Two sides in impressive form will face off this Wednesday as Quevilly host top-flight side Angers at Stade Robert Diochon in Coupe de France round of 32.
The hosts arrive on a three-game winning streak across all competitions, while the visitors have matched that run with three consecutive victories of their own.
Match preview
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Quevilly reached this stage of the French Cup with a penalty shootout win over Paris FC after a 1-1 draw in regulation time, followed by a narrow 1-0 victory over Liancourt Clermont and a 2-0 triumph against US Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu in their most recent outing in the competition.
Their latest cup triumph forms part of their ongoing perfect run, which also includes two wins in the Championnat National - a 2-1 success against Concarneau and a 1-0 victory over Versailles last Friday.
Reaching this stage of the Coupe de France for the second time in four years, Quevilly will be aiming to avoid a repeat of their 3-1 defeat to Monaco in 2020-21 as they prepare to face another top-flight opponent.
Hoping to make it past this round for the first time since 2016-17, the Red and Yellows will draw inspiration from their perfect record against Angers in this competition, having beaten them twice on home turf.
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Meanwhile, Angers will aim to build on their recent success against the hosts, having won in the last two encounters between the sides - both in Ligue 2 during the 2023-24 campaign - before the two clubs embarked on contrasting journeys.
While the hosts suffered relegation to the lower divisions, the Black and Whites earned promotion to the top flight and currently sit 13th in Ligue 1.
Their return to the higher tier has been challenging, with Angers enduring an eight-match winless run at the start of the season before finally tasting victory on October 26, when they defeated Saint-Etienne 4-2.
That breakthrough result was followed by a shock 1-0 win over Monaco, though their next five outings yielded just one victory, sandwiched between consecutive defeats on either side.
Les Scoistes have since found their rhythm, stringing together three wins across all competitions, and their cup journey kicked off with a 1-0 triumph over Bobigny in the previous round before they recorded 2-0 and 3-1 league victories against Brest and Montpellier, respectively.
The visitors will be looking to maintain this momentum on Wednesday as they aim to reach the round of 16 for the second time in three seasons.
Team News
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Isaac Tshipamba will be the key player to watch, with the forward having netted a brace in Quevilly's previous cup outing to take his tally in the competition to five.
He is expected to retain his place in a potential two-man attack, likely alongside Yassin Fortune, as seen last Friday.
Defender Kapokyeng Sylva, who delivered the decisive goal in their last fixture, is likely to retain his spot at right-back as they aim to extend their strong run.
The visitors will be without Sidiki Cherif due to a thigh injury and Justin-Noel Kalumba, who is sidelined with a broken ankle, with both players anticipated to return later this month.
Angers will look to Esteban Lepaul to continue his rich vein of form, with the forward having struck four times in the last three games, including the crucial goal that secured their progression to this round of the French Cup.
Quevilly possible starting lineup:
Patron; Diallo, Cisse, Soilihi, Owusu, Sylva; Laborgne, Dali-Amar, Njike; Tshipamba, Fortune
Angers possible starting lineup:
Fofana; Hanin, Lefort, Bamba, Arcus; Belkebla, Aholou, Raolisoa, Abdelli, Belkhdim; Lepaul
We say: Quevilly 1-2 Angers
Both sides enter this clash in high spirits, having won their last three matches across all competitions.
Although their head-to-head record is evenly balanced with two wins apiece from four meetings, the visitors' recent success in this fixture makes them slight favourites to claim a narrow victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
