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Coupe de France Preview: 1/8 Finals
The inclement weather earlier in the year is still causing a fixture backlog and, as a result, there is a mix of last 32 and last 16 games taking place in France’s premier cup competition in midweek...
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Feb 8, 2010 11:30:00 AM
By Robin Bairner
1/16 Finals
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 (all kick-offs CET)
18:00 Toulouse vs. Stade Brestois
20:45 Racing Club de Lens vs. Olympique de Marseille
1/8 Finals
Tuesday, February 9
18:15 Boulogne-Sur-Mer vs. Guingamp
19:30 Beauvais vs. Sochaux
20:00 Quevilly vs. Stade Rennais
20:45 Vesoul vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Wednesday, February 10
19:00 Auxerre vs. Plabennec
20:00 Saint-Etienne vs. Vannes
20:45 Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Monaco
Toulouse vs. Stade Brestois
Coupe de France semi-finalists last season, Toulouse will know to be wary of second flight opponents as it was Guingamp who eliminated them from this competition little under 12 months ago. Alain Casanova’s side are playing well though, having earned a draw against Olympique Lyonnais last Sunday.
Le Tefece actually had a marginally weakened squad in that game, with the midfield containing a number of fringe players who would not expect to start in normal circumstances, perhaps hinting that coach Casanova is focusing his attentions on the cup competition, which provides a very real chance of European football at its end. There have been no new injury problems registered for the Stadium Municipal side.
In around three months, Brest will expect to have achieved promotion to Ligue 1 as they currently command a healthy 11 point advantage over fourth-placed Metz and will anticipate a slog against leaders Caen for the title over the course of the coming weeks. But the second flight side, who have been in brilliant goal scoring form of late, led primarily by youngster Nolan Roux, will also be eager for a strong Coupe de France run and will certainly not roll over against le Tefece.
Racing Club de Lens vs. Olympique de Marseille
It’s been something of a whirlwind week for Didier Deschamps’ Marseille side, and it has certainly been an extremely positive side for the Stade Velodrome club. As well as hammering Valenciennes 5-1 on Sunday evening, OM also reached the Coupe de la Ligue final, showing their mettle to defeat Toulouse away from home after extra-time.
After experimenting with a 4-2-3-1 formation at the weekend, Deschamps may be tempted to stick by such a formation as wingers Mathieu Valbuena and Hatem Ben Arfa were both in exemplary form. In-form Brazilian battering-ram Brandao may be afforded a break, while the midfield could be rotated after a heavy schedule of late. Gabriel Heinze remains the big injury issue, while Steve Mandanda didn’t play at the weekend but isn’t OM’s cup goalkeeper in any case.
Lens have also enjoyed a positive spell, having defeated Le Mans at the weekend to totally put to bed the issue of relegation. Jean-Guy Wallemme has worries over only Nenad Kovacevic and Marco Ramos and can focus his side fully on the cup. Les Sang et Or have already defeated OM once at home this season and are aiming to make it a double.
Boulogne-Sur-Mer vs. Guingamp
The last 16 gets underway at the Stade de la Liberation, where there is a very real prospect of a shock as top flight strugglers Boulogne meet cup specialists Guingamp.
At the weekend USBCO’s hope of staying in Le Championnat suffered a huge blow as they were defeated 2-0 at home by high flying Montpellier. Laurent Guyot’s side are not seven points from safety and looking increasingly destined to make a quick return to Ligue 2 after a competitive stint with the big boys. Injuries remain a problem, with top scorer Gregory Thil, who has missed much of this campaign, still missing due to an ankle problem.
Guingamp certainly have worries of their own, and defending the Coupe de France, which they so spectacularly won against Stade Rennais last season, will not be high in their list of priorities. Victor Zvunka’s side have toiled in the league and are facing relegation to the National division, despite boasting a talented pool of players. Like Boulogne, they have a number of injury problems approaching this fixture, with experienced campaigner Lionel Mathis amongst their absentees.
Beauvais vs. Sochaux
The Stade Pierre Brisson plays host to Beauvais against Sochaux, as the National club attempt to cause something of a stir by ousting their top flight visitors.
There has been little spectacular about the Oise club’s season, following the pattern of their previous campaign in which they finished a commendable but far from spectacular tenth in the third flight. At present they lie in exactly the spot they finished last term, but with games in hand their true position is perhaps a couple of rungs higher.
Les Lionceaux, meanwhile, come into this game in some decent form. Francis Gillot’s side have steadily advanced away from the drop zone and picked up another point in their quest for mid-table obscurity at the weekend, tying 1-1 at Nancy. Sochaux have a very young side and must focus fully on performing a professional job in the north of France or else they could be on the wrong end of a nasty surprise.
Quevilly vs. Stade Rennais
Buoyant after defeating champions Bordeaux at the weekend, Stade Rennais face the somewhat simpler prospect of tacking Normandy club Quevilly, who play in the same league as their reserve side.
Consistency has been a problem for Frederic Antonetti’s side for the duration of the season, though the Bretons should surely have enough power to make their way through this tie against CFA opponents. After his goal scoring heroics at the weekend, Asamoah Gyan should be afforded more game-time, allowing Jimmy Briand a breather. With no other real injury issues, rotation can be prevalent in the Ligue 1 team’s squad.
Quevilly go into the fixture in reasonable touch too, having defeated Viry-Chatillon 3-1 away from home. They lie ninth in the league table, while Rennes ‘B’ are fifth – a sure indication that anything but an away win would be a massive upset, though they Coupe de France has thrown up such results previously.
Vesoul vs. Paris Saint-Germain
With hosts Vesoul struggling in their CFA group, the formbook would suggest a comfortable victory for visiting giants Paris Saint-Germain, but les Parisiens are a club in crisis at present and they may well have a hard time of it in eastern France.
PSG’s latest disaster was a 3-0 home reverse against Lorient, a match in which they performed miserably throughout. After a turgid first period they were expected to rebound with some ferocity, though they totally failed on that count. Coach Antoine Kombouare will therefore be expecting a whole lot more from his side on Tuesday evening. Only Gregory Coupet is expected to be absent.
In many ways it is a miracle that minnows Vesoul have made it this far in the knockout competition as they are rated 16th in their 18 team league and may well be relegated at the season’s end if they cannot muster an improvement in form. Their midweek fixture provides a welcome distraction from the stresses of regular week-to-week league games and is a real chance to build some confidence.
Auxerre vs. Plabennec
After defeating Nancy in the previous round of the competition, Plabennec know exactly what is required of them to defeat top flight outfit Auxerre.
AJA slipped to a quite dumbfounding 5-0 loss at the hands of Grenoble at the weekend, which was a result that came totally out of the blue for Jean Fernandez’s men. Though their opponents took virtually every chance that was presented to them, AJA were hopelessly inept at responding the challenge thrust towards them. Much, much better will be expected from their coach on Wednesday evening.
Lying in the final safe place in the National league, Plabennec have worries other than the Coupe de France, but that will not stop them attempting to disrupt the season of another side with genuine hopes of going to the Stade de France and lifting the revered trophy.
Saint-Etienne vs. Vannes
Fresh from a stunning weekend win over Monaco, Saint-Etienne will host Ligue 2 outfit Vannes with real expectation on Wednesday evening.
Over the course of the last 18 months, les Verts have tended to struggle most when there has been an opportunity for them to take a real stride forward out of their malaise, but there seems to be a different atmosphere and attitude around the club since head coach Christophe Gautier took over. In addition, he has been boosted by an improving injury situation, with Mouhamadou Dabo and Augusto both coming back into the side last weekend.
Vannes, lying in a mid-table position in the second level, will fancy their chances of an upset, especially after a healthy four game unbeaten run. However, last season’s Coupe de la Ligue finalists have not enjoyed especially good league form over the course of the winter, really toiling to pick up maximum points on even a semi-regular basis.
Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Monaco
Bordeaux and Monaco provide the showpiece for this week’s Coupe de France fixtures, though the hosts are liable to make some significant changes in their ranks for this fixture.
Laurent Blanc’s team are presently lobbying to have their schedule re-jigged ahead of their Champions League ties with Olympiacos, arguing that they face chronic and unwelcome fixture congestion before those crucial two matches. A largely reserve team must therefore be expected from the hosts in this encounter, though the players on display will be going all-out to keep the club’s treble dreams alive. After picking up a weekend injury, Alou Diarra cannot be expected to play.
Monaco were smacked 3-0 by Saint-Etienne on Sunday, ending their unblemished start to 2010. It was a poor performance from Guy Lacombe’s side and the fiery coach will doubtless have warned his players that better is expected. Young Nigeria Lukman Haruna is not expected to feature from the outset after being pulled off in the first half of the weekend’s game for tactical reasons, while Mathieu Coutadeur and Adriano are amongst a handful of players with injuries.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 (all kick-offs CET)
18:00 Toulouse vs. Stade Brestois
20:45 Racing Club de Lens vs. Olympique de Marseille
1/8 Finals
Tuesday, February 9
18:15 Boulogne-Sur-Mer vs. Guingamp
19:30 Beauvais vs. Sochaux
20:00 Quevilly vs. Stade Rennais
20:45 Vesoul vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Wednesday, February 10
19:00 Auxerre vs. Plabennec
20:00 Saint-Etienne vs. Vannes
20:45 Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Monaco
Toulouse vs. Stade Brestois
Coupe de France semi-finalists last season, Toulouse will know to be wary of second flight opponents as it was Guingamp who eliminated them from this competition little under 12 months ago. Alain Casanova’s side are playing well though, having earned a draw against Olympique Lyonnais last Sunday.
Le Tefece actually had a marginally weakened squad in that game, with the midfield containing a number of fringe players who would not expect to start in normal circumstances, perhaps hinting that coach Casanova is focusing his attentions on the cup competition, which provides a very real chance of European football at its end. There have been no new injury problems registered for the Stadium Municipal side.
In around three months, Brest will expect to have achieved promotion to Ligue 1 as they currently command a healthy 11 point advantage over fourth-placed Metz and will anticipate a slog against leaders Caen for the title over the course of the coming weeks. But the second flight side, who have been in brilliant goal scoring form of late, led primarily by youngster Nolan Roux, will also be eager for a strong Coupe de France run and will certainly not roll over against le Tefece.
Racing Club de Lens vs. Olympique de Marseille
It’s been something of a whirlwind week for Didier Deschamps’ Marseille side, and it has certainly been an extremely positive side for the Stade Velodrome club. As well as hammering Valenciennes 5-1 on Sunday evening, OM also reached the Coupe de la Ligue final, showing their mettle to defeat Toulouse away from home after extra-time.
After experimenting with a 4-2-3-1 formation at the weekend, Deschamps may be tempted to stick by such a formation as wingers Mathieu Valbuena and Hatem Ben Arfa were both in exemplary form. In-form Brazilian battering-ram Brandao may be afforded a break, while the midfield could be rotated after a heavy schedule of late. Gabriel Heinze remains the big injury issue, while Steve Mandanda didn’t play at the weekend but isn’t OM’s cup goalkeeper in any case.
Lens have also enjoyed a positive spell, having defeated Le Mans at the weekend to totally put to bed the issue of relegation. Jean-Guy Wallemme has worries over only Nenad Kovacevic and Marco Ramos and can focus his side fully on the cup. Les Sang et Or have already defeated OM once at home this season and are aiming to make it a double.
Boulogne-Sur-Mer vs. Guingamp
The last 16 gets underway at the Stade de la Liberation, where there is a very real prospect of a shock as top flight strugglers Boulogne meet cup specialists Guingamp.
At the weekend USBCO’s hope of staying in Le Championnat suffered a huge blow as they were defeated 2-0 at home by high flying Montpellier. Laurent Guyot’s side are not seven points from safety and looking increasingly destined to make a quick return to Ligue 2 after a competitive stint with the big boys. Injuries remain a problem, with top scorer Gregory Thil, who has missed much of this campaign, still missing due to an ankle problem.
Guingamp certainly have worries of their own, and defending the Coupe de France, which they so spectacularly won against Stade Rennais last season, will not be high in their list of priorities. Victor Zvunka’s side have toiled in the league and are facing relegation to the National division, despite boasting a talented pool of players. Like Boulogne, they have a number of injury problems approaching this fixture, with experienced campaigner Lionel Mathis amongst their absentees.
Beauvais vs. Sochaux
The Stade Pierre Brisson plays host to Beauvais against Sochaux, as the National club attempt to cause something of a stir by ousting their top flight visitors.
There has been little spectacular about the Oise club’s season, following the pattern of their previous campaign in which they finished a commendable but far from spectacular tenth in the third flight. At present they lie in exactly the spot they finished last term, but with games in hand their true position is perhaps a couple of rungs higher.
Les Lionceaux, meanwhile, come into this game in some decent form. Francis Gillot’s side have steadily advanced away from the drop zone and picked up another point in their quest for mid-table obscurity at the weekend, tying 1-1 at Nancy. Sochaux have a very young side and must focus fully on performing a professional job in the north of France or else they could be on the wrong end of a nasty surprise.
Quevilly vs. Stade Rennais
Buoyant after defeating champions Bordeaux at the weekend, Stade Rennais face the somewhat simpler prospect of tacking Normandy club Quevilly, who play in the same league as their reserve side.
Consistency has been a problem for Frederic Antonetti’s side for the duration of the season, though the Bretons should surely have enough power to make their way through this tie against CFA opponents. After his goal scoring heroics at the weekend, Asamoah Gyan should be afforded more game-time, allowing Jimmy Briand a breather. With no other real injury issues, rotation can be prevalent in the Ligue 1 team’s squad.
Quevilly go into the fixture in reasonable touch too, having defeated Viry-Chatillon 3-1 away from home. They lie ninth in the league table, while Rennes ‘B’ are fifth – a sure indication that anything but an away win would be a massive upset, though they Coupe de France has thrown up such results previously.
Vesoul vs. Paris Saint-Germain
With hosts Vesoul struggling in their CFA group, the formbook would suggest a comfortable victory for visiting giants Paris Saint-Germain, but les Parisiens are a club in crisis at present and they may well have a hard time of it in eastern France.
PSG’s latest disaster was a 3-0 home reverse against Lorient, a match in which they performed miserably throughout. After a turgid first period they were expected to rebound with some ferocity, though they totally failed on that count. Coach Antoine Kombouare will therefore be expecting a whole lot more from his side on Tuesday evening. Only Gregory Coupet is expected to be absent.
In many ways it is a miracle that minnows Vesoul have made it this far in the knockout competition as they are rated 16th in their 18 team league and may well be relegated at the season’s end if they cannot muster an improvement in form. Their midweek fixture provides a welcome distraction from the stresses of regular week-to-week league games and is a real chance to build some confidence.
Auxerre vs. Plabennec
After defeating Nancy in the previous round of the competition, Plabennec know exactly what is required of them to defeat top flight outfit Auxerre.
AJA slipped to a quite dumbfounding 5-0 loss at the hands of Grenoble at the weekend, which was a result that came totally out of the blue for Jean Fernandez’s men. Though their opponents took virtually every chance that was presented to them, AJA were hopelessly inept at responding the challenge thrust towards them. Much, much better will be expected from their coach on Wednesday evening.
Lying in the final safe place in the National league, Plabennec have worries other than the Coupe de France, but that will not stop them attempting to disrupt the season of another side with genuine hopes of going to the Stade de France and lifting the revered trophy.
Saint-Etienne vs. Vannes
Fresh from a stunning weekend win over Monaco, Saint-Etienne will host Ligue 2 outfit Vannes with real expectation on Wednesday evening.
Over the course of the last 18 months, les Verts have tended to struggle most when there has been an opportunity for them to take a real stride forward out of their malaise, but there seems to be a different atmosphere and attitude around the club since head coach Christophe Gautier took over. In addition, he has been boosted by an improving injury situation, with Mouhamadou Dabo and Augusto both coming back into the side last weekend.
Vannes, lying in a mid-table position in the second level, will fancy their chances of an upset, especially after a healthy four game unbeaten run. However, last season’s Coupe de la Ligue finalists have not enjoyed especially good league form over the course of the winter, really toiling to pick up maximum points on even a semi-regular basis.
Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Monaco
Bordeaux and Monaco provide the showpiece for this week’s Coupe de France fixtures, though the hosts are liable to make some significant changes in their ranks for this fixture.
Laurent Blanc’s team are presently lobbying to have their schedule re-jigged ahead of their Champions League ties with Olympiacos, arguing that they face chronic and unwelcome fixture congestion before those crucial two matches. A largely reserve team must therefore be expected from the hosts in this encounter, though the players on display will be going all-out to keep the club’s treble dreams alive. After picking up a weekend injury, Alou Diarra cannot be expected to play.
Monaco were smacked 3-0 by Saint-Etienne on Sunday, ending their unblemished start to 2010. It was a poor performance from Guy Lacombe’s side and the fiery coach will doubtless have warned his players that better is expected. Young Nigeria Lukman Haruna is not expected to feature from the outset after being pulled off in the first half of the weekend’s game for tactical reasons, while Mathieu Coutadeur and Adriano are amongst a handful of players with injuries.
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