Ligue 1 side Angers travel to the French capital this weekend, as they face off with minnows Bobigny in the Coupe de France round of 64.
The hosts will be aiming to pull off another upset in the cup this year, having already defeated Ligue 2 club Red Star on penalties in the previous round.
Match preview
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Three divisions separate the two sides, with Bobigny competing for promotion from the fourth tier of French football and Angers currently battling against relegation in Ligue 1.
Despite the size difference between the two clubs, Bobigny come into this clash in excellent form, with only one defeat in 12 games in Group C of Championnat National 2.
They started the campaign well, winning their first four fixtures, before dropping points in three consecutive games - with their only loss of the season to date coming in October against Chambly-Oise.
Since that defeat, they have been almost flawless in all competitions, with a 1-1 draw against Chantilly at the start of November the only blemish in the seven games since.
Included in that run are the two games that they have had to play to reach this stage of the Coupe de France – a 4-0 win away to Labourse set up an exciting clash against neighbours Red Star, who were expected to coast to success against Bobigny.
However, Bobigny defied the odds by almost beating their higher-ranked opponents in normal time, before a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw sent the game to penalties.
The late leveller did not prevent the underdogs from getting through, as they held their nerve in the shootout to set up the clash with Angers.
Having already beaten an opponent two divisions higher than them, they will be hoping to go one step better and see off the Ligue 1 strugglers this weekend.
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The visitors are entering the competition at this stage and have endured a difficult first half of their campaign, having won promotion from Ligue 2 last season.
After starting the season without a win in their opening eight fixtures, their fortunes improved when they beat fellow strugglers Saint-Etienne and followed that up with a surprise win away to Monaco.
However, they come into this game with only one victory in their last five matches and Alexandre Dujeux's side look as if they will be involved in a relegation battle for the rest of the campaign, with just 13 points from their opening 15 matches.
Angers will look to set aside their league struggles and go on another run in the Coupe de France, a competition they have finished runners-up in twice – in 1957 and 2017.
The visitors will see this game as the perfect opportunity to get their form back on track and fancy their chances of boosting their poor form in front of goal against smaller opposition.
Le SCO have struggled to find the back of the net all season, with their tally of 14 goals in Ligue 1 making them the third-lowest scorers in the top division.
Dujeux's team will also be glad to be playing away this weekend, as they have had considerably more success on their travels than at home this season, with nine of their 13 points in the league being claimed on the road.
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Team News
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The visitors are expected to be without midfielders Justin-Noel Kalumba (ankle) and Sidiki Cherif (thigh) until the end of the month.
Fellow midfielder Emmanuel Biumla also has a thigh injury and will be out until January, while Jim Allevinah is nursing a foot injury and will be out for at least a few more weeks.
Elsewhere, in another blow for the visitors, Cedric Hountondji is still continuing his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, the hosts have a mixture of youth and experience throughout their ranks that they will lean on in this cup tie.
Veteran defender Lassana Konte netted a brace in the recent 2-1 win against Balagne last weekend and also scored in the previous round against Red Star.
Additionally, goalkeeper Oumar Sissoko has impressed following his arrival from Racing Besancon in the summer, keeping six clean sheets in 13 games in all competitions.
Bobigny possible starting lineup:
Sissoko; Latouchent, Konte, Kaddouri, Seridor; Beziouen, Rotsen, Dibassy, Ben Allel; Lasme, Traore
Angers possible starting lineup:
Fofana; Hanin, Lefort, Bamba, Arcus; Belkebla, Aholou, Raolisoa, Abdelli, Belkhdim; Niane
We say: Bobigny 0-2 Angers
Bobigny have already defied the odds to reach this stage of the competition with their impressive win against Red Star in the previous round, but we think their cup run ends here.
Angers have certainly had a difficult campaign, but they should have more than enough quality to see off Bobigny this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Tom Humphrey
