On Sunday, in a David vs. Goliath affair, Union Saint-Jean can pull off one of the biggest upsets in Coupe de France history when they take on Monaco in the round of 64 at Stadium de Toulouse.
The amateur club held onto a 2-1 victory over Versailles to advance into this phase of the competition, while Les Monegasques lost their previous top-flight fixture 4-2 versus Paris Saint-Germain.
Match preview
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One of the smallest clubs in the Midi-Pyrenees have the opportunity of a lifetime Sunday as they stand 90 minutes away from what could be a colossal triumph.
To get to this stage of the tournament is already a remarkable achievement for a club who defeated a side three levels above them in the French league system just to get this opportunity.
This is the furthest they have ever gone in a Coupe de France tournament, and this weekend will be the first time they will face a Ligue 1 side in a competitive fixture.
Battling Monaco would seem like a mountainous task for Gregory Sorroche's men, though they enter this encounter in good form, winning consecutive matches by a combined margin of 6-1.
Before their emphatic 4-0 victory over Montferrand in this competition, Saint-Jean had suffered six successive defeats in their regional league.
Not since January 2023 have we seen a side in the sixth level of the French Football league system advance beyond this stage of the tournament, when FCO Strasbourg Koenigshoffen 06 upset Ligue 1 side Clermont on penalties (4-3).
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A season that began so promisingly for the Principality club has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks, with Les Monegasques winning just one of their previous six matches across all competitions.
Four of those contests ended in defeat, with Monaco now 10 points behind PSG for first in Ligue 1 and down to 16th in the league phase of the Champions League.
Monaco are winless in their last three competitive fixtures away from home and have not scored in their last two encounters outside Stade Louis II.
Adi Hutter's men have failed to win three Ligue 1 contests this season when leading in the second half, dropping seven points as a result.
Only once in their last six Coupe de France appearances have they been eliminated from their opening match, squandering a 2-0 lead versus Ligue 2 side Rodez in 2023 and losing on penalties.
At the same time, Les Monegasques have been knocked out of this competition by a side in a lower league on two consecutive occasions, including a penalty shootout loss in the round of 16 last season against Rouen from Championnat National.
Team News
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From their match with Montferrand to their game against Versailles, Saint-Jean made just one change to their starting 11, with Djamile Lebon replacing Sebastien Chinchilla.
Goals from Mathias Capdeville and Jonathan Rafion were enough to see them defeat Versailles, the second for each player in successive Coupe de France affairs.
A muscle strain will likely sideline Monaco's first-choice goalkeeper, Radoslaw Majecki, and Krepin Diatta for this fixture, while Edan Diop is doubtful due to a sore foot.
Do not expect to see Denis Zakaria feature as he is recovering from a hamstring problem, Folarin Balogun is out with a shoulder injury, while Jordan Teze is eligible to feature despite missing their previous Ligue 1 contest through suspension.
Union Saint-Jean possible starting lineup:
Rabyi; Viltard, Nativel, Cachart, Kolczynski; Tavares, Capdeville, Rafion; Payan, Belkoussa, Tournier
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Lienard; Teze, Salisu, Kiwa, Ouattara; Matazo, Camara; Minamino, Ben Seghir, Bouabre; Ilenikhena
We say: Union Saint-Jean 0-6 Monaco
Fairy tales do not always have a happy ending, and though this match probably means a lot more to Union, they simply do not match up against even a slumping Monaco side and too many unforeseeable things must happen for them to create a massive shock.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
