As one of the lowest-ranked teams left in the competition, fourth-tier Versailles will aspire to pull off a giant killing against Ligue 2 outfit Toulouse in the last-16 of the Coupe de France on Saturday.
The hosts made it this far courtesy of a narrow 1-0 win over fifth-tier Cannes, while their opponents thrashed La Roche VF 5-0 in the last-32 stage.
Match preview
The ultimate goal of a return to Ligue 1 is firmly within Toulouse's grasp, with the Ligue 2 leaders losing out on a place in this season's top flight to Nantes in the relegation/promotion playoffs last term, but their momentum took an unexpected hit against Bastia last time out.
Firing 16 shots compared to their opponents' six, Toulouse were forced to settle for a point in a 0-0 draw with the bottom-half Bastia outfit in a bad-tempered clash which saw both teams finish the game with 10 men, but they still lead the way at the top of the Ligue 2 rankings.
Philippe Montanier and his crop will be looking over their shoulder, though, as second-placed Ajaccio sit just one point adrift with a game in hand, but focus now turns to the Coupe de France, where Toulouse have not exactly beaten the lower-league sides with any real conviction.
Les Violets thrashed fellow second-tier side Nimes 4-1 en route to the last-16, but only a Rafael Ratao strike got them over the line against fifth-tier Cannes, and they needed a penalty shootout to get past minnows Libourne back in November.
However, Motanier's side enter this game on a seven-game unbeaten streak as they aim to make the quarter-finals for the second year running, but Versailles are daring to dream.
As well as making waves in the Coupe de France as one of only two teams outside Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 still going strong - alongside Bergerac Perigord - Versailles have also been virtually unplayable in Championnat National 2 action this term and travel to the second-tier leaders with the wind firmly in their sails.
The visitors' top-of-the-table clash with Lorient II last Saturday ended with the spoils shared in a 1-1 draw, which ended Versailles' six-game winning run across all competitions, but their Coupe de France run has sent tongues wagging.
Granted, this will be the visitors' first true test in the tournament this season - they are yet to face a side in the third tier or above - but three clean sheets from their last three in the Coupe de France ought to give the travelling party the faith that a shock result is not beyond the realm of possibility.
Versailles have also lost just once away from home in all competitions this season - winning six of their last eight on the road - but Youssef Chibhi's side will need to produce something truly special to shock the French footballing landscape here.
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Team News
Toulouse defender Mikkel Desler will miss this cup tie through suspension after seeing red for violent conduct in the draw with Bastia, which could see Sam Sanna deputise in that area of the field.
Issiaga Sylla may be ready to return to the full-back areas after Guinea's elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations, but Denis Genreau and Junior Flemmings are away with Australia and Jamaica respectively.
The hosts also have midfielder Brecht Dejaegere out for several weeks through injury, and rotation will certainly come into play, with Mamady Bangre and Naatan Skytta potentially starting behind 13-goal Englishman Rhys Healey.
As for Versailles, do not be surprised to see Chibhi stick with a defence-heavy 5-3-2 formation for the trip to Toulouse, marshalled by their only international player in Togo's Gustave Akueson.
Still going strong at 37, Mickael Gnahore ought to man the midfield for Versailles, as seven-goal striker and top scorer Christopher Ibayi returns up top.
Toulouse possible starting lineup:
Pettersson; Sanna, Diakite, Rouault, Diarra; Spierings, Van den Boomen; Bangre, Skytta, Ratao; Healey
Versailles possible starting lineup:
Yirango; Pham Ba, Akueson, Diouf, De Gevigney, Traore; Gnahore, Diarrassouba, Michel; Ibayi, Djoco
We say: Toulouse 4-1 Versailles
Versailles have made it this far simply by beating teams either at or below their level, and while a last-16 appearance is still nothing to be sniffed at, the step-up in class will be evident here.
Toulouse have looked far from convincing in the cup this term and will undoubtedly give some of their up-and-coming starlets the chance to shine, but the Ligue 2 leaders will expect to end Versailles' cup dreams with a ruthless showing on home soil.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Toulouse win with a probability of 83.5%. A draw had a probability of 11.7% and a win for Versailles had a probability of 4.81%.
The most likely scoreline for a Toulouse win was 2-0 with a probability of 14.45%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 3-0 (13.14%) and 1-0 (10.59%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (5.52%), while for a Versailles win it was 0-1 (2.02%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 2% likelihood.
