CFA club Yzeure were one of the heroes of the last round, defeating Ligue 2’s Valenciennes 2-0 in order to reach the Round of 16 for the first time in their history. A penalty from star playmaker Rémy Jous and a composed finish from Marvin Rousseau did for Bernard Casoni’s VAFC, whilst goalkeeper Jean-Christophe Colard did his bit, saving a penalty to prevent the Nordistes from getting back into the match.
Coach Nicolas Dupuis, speaking straight after the Valenciennes win, was still hopeful of getting their partner club in the next round: “[We would like] Saint-Etienne because we love them, or PSG, because everyone wants them. But we’ll take whoever we get and try to go even further.”
As Jean-Pierre Papin and Miss France pulled Guingamp out of the hat, last round’s hero Marvin Rousseau relativised: “we wanted a really big club like PSG or Monaco, but Guingamp are still Ligue 1 and we get to play at home so it’s very good for us”.
Yzeure’s great Cup progress runs in contrast to their league form, as they currently sit eleventh of sixteen clubs in CFA Group B, their most recent league match a 4-0 hammering at Montceau Bourgogne.
And in Guingamp, they are playing a club who could well be seen as Cup specialists too. Current Coupe de France holders after their comprehensive 2-0 win over Rennes at the Stade de France last spring, their progress this season has been serene, following up a 3-0 win over Dinan-Léhon with a 2-0 win over Ligue 2 strugglers Chateauroux, Thibault Giresse and l’inevitable Claudio Beauvue the scorers. But to dismiss the brilliant Jocelyn Gourvennec’s men as knock-out specialists only, despite their progress to the knock-out stages of the Europa League as well, is to do them an injustice. Just ask Monaco, who went down this weekend to a 10-man EAG, conceding their first goal in nine matches in the process.
As well as the 2,500 fans who will pack into the Bellevue, the Auvergnat minnows will have the support of most neutrals, having caught the imagination with their Cup run, the FFF going so far as to make a small video profile of the club.
Yzeure coach Dupuis, talking about “the honour of hosting Guingamp,” acknowledges that “they’re a top league side, a great Cup side, the Cup holders, so they’re going to be very tough opponents, it’s going to be hard. But we’ll fight on our little ground, and you never know… It’s already a great achievement for us to get to this stage – I think 7,500 clubs started [the Coupe de France] and we’re among the 16 remaining, which is great. We’ll simply try to enjoy ourselves against Guingamp”.
Defender Jessy Madiadia backs up his coach: “we have nothing to lose, it will all be a bonus and happiness if something happens. It’s everyone’s dream. We’re not that far away from the Stade de France. Guingamp are in great form, their striker is in great form, so it is going to be really tough, but if we don’t concede, anything is possible”.
Guingamp will start as overwhelming favourites to progress. But dreams do occasionally come true…
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