Bourg-Péronnas will welcome the Bretons of En Avant de Guingamp to the Rhône-Alps on Sunday afternoon. FCBP have met and performed well against a number of Ligue 1 sides down the years so EAG would be wise to bring their A-game – they sit fourth in the Championnat National and can certainly head into this sort of game with a sense of nothing to lose. Looking back through their cup history, they have had many meetings with France’s big boys, the last two seasons alone have seen them eliminated by Marseille and Montpellier respectively. Their shining glory was their run to the quarter-finals in 1998, when they defeated Montpellier before beating FC Metz, a Rigobert Song own goal sealing the 2-0 victory against a very strong Metz side who would go on to finish second that season. FCBP were then drawn against near-neighbours Lyon in the quarters, and having played Metz at the Stade Gerland in Lyon in the previous round, would do the same for the match against OL. Despite having numerical advantage for most of the game Lyon would triumph by a one-goal margin.
En Avant de Guingamp have recent success in this competition, not a plucky run to the quarters or semis but they actually went and won the darn thing in 2009. They, as a Ligue 2 side, beat Rennes in an all-Breton final. They also reached the final in 1997 when they lost to OGC Nice. Jocelyn Gourvennec has worked wonders with the EAG since taking over in 2010, overseeing two promotions; from National to Ligue 2 then Ligue 2 to Ligue 1, and last season his team took Marseille to extra time before exiting the competition. EAG now sit 12th in Ligue 1 at the winter break and may just be edging close to securing Ligue 1 football for a second straight season.
Guingamp, who were largely expected to be real strugglers in Ligue 1 this season have performed admirably. How they adapt from being outsiders as they are in league games to this game where they will be definite favourites will be one of the main factors in deciding whether they join the list of big boys who have fallen to Bourg-Péronnas.