Thirteen clubs Ligue 2 will be on the starting line during the 32nd finals of the French Cup in order to try to validate their ticket for the next round. Nine of them will be opposed to teams from Ligue 1 or lower divisions: we have decided to look at the different states of form of the teams which will cross swords with the residents of the second division this weekend.
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FC Bourgoin Jallieu (N3) – FC Martigues (L2)
Resident of Pool I of National 3, the FC Bourgoin Jallieu achieves a quality first leg. The team led by Freddy Morel is currently in second place in the standings, with 22 points taken out of 33 possible (7 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats in 11 matches). And for good reason, the FCBJ has not lost since the sixth day and remains on three consecutive successes in the championship against the OL reserve (3-1), Chassieu Décines (2-0) as well as the Clermont reserve (6-2). As for their cup career, the Berjalliens recently won against Saint-Just Saint-Rambert (R3, 4-0) in the 7th round, then against Olympique de Valence (R1, 3-0) in the 8th round. So beware of the Martégaux, who are struggling to get their head back up in Ligue 2 and who will play their first match of the season this Saturday without Thierry Laurey, who has just been suspended from his duties.
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GOAL FC (N2) – FC Annecy (L2)
Victorious over Rumilly Vallières (N2) on penalties during the 8th round, the GOAL FC is experiencing a complicated first part of the season. After parting ways with its coach Noël Tosi, the Ouest Lyonnais club called on Fabien Pujo to try to relaunch its 2024-2025 financial year. Arriving at the end of October, he has not yet managed to reverse the trend and his team – which has not won in N2 since November 1 – is still stagnating in 14th place ( out of 16) in its National 2 pool. We’ll see if the Rhone residents will be able to take advantage of the magic of the Coupe de France to bring down a particularly attractive FC Annecy since the resumption of the Ligue 2 championship.
L’AS Cannesformer club of Fabien Pujo, has on the other hand found beautiful colors for a little over a month. The Dragons relied on the Cup to launch a positive dynamic and notably scored 12 goals in their last three matches in all competitions. Ninth in Group A of National 2, the team now coached by Damien Ott – who notably assisted Laurent Batlles on the ESTAC bench between July 2019 and December 2021 – will be able to rely on a newfound offensive strength in order to attempt to shake up a Grenoble team that has been in great difficulty lately. With a timid attack and particularly dependent on the form of Pape Meïssa Ba, there is no guarantee that the Isère team would be able to turn the game around in the event of Cannes opening the score.
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FC Sochaux (N1) – Clermont Foot 63 (L2)
Nice poster of these 32nd finals that will oppose the FC Sochaux in Clermont! If the Lion Cubs are not yet playing the flamboyant football hoped for by many of their supporters, they have gradually found a certain continuity in their results under the leadership of Karim Mokeddem. FCSM, which loses very little but also concedes numerous draws, remains in ten games without defeat in the championship and is positioned three points behind Orléans, currently 3rd. The dream of returning to Ligue 2 is therefore still possible for the Doubistes, and that of reaching the round of 16 of the Coupe de France does not seem unrealistic far from it either. Carried by a Stade Bonal which never disappoints and against a Clermont team which is still looking for itself under the orders of Laurent Batlles, Sochaux will certainly have a good card to play this Sunday.
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ES Thaon (N3) – Amiens SC (L2)
The challenge will be great forES Thaon, but the residents of National 3, tenth in their group H, will not plunge into the unknown since they have already faced the ASC twice during the last two editions of the Coupe de France. And if the Vosges lost by a small goal last year, they managed to create the feat during the 2022-2023 season by winning on penalties against the Picards despite being numerically inferior. In order to try to get closer to the performance achieved on January 7, 2023, they will have to rely on their current series of three consecutive matches without defeat including tax and sweep away the doubts of a mixed start to the year.
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SC Bastia (L2) – RC Saint-Joseph (R1 Martinique)
The hierarchical gap widens further for this duel between SC Bastia and RC Saint-JosephMartinican R1 team. The Joséphins are off to an interesting start to the season with four victories in their last four outings, and they will need to put in a perfect match to get the better of Sporting at Furiani. In order to put itself in the best possible conditions and facilitate its adaptation, the RCSJ arrived this Monday morning in Essonne with the desire and hope of creating the feat on the Isle of Beauty on Friday. Before Bastia, it was the players of ESO La-Roche-sur-Yon (N3) who experienced the disillusionment of being taken out on their Vendée lands (1-3).
To offer quality opposition to the Maritimes who are none other than the best team in Ligue 2 in 2024, who better than the last champions of the championship? Seductive, flamboyant and above all a winner, theALSO Auxerre won a new title last May before heading to the elite of French football. And on the upper floor, it is clear that the team led by Christophe Pélissier has not slowed down. The Burgundian team maintained its enthusiasm and notably relied on an impressive form at Abbé-Deschamps (17 points taken out of 24 possible) to get out of the bottom of the table and climb to 8th place. With eight points ahead of the first relegated team, the AJA is on the right track and will try to finish its year well by winning against a USLD which also has many arguments to put forward.
Historic club of French professional football, the Tours FC will be entitled to its gala poster this Saturday. With a series of eight consecutive victories in the championship, the current leaders of their Regional 1 group will challenge the Ligue 2 leaders of FC Lorient with the desire to regain their former glory, at least for one evening, as well as many former members of their community. Olivier Pantaloni, who did not stay very long in Touraine between two long mandates in Ajaccio, will notably make his return to the Stade de la Vallée du Cher.
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SA Mérignac (R1) – Stade Lavallois (L2)
If Stade Laval has shown remarkable form for several days, the Merignac SA remains, on an obviously smaller scale, undefeated in Regional 1 as well as in the cup since the start of the season! The Tango will therefore face a team in great shape which will have nothing to lose within the confines of the Robert-Brettes stadium this Friday, and they will have to be vigilant to avoid heat strokes similar to those experienced at the 7th round against Vitré (5-4 after TAB) then Concarneau (5-3 after TAB) on November 30. To get there, SAM notably defeated a D3 in the 7th round and an R2 during the 8th phase of the knockout tournament.
Photo Hugo Pfeiffer/Icon Sport
