“It would be difficult to be eliminated by a Regional 1 team.” Olivier Pantaloni feared “this last week as the holidays approach”, before this 32nd final of the Coupe de France. “But I saw very concerned players in training,” reassured the FC Lorient coach on Thursday, announcing that he wanted to “bring as many players from the squad as possible, without drawing on the reserve.” He has thus convened, as the competition allows, a group of 20 elements, which include all the holders in Ligue 2. Even the goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo, who should nevertheless give up his place to No. 2 Benjamin Leroy, the latter having played the two previous rounds of the Coupe de France against amateurs Ruffiac-Malestroit (0-2) and Monnaie (0-5). Aside from the injured, only wingers Joël Mvuka and Stéphane Diarra will not be on the trip, which will allow midfielder Bandiougou Fadiga, who arrived this summer injured, to honor his first match sheet with FC Lorient.
“Trap match”
Proof that the Corsican technician is wary of this “trap match”, against a club he knows well having been its coach in Ligue 2 (from July 2013 to October 2014). He notably had under his command a certain Bryan Bergougnoux, who took over the team this summer with success (eight victories and two defeats in ten matches). “Tours is a team better equipped than our previous opponents in the cup. It remains on a good series of victories and was built to compete for accession to N2.” Administratively demoted to Regional 1, the club managed to keep its players and has just eliminated two Breton teams in the cup (US Montagnarde and Cesson).
FC LORIENT : Leroy – Kalulu, Laporte, Mendy, Le Bris – Abergel (cap.) – Katseris, Avom Ebong, Ponceau, Pagis – Soumano.
Substitutes : Hand (g.), James, Genton, Talbi, Yongwa, Fadiga, Makengo, Tosin, Croupi.
Absent : Bamba, Adjei (ankle), Silva (adductors), B. Mendy, S. Diarra, Mvuka (choice).
Coach : Olivier Pantaloni.
