The biggest surprise story at the Coupe de France last season, Le Puy F43 Auvergne, seek a place in the round of 32 on Saturday against relegation-threatened Montpellier HSC from Stade Charles Massot.
An emphatic 5-1 victory over RCO Agde sent the Championnat National 2 side into the next phase of this tournament, while Montpellier can end a rough 2024 on a positive note, playing to a 2-2 draw with Nice in their previous Ligue 1 fixture.
Match preview
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This competition seems to bring out the best in Le Puy, who are looking to build off their improbable run to the quarter-finals a season ago.
They are off to a flying start in 2024-25, outscoring their two Coupe de France opponents this year by a combined margin of 7-1.
Stephane Dief has managed to keep this team consistent over the past few months, as they have suffered just one defeat in their previous 15 competitive fixtures.
That has put them in contention to move up into the third tier of French football, currently just two points below Grasse in Group A after 13 matchdays.
Under Dief, they have been rock-solid at the back, conceding just five goals domestically this season, the fewest in Championnat National 2.
Le Puy have made it beyond this phase of the tournament in three of their previous four campaigns, upsetting Ligue 1 side Nice 1-0 at this stage in 2023.
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Montpellier have had a forgettable Ligue 1 campaign thus far, accumulating nine points after 15 encounters, the fewest-ever for this club at this stage of a top-flight season.
As a result, they are at the bottom of the table, three points below the relegation line, and have lost all seven of their away contests in that competition thus far.
There is some degree of positivity for Jean-Louis Gasset though, as his side have points in two of their previous three encounters, suffering just one defeat this month (2-0 at Lens).
We always seem to see a different Montpellier side at the Coupe de France, however, with La Paillade qualifying for the last 16 or further in four of their previous five tournament appearances.
Meanwhile, Montpellier have not lost a round of 64 encounters in this competition since they were beaten handily by Lyon 5-0 in 2017.
They have won two of their previous three matches at this tournament stage against teams below them in the French football league system, though they were ousted by Pau from Ligue 2 at this phase in 2023.
Team News
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Only one change was made to the Le Puy starting 11 from their first to second match at the Coupe de France, with Moussa Faty coming in for Tom Lebeau.
Five different players, including Tyrone Sakho, Yann Diebold, Nicolas Pays, Thomas Ghalem, and Mael Zogba, found the back of the net for them in their victory against Agde.
Because of a cruciate ligament injury, Montpellier will be missing Christopher Jullien for this encounter, while Kiki Kouyate is doubtful with a sore knee and Khalil Fayad has a muscle strain.
Goals from Joris Chotard and Theo Sainte-Luce were enough to earn them a point in their previous domestic affair, the first for each player in Ligue 1 this season.
Le Puy F43 Auvergne possible starting lineup:
Carvalho; Ghalem, Zogba, Bouleghcha; Esmel, Lebeau, Sakho, Pays; Adelaide, Mayela, Diebold
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Bertaud; Tchato, Sagnan, Omeragic, Sylla; Bares, Chotard; Nzingoula, Fayad, Khazri; Adams
We say: Le Puy F43 Auvergne 0-1 Montpellier HSC
We are starting to see some positive signs at Montpellier, and though Le Puy have punched above their weight in this competition, we expect the visitors' newfound confidence will propel them into the next round.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
