the same stage of the Coupe de France competition, Paris turned the tables to qualify for the final. Tomorrow, a third semi-final against PFC awaits our Rouge et Bleu, who will be looking to keep this fine run going.
For once, this Arkéma Première Ligue play-off semi-final will not be held at the Stade Charléty, but at the Stade Jean Bouin. Just a few metres from the Parc des Princes, and on the eve of Luis Enrique’s men’s final match of the season, the Rouge et Bleu will be aiming to secure their place in the play off final, which will take place on Friday 29th May against the winner of the other semi-final between OL Lyonnes and FC Nantes.
The women’s team are no strangers to the Stade Jean Bouin, as this is where they used to play their Champions League matches before moving to the Campus. The capital club’s last match at the ground in the 16th arrondissement was in November 2023, and the Rouge et Bleu are now set to return there, this time as the away side!
