This is the last call for the Coupe de la Ligue, will the final boarders please come to the gate…
As an early Christmas present, this midweek sees a round of League Cup matches, with the ‘big six’ finally making an appearance. The idea of the staggered start is to give those teams playing in Europe a little bit of a break (they miss one round) but for scheduling purposes, it’s actually those teams with the potential to play in Europe who get left out until this stage, so Nice and Saint-Etienne have just had an extra evening in with their feet up after failing to qualify for the Europa League.
The draw has rewarded us well, with an all-Ligue 2 match-up between Troyes and Tours, so one ‘minnow’ (it’s all relative) is assured of a quarter-final spot, a tasty-looking fixture between Nantes and Auxerre, and a battle of the big guys in PSG v last year’s winners Saint-Etienne.
The Story So Far
Nantes v Auxerre (Tuesday 19.55 GMT)
Nantes may have suffered a recent League set-back losing 1-2 to Toulouse at the weekend, but they are still 5th and looking good. Their opponents might be mid-table in Ligue 2, but they have a dynamic young team and are clearly enjoying their cup run. Espoirs Paul-Georges Ntep and Sebastien Haller both have two goals apiece, Haller with the extra-time winner over Lille in the last round, where LOSC went with a slight B-team and then threw on a variety of first team starters when things got difficult late on.
With Nantes facing a tricky away trip to Saint-Etienne in game 19, they might be more focussed on maintaining their league position, although it has been a long while since their last piece of silverware (the Ligue and Trophee des Champions in 2001) so Michel der Zakarian could fancy his team’s chances here. Auxerre have a shiny cup history, albeit in the Coupe de France rather than this competition (winning the CdF in 1994, 1996, 2003 and 2005), and while promotion is not out of the question as they are 5 points off third spot at present, they look likely to throw everything at this one. Should be a corker.
Prediction: Auxerre win, narrowly, in a hopefully high-scoring encounter. Let’s say 3-2.
Lyon v Reims (Wednesday 16.00 GMT)
Lyon have been slowly pulling themselves together, despite being reeled in by Marseille on Sunday, and are one team for whom the late entry was actually designed, topping their Europa League group with 12 points (3 wins, 3 draws). Reims meanwhile are pootling along in 9th place having had a Montpellier-esque run of six draws earlier in the season, before beating Marseille, then a not-that-weakened-actually Monaco in the last round, and more recently last-minute goals in two matches to secure a win against Nice and a draw away at Evian.
Prediction: Lyon reasonably comfortable, Reims with a last minute consolation. 2-1.
Nice v Sochaux (Wednesday 17.45 GMT)
Nice are in some trouble, having lost seven on the spin before finally (and unconvincingly) winning 1-0 at the weekend against Sochaux in the league, but as Sochaux are bottom with eight points and only one league win (against the almost equally beleaguered Valenciennes) to their names, this could be the match-up that means collectively least to the participants, who both need to focus on other things.
Last time out, Sochaux beat Montpellier 3-2 with two goals in extra time in a match that saw MHSC reduced to ten men as Morgan Sanson limped off with all subs having been made, then nine with a red card for Jonas Martin, and then eight as Vitorino Hilton was off the pitch receiving treatment when their third goal went in, and Benjamin Stambouli still managed to pull one back for the visitors in the final minute. Les Aiglons seem unlikely to give les Lionceaux quite that level of opportunity to win, and should have enough to prevail. Sochaux’s strikers Contout, Bakambu and Mayuka can all score but just not very often (10 between them), whereas after Cvitanich (7) only Bautheac has more than one (he has two) for Nice, so this might not be a goal-fest.
Prediction: Nice to win 1-0, could need extra time.
Marseille v Toulouse (Wednesday 19.55 GMT)
Marseille’s league position remains at the not that bad, surely? setting, despite the humiliation of the Champions League; and Toulouse are just strange, so this is a very difficult one to call. Marseille may well be on a bit of a high after clawing Lyon back from a 2-goal lead on Sunday, but whether new(ish) manager bump + the endorphins from that result can compensate for the squad issues that meant Anigo called up two teenagers from the CFA and U19 teams for the bench at Gerland remains to be seen. OM are at home to Bordeaux next weekend, and their focus has to be the league; Toulouse at home to Guingamp, and less so.
Prediction: Toulouse win 2-1, could need extra time.
Evian v Bastia (Wednesday 19.55 GMT)
Last year’s Coupe de France finalists have been hovering around the middle of the bottom half for a while, as they did last year, but Berigaud’s back now, they have a game in hand, and Dupraz seems to have a decent handle on things. Bastia, who look a little more consistent, are only a bit above them, so this should be a fairly even game. Both teams are a bit leaky at the back (and when Bastia lose, they tend to lose by a few), so there should be goals.
Evian came back from 1-0 down at Guingamp with goals from Modou Sougou and Cedric Cambon in the previous round, and will have Daniel Wass haring about on the right; for Bastia Gianni Bruno may start, having had the weekend off (on loan from Lille). Bastia prevailed 1-0 against Ajaccio in the previous round, which was played on the mainland and behind closed doors, and won the Evian league encounter 2-0 at home, but the memories of last year’s (other) cup run should make it a good atmosphere at Annecy, which may just be enough to push the home side over the top.
Prediction: Evian to win 2-1.
Rennes v Bordeaux (Wednesday 19.55 GMT)
Rennes are on a distinct and slightly worrying slide in the league, having dropped from 5th in game 7 to 14th with only two wins in twelve, although those were a 5-0 hammering of Toulouse and a 3-1 victory over Saint-Etienne. Another team that look a bit strange, results-wise, in the league, they have Nelson Oliveira (7 of their 21 goals), Foued Kadir (5), and now Romain Alessandrini (3) back after missing the first seven games – and some young talent to call on, goals from Bleuet Adrien Hunou and Espoir Cedric Hountondji enough to see off Nancy after extra time in the last round.
Bordeaux are sitting in fourth, despite having shagged up the Europa League, with 23 points from the last ten league games in a run featuring one loss (to Nantes) and perhaps more surprisingly only two draws (Lyon, Rennes), and are actually scoring a reasonable amount of goals (25 – Cheikh Diabate has 7 and Ludovic Obraniak 4) while keeping things predictably well organised at the back. They’ve also got a reasonably deep squad. Form suggests they should have the edge here.
Prediction: Bordeaux to win 2-1.
Troyes v Tours (Wednesday 19.55 GMT)
This fixture is a replay of game 16 in Ligue 2, which Tours won 2-1 in a fairly even encounter in which Troyes made chances but couldn’t finish them off. The visitors sit slightly nervously in 3rd in Ligue 2, above Angers on goal difference, and with only five points separating them from Auxerre in tenth; they also recently got dumped out of the Coupe de France by CFA side Les Herbiers 2-0. They are the second-highest-scoring team in the second tier with 32 goals, however, Christian Kouakou (9), Andy Delort (7) and Billy Ketkeophomphone (6) making things happen goal-side – but have the worst top-half defence, conceding 25 so far. They have seen off Istres on penalties, Clermont narrowly, and last surviving National side Amiens comfortably (own goal notwithstanding) to get to this point, and look favourites to keep a run going.
Troyes are 9th, and in a bit of a dip at the minute, although scoring fairly freely overall (29 – Ghislain Gimbert has 9, veteran Benjamin Nivet 5, and Stephane Darbion 4). They too have been kicked out of the Coupe de France by CFA opposition (losing to Cannes, who were down to ten men, 2-1).
Prediction: Tours to win in a high-scoring encounter. 3-2?
PSG v Saint-Etienne (Wednesday 19.55 GMT)
The Champions are cruising in the league and Champions League, despite recent reverses against Evian and Benfica, and face Lille in the last match before the winter break, so this could signal Blanc changing things up a bit as even PSG-B contains some scary prospects. Thus, chances for some of the lesser-spotted Parisiens (Ongenda, Coman, Digne, Marquinhos) and supersubs (Rabiot, Lucas, Lavezzi – like I said, scary) to make an appearance, with a sprinkling of first-team regulars.
Saint-Etienne are the holders, however, and it’s been a long while since they picked up any other silverware, so despite having some staffing issues at the back and Nantes to play in the last game of 2013, can be expected to go for it. The fourth best attack in the league (and with a game in hand) against a probably slightly lighter than normal PSG backline could mean goals! And what do goals mean? Chaos on the twitter feed. Anyway. Having seen off Montpellier on Friday night, and with Hamouma not starting that game, they should be pretty fresh.
Prediction: Who knows? Let’s just hope football’s the winner. OK then, Saint-Etienne to win, er, 3-2. Bound to be right eventually…
*As ever, we would strongly recommend against using the above for betting purposes. Our record is terrible. This is all part of the magic of the cup. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.