On Tuesday, regional Sarre-Union knocked out Chamois Niortais and Rennes lost to Bourg-en-Bresse in two Cupsets. More examples of why we love this competition. Wednesday brings us another six chances as lower league teams take on Ligue 1 opponents.
Trelissac FC v Lille OSC: Wednesday 17:30 – @Gibney_A
Positioned towards the south-west of France, the small town of Trelissac has a population of no more than 7,000 inhabitants – in fact the most famous player to feature for the Aquitaine club is the Lyon striker Eugenie Le Sommer. However, the fourth division side won’t be able to call on the services of the France international on Wednesday.
Trelissac FC reached the last 32 for just the second time in their history with a 2-0 win over Muret at the start of January. Second half goals from Mathieu Duféal and Nicolas Desenclos lifted them above the CFA2 side; now they have another chance to make history. Back in 1998 they were beaten 2-1 by FC Sochaux; this is a bigger uphill task, but that’s why this cup is so magical.
Junior Tallo’s penalty was enough for Lille to squeeze past AC Amiens in the last 64, but it was far from convincing. Against the lower ranked teams, the Ligue 1 sides are keen to just get the job done. Frederic Antonetti will be keen on keeping the cup run going – the Coupe de France represents a realistic chance of qualifying for Europe, especially as the league form continues its roller coaster ride. Two uninspired performances against Guingamp in the Coupe de la Ligue, and against Bordeaux in Ligue 1 ask questions over the attack. Tallo, Yassine Benzia and Sofiane Boufal should relish the oportunity to play with freedom against TFC. Fail to perform again and a shock could be on the cards.
US Concarneau v Troyes: Wednesday 17:30 – @jeremysmith98
Last year’s surprise quarter-finalists Concarneau are through to the final 32 of the Coupe de France for the third straight year and, despite a three-division gap between the two teams, les Thoniers should have no reason to feel overawed: with Troyes bottom of Ligue 1 and winless, and Concarneau top of their CFA group and defeatless, the difference is not so marked. The Breton-based minnows can also draw on last year’s experience of defeating two Ligue 2 teams, before finally going down to a freak 92nd minute Beauvue free kick against Ligue 1 Guingamp.
Nicolas Cloarec‘s team have reached this stage with a scored 20, conceded 1 record, most recently defeating CFA2’s TA Rennes 3-0, with goals from Vincent Richetin, Jeremy Drouglazet and Moustapha N’Doye (the first and third coming from the spot), and since that win, they have comforted their league lead with a 3-2 win over Fleury 91 FC. That victory did come at a cost, however: captain Guillaume Jannez received two yellow cards and so will miss this tie.
Troyes come into the match off the back of yet another defeat – 4-2 to Rennes – during which Claude Robin’s men threw away an early two-goal lead. A second screamer in as many matches from Fabien Camus is not enough to cheer l’ESTAC’s fans and with relegation surely an inevitability, the team may as well put all their eggs in the Coupe de France basket. They will need to improve on their showing in the last round, in which they needed a Jessy Pi goal four minutes from the end of extra time to see off National side Dunkerque.
This match has potential upset all over it and the Stade Guy Piriou should be full to the rafters to see les Thoniers go fishing for another big catch.
Chambly FC vs Olympique Lyonnais: Wednesday 17:30 – @PeteSharland
One of the greatest upsets of the last round was Chambly’s incredible victory over Reims. The National side won 4-1 and the undoubted star was Wilfried Louisy-Daniel. The 29-year-old has never played above Ligue 2 but he bagged a hat-trick against Ligue 1 opposition and will be the main threat as the team’s top scorer.
Born in Versailles Louisy-Daniel actually spent a year playing in Germany but despite a decent record he decided to return to France. During the 2013-14 season he played a key role in getting US Orleans promoted to Ligue 2. Unfortunately he was unable to save them from relegation and over the summer he moved to Chambly. Back in November when his new team visited his former he scored twice in a 3-0 win, a pretty special moment, but they currently are a point behind Orleans, something he’ll be desperate to change in the coming weeks.
For now though the focus will be on Lyon, with the lower league side having extra time to prepare, having played on Friday whilst Lyon had to deal with an intense Derby du Rhone on Sunday.
In theory playing Lyon should offer a step-up in terms of test for the minnows but in reality it is entirely down to which team Lyon put out and whether they can be bothered. If they switch off Chambly could well punish them and in this chaotic season it is precisely what they don’t need.
Given their poor form in the league you’d imagine that Bruno Genesio is going to take no chances and put out his strongest team possible given his team have a Sunday fixture next week. This is pretty much a no-lose situation for Chambly; for Lyon anything other than a comprehensive win is not good enough.
Evian TG v AS Monaco: Wednesday 17:30 – @Meatmansoccer
It’s been a turbulent season for Evian following their relegation from the top flight. In Ligue 2, they are now languishing as low as 15th in the table following a loss at home to Ajaccio on Friday night. A shocking run of seven defeats in nine games cost Safet Susic his job, but things didn’t start well for new man Romain Revelli.
The dismal performance against Ajaccio showed little sign of improvement and there’s a real negative feeling around the club right now. In terms of player quality, they clearly have top ten ability on paper for Ligue 2 standard. But this isn’t showing right now on the field. The Coupe de France might be a welcome distraction for them here, and also an opportunity for some of their younger players such as Fabien Centonze to shine.
That Monaco sit second in the Ligue 1 table is more of a testament to how poor the rest of the division is this year. Arguably, the club have regressed a bit this term and don’t possess the same fearsome force which they had a couple of seasons ago. But they are managed by an astute tactician and always difficult to beat, so have to be respected. One area which they’ve made no secret of trying to improve is in the goalscoring department. That’s why Vagner Love has been signed from Brazilian club Corinthians.
Whether or not he’ll be able to make his debut in this match remains to be seen, but les Monegasques could do with his extra firepower. One extra factor to consider here is the Annecy weather and the Parc des Sports pitch. The forecast isn’t great this week: expect rain, sleet and maybe even some snow. This isn’t the greatest of surfaces to be playing football on and it won’t suit Monaco’s technical players. These factors could lead to a potential shock, but based on current form Monaco will win fairly easily.
Mantois 78 FC v FC Nantes: Wednesday 17:30 – @jeremysmith98
A commentator’s nightmare as Mantes host Nantes at the Stade Aimé Bergeal, on the outskirts of Paris.
The CFA club who, for better or worse, are part-responsible for developing Yann M’Vila into the player he is today, are chasing promotion, last weekend’s epic 4-3 win over traditional Cup heroes Quevilly lifting them to fifth place in the table. However, this Cup run is also giving Robert Mendy’s players their chance to shine.
A 2-0 win over fifth-tier Saint-Brieuc in the last round, with goals from strikers Francis Massampu and top scorer Bruno Preira, has earned the team a glamorous tie against Ligue 1 opposition. Romain Lelevé was the hero with the last second winner versus Quevilly last week; no doubt he has dreamt of repeating the trick this week.
Nantes have a relatively poor Cup pedigree compared to their illustrious league history, winning on only three occasions (most recently in 2000), although they have been beaten finalists five times. Last season they famously beat Lyon 3-2 with a Vincent Bessat hat-trick, before going down 2-0 to PSG. This season’s campaign began with a straightforward 2-0 win at sixth-tier Blanc-Mesnil, Adrien Thomasson and Adryan the scorers. In the league, Nantes are having a very Nantesy season – hard to beat but hard to be beaten by, hard to score against, hard to concede against, they are mid table with seven wins, seven defeats and seven draws – most recently against Guingamp, coming back to 2-2 from two goals down, with a little help from the referee. Seemingly unconcerned by chances of relegation or Europe, they are well set for a good Cup run. They should be too strong to let us have a Mantes Haunt Nantes headline.
US Boulogne v FC Lorient: Wednesday 18:30 – @Gibney_A
We all love a cup upset (CUPSET TM @FFW), but in the last round, playing against lowly Saint-Omer, US Boulogne took on the role as the big club – and party poopers.
Thierry Argelier put the National side ahead in the first half, but Maxime Carney’s penalty gave the regional side hope. Again they went behind, but Sylvain Willot’s 82nd minute goal levelled the game and extra-time couldn’t seperate the two sides. This is when the expectation and pressure of being the bigger club plays its part, but the coastal club keep their head and won the shootout 4-3.
The tables now turn: Lorient are the big evil club and Boulogne take on the role as underdogs. He was there when they played in Ligue 1, now 35 years old, Gregory Thil is still the man at the Stade de la Libération, with seven goals this term, no one else comes close.
With Pierre Ducasse, Jospeh Lopy and Dominique Pandor, they have players les Merlus will have to be wary of.
Sylvain Ripoll’s side have now gone three games without a win, following two 2-0 defeats. Their last victory came in the last round when they needed extra-time, and a 99th minute Benjamin Jeannot goal to defeat FC Tours 3-2.
If you are looking for a cup shock this week, this is a good place to start. A third division side, with experience of the top flight, taking on a team that is low on confidence – the omens are good.
Lorient have conceded six goals since they last found the back of the net, whereas Boulogne come off a 2-0 win over Frejus St-Raphael at the weekend. Cue the Cupset alarm.
Olympique de Marseille v Montpellier HSC: Wednesday 20:00 – @Philby1976
The late match on Wednesday pits two teams who may have other things on their minds against each other. Marseille are still fighting on three fronts, and have a run of tricky league fixtures to navigate before meeting Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League. Their league win away at Caen at the weekend was a positive not just because it was three valuable points but because several of their lengthy injury list were back, as Brice Dja Djedje, Abdelaziz Barrada and Bouna Sarr all started and Remy Cabella came on as sub. They are still relying on Michy Batshuayi up-front, who has already played more than double the 1,100 minutes he played in the whole of last season, and he must surely need a rest at some point.
This might not be the match for that, however. This fixture ended 2-2 in the league in game 17, but Montpellier right now look like the old and infirm gazelle on the edge of the pack, easy pickings not packing that much punch. Their loss against Bastia at the weekend was not just the third on the spin in the league, but a study in toothlessness, as it was only just before half-time that the first shot was registered by either side. Having been handed a golden opportunity to take at least a point off a team close to them in the bottom half when Seko Fofana was sent off for nutting Jonas Martin, Montpellier waited only long enough to bring on attacking reinforcements Moustapha Yatabare and Kevin Berigaud before Daniel Congre had a sudden rush of blood to the head and lunged in on scorer Floyd Ayite to level things up at ten a-side. If his suspension kicks in for this game, that will be a problem, as he has been putting in the interceptions and doing most of the running for Hilton, as well as posing a threat from set-pieces. Morgan Sanson’s out for another significant period with further knee trouble, and Casimir Ninga is sadly unable to play on the wing and in the centre simultaneously.
Marseille may therefore look at this match as an opportunity to take care of business within the standard 90 minutes without expending that much energy. This should be their first home win since beating Groningen in November. If Montpellier manage to hold out for any length of time, however, both (all) managers will be nervily looking to forward the weekend’s fixtures – at home against Caen for MHSC, away at Lyon for OM. A home win seems the sensible bet, but Marseille can usually be counted on to make things difficult for themselves at the Velodrome.