They had two chances in seventeen of falling against a Ligue 2 team. Chartres (Eure-et-Loir) will challenge Stade Malherbe in Caen for the 7th round of the French Football Cup. This was decided by the draw which took place on Wednesday October 30. A prestigious poster for the club from the Eurelian capital which had already faced Caen in the Coupe de France, 5 years ago.
The match will take place on November 16. An attractive draw, even if Chartres could also draw the “exempt” ballot. “We weren’t so lucky,” smiles the coach, Laurent Fournier. But it's good to play in Ligue 2, in our stadium too. I hope we will have people to support us,” rejoices the former professional player who played for a long time at PSG in the 90s and whose objective in the championship is to move up to N2 (the club is currently 2nd in the ranking of N3 while Caen is 14th in L2 to date).
Caen, a not-so-distant memory in the minds of CCF supporters. On December 7, 2019, Chartrains and Normands already faced each other in the Coupe de France but for the 8th round. SMC took the lead quickly and won 1-0. Chartres can therefore hope to create a surprise.
“We always dream of a long run in the Cup! It's going to be difficult because it's a Ligue 2 team. We are largely non-favorites but you never know. We will have to play well, have a good game to try to compete. We will try to play this match with a lot of determination and a lot of desire,” assures the former Parisian.
Three divisions separate the two teams. Chartres will therefore have everything to show off on the pitch and will have to believe in their lucky star. “The cup is surprising and it can be extraordinary,” knows Laurent Fournier, the former defensive midfielder who won it twice with PSG in 1993 and 1998.
In the event of qualification against Caen, the CCF will meet the winner of the match between Paimpol (R2) and Saint-Brieuc (N2), on November 30. Enough to glimpse the 32nd finals, synonymous with the entry into contention of Ligue 1 clubs.
