A monument in distress, the Girondins de Bordeaux temporarily rediscover the scent of big matches, this Sunday (2:45 p.m.), with the reception of Stade Rennais as part of the 32nd finals of the Coupe de France. Now residents of National 2, Andy Carroll's teammates can legitimately dream of an exploit against Jorge Sampaoli's men.
The five reasons to believe in an exploit for Bordeaux against Rennes.
The Coupe de France is not short of exploits. The Calais courses in 2000 and that of Quevilly in 2012 are the most iconic examples. To dream of such an epic, the Girondins can draw inspiration from these “Little Thumbs” who made the history and charm of this competition.
It seems a long time ago when Bruno Irles and his assistant Dado Pršo stopped on the side of the highway to check a player's profile, with the ambition of building a squad in record time. After a checkered start to the season, Bordeaux went 15 games without defeat.
Beyond this series of invincibility, Bruno Irles succeeded in his first two objectives: “bring back smiles“and create a real collective:”After four months, I have smiles and I really enjoy being at the Girondins […] I also have the feeling that there are a lot of smiles around us again, so this is a successful first assessment.“, he confided at the microphone of TV7.
Images of the Bordeaux Virage Sud in turmoil during National 2 meetings continue to circulate on the networks. Despite its irremediable fall, and the deplorable conflicts between two groups of supporters, the Scapular club can count on a fervor that would make some Ligue 1 clubs pale.
For this summit meeting, Matmut Atlantique opened certain stands to ensure an electric atmosphere. “This weekend, there will be 20,000 of us“, underlined Bruno Irles during an interview with Canal+. “In the N2 championship at home, there are 12,000. It's huge, it's unheard of! We must, with our means, use this history and these supporters to rebuild.”
“The love of the game”. It's an understatement to say that the former England international plays for the love of football. His paltry salary, his double in his debut against Chateaubriant (2-2), his already close relationship with the supporters, Andy Carroll is quite simply building his legend on the banks of the Garonne.
Author of 7 goals and 2 assists in 9 games, the former Newcastle and Liverpool scorer will obviously be the man to watch this Sunday. The Girondins will also be able to count on their other scorer, Yanis Merdji, and on their defense, the best in Pool B of National 2 with US Saint-Malo.
“To pass this round, you will have to be up to the task, because we encounter a lot of difficulties during our away matches.“. Jorge Sampaoli's observation in the pre-match press conference is clear. And for good reason, Stade Rennais has only scored one point in seven Ligue 1 away games this season.
To defeat the Indian sign, the Argentine technician should also line up his big team: “There will not be a strong rotation in the starting XI, as we need to consolidate our style“. On paper, the Bretons are largely favorites. A status which will however be difficult to assume against a club in search of its past glory.
Also read:
Girondins de Bordeaux – Stade Rennais: On which TV channel, probable lineups, injuries and predictions
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