The last 32 of the 2023-24 Coupe de France commences with a mismatch on paper on Friday evening, as fourth-tier Bergerac Perigord take on seven-time Ligue 1 champions Lyon at the Stade Jean-Antoine Moueix.
The Championnat National 2 outfit got the better Libourne in their most recent knockout encounter, while Les Gones cruised past CA Pontarlier 3-0.
Match preview
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Only 12 days after ending Libourne's wafer-thin hopes of Coupe de France stardom, Bergerac Perigord will now be making use of their victims' 8,500-seater stadium for a glamour tie with Lyon rather than welcoming Les Gones to their humble 1,400-seater Stade de Campreal.
Yassine Azahaf's men did not require a stadium promotion to eliminate fellow Championnat National 2 side Libourne from the Coupe de France in the last-64 stage, though, as Axel Tressens and Hicham Mlaab ensured that Ahmadou Souane's opener would be for nought.
Bergerac Perigord are not entering totally unchartered territory this week, as the 'hosts' have got as far as the quarter-finals in France's premier cup competition - being denied a semi-final berth by FC Versailles in the 2021-22 season - prior to which they lost to Lille in the 2016-17 last 16.
Possessing an affinity for a deep cup run, Bergerac Perigord previously put four past both of Montlouis and Panazol in the earlier rounds of the 2023-24 edition, and their winning streak in all tournaments stands at three games thanks to a 2-1 beating of Avoine OCC at the weekend.
Victory over Avoine marked only Bergerac's fourth win from 11 Championnat National 2 games in the current campaign, an indifferent stretch of form which has left Azahaf's troops ninth in the 14-team Group B standings, albeit with games in hand on every side above them.
Bidding to stop Bergerac in their tracks is a Lyon side already boasting five Coupe de France titles to their name, although not since 2011-12 have Les Gones reigned supreme in the competition, which also remains the last time that Friday's visitors have participated in the final.
Fast forward to 2024, and Pierre Sage's side continue to flirt with danger in Ligue 1, but the 44-year-old's permanent appointment has helped to steady the sinking ship, evidenced by a four-game winning run without conceding between December 10 and January 7.
Alongside successive Ligue 1 beatings of Toulouse, Monaco and Nantes, Lyon commenced their latest bid for Coupe de France glory with a routine 3-0 triumph against fifth-tier Pontarlier on January 7, where ex-Arsenal duo Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Alexandre Lacazette followed up Rayan Cherki's opener.
However, not all of the Gones cracks have been papered over, as Sage's men enter Friday's last-32 tie on the back of a morale-sapping 3-1 loss to newly-promoted Le Havre in Ligue 1, where both of Lyon's starting centre-backs - Duje Caleta-Car and Jake O'Brien - saw red.
Whether that defeat will send Lyon spiralling back into old ways only time will tell, but history is at least on the visitors' side this week, as Les Gones have reached the quarter-finals in each of the last five Coupe de France tournaments ahead of their inaugural meeting with minnows Bergerac.
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Team News
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Bergerac boss Azahaf was not forced into any injury-related alterations during the victory over Avoine at the weekend, where M'Laab was only a second-half substitute in spite of his previous Coupe de France heroics.
The 33-year-old - a former Rennes youth product - should be reinstated to the first XI for the last-32 clash, though, while six-goal Romain Escarpit leads the line; the 25-year-old reunites with his old club after leaving the Lyon academy setup in 2017.
As for the Ligue 1 strugglers, Caleta-Car and O'Brien will serve respective two-game and one-game suspensions owing to their red cards in the loss to Le Havre, so the return of Dejan Lovren from his own ban will be welcomed with open arms.
Mama Balde and Ernest Nuamah are both away on Africa Cup of Nations duty for Les Gones, who must also cope without Johann Lepenant and his sprained knee, while it remains to be seen if Skelly Alvero's illness will clear up in time for Friday.
While Sage will be forced to rejig his centre-backs, he is blessed with plentiful options for change in defence and recently had his rearguard boosted by the acquisition of Brazilian Adryelson, who could come in for his full debut in the cup.
Bergerac Perigord possible starting lineup:
Laborde-Turon; Luyambula-Biwa, Abonckelet, Kamissoko, Ducros; Gyeboaho, Elissalt; M'Laab, Tressens, Faty; Escarpit
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Mata, Lovren, Adryelson, Silva; Caqueret, Tolisso; Cherki, Maitland-Niles, Moreira; Lacazette
We say: Bergerac Perigord 0-3 Lyon
Lyon ought to chalk up their loss to Le Havre to their loss of discipline, and Sage's side have otherwise been impenetrable over the Christmas and New Year period - a resilient streak which should recommence on Friday.
The five-time winners will be squaring up to fearless opponents who know what it takes to spring a surprise in the Coupe de France, but we cannot envisage such a giant killing this week.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
