Le Mans vs Paris Saint-Germain

Stade Marie-Marvingt forms the backdrop for a ‘David vs Goliath’ Coupe de France last-16 tie between Le Mans and Paris Saint-Germain.

Stuck in the third tier of French football, Le Mans must punch above their weight to lock down a quarter-final berth despite boasting a strong home form record heading into this fixture. Indeed, the hosts haven’t lost a competitive game since a 2-0 home defeat to Orleans in late November (W7, D3), including three victories in this competition. However, victories against lower-league St. Colomban Locmine, Marmande, and Valenciennes can’t compare with the upcoming challenge. Le Mans did give PSG a run for their money in their last Coupe de France tie in 2011, forcing extra time, only to lose 2-0 in the end. More recently, they slumped to a clear-cut 4-1 defeat in their 2019/20 Coupe de la Ligue showdown, perhaps offering home fans a glimpse into the near future.

In the meantime, PSG ran riot against Ligue 1 opposition Brest at the weekend, scooping up a 5-2 away win to build on a scintillating 4-1 romping of Stuttgart in the Champions League. Curiously, Ousmane Dembele bagged a hat-trick in both wins. Though Luis Enrique will likely rest his standout performers, ‘Les Parisiens’ should have a walk in the park as they head into proceedings unbeaten in their last 14 competitive matches (W11, D3). Top-tier Lens and subpar Espaly couldn’t contain the reigning Coupe de France holders in that sequence, though the latter forced PSG to net twice beyond the 87th minute to claim a 4-2 victory. That win forms part of PSG’s four-game winning away streak with 90 minutes, with three of those four wins seeing them score 4+ goals.