For the first round of 16 of the Coupe de France in its history, FC Espaly will have the chance to host Paris Saint-Germain in mid-January. A historic event for this N3 club.
Each season, the Coupe de France is full of little stories among amateur clubs. In 2025, the magic of the most famous competition in French football will operate on the side of Espaly. Neighboring Puy-en-Velay, which will also play in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France alongside Dives Cabourg, the National 3 club is part of the CDF's Petits Poucets, with three other fifth division clubs. If Bourgoin Jallieu and Thaon were also entitled to a nice draw with the reception of OL for the Isérois and that of Strasbourg for the Vosges, Espaly hit the jackpot with the reception of PSG.
Faller of Lens in the last match of the year at Bollaert on Sunday evening (1-1, 3 tab to 4), the Parisians will therefore face players from this small village in Haute-Loire. An honor for all the Espaviots, who will however have to find an approved pitch to welcome the stars of PSG. Because if Espaly achieved the feat of beating Dijon in its Viouzou stadium in the 32nd (1-1, 4 tab to 3), the small enclosure surrounded by rocks will not be big enough to accommodate PSG. So why not dream of playing at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne. In any case, this is Lionel Vaillant’s desire.
“The best would be Geoffroy-Guichard for us”
“This draw for the round of 16 of the Coupe de France is Christmas before its time! It’s great for the whole club, the players. This rewards all the work of the people at the club. We watched the draw together with the players in the bar of our small village of 3,000 inhabitants. Our ball was shot last, so it was even more stressful than the penalty shootout we had on Friday night! We let the players go on vacation. They have a training program since we return to the championship on the weekend of January 11 and we welcome Bourgoin, who is a big player in our group and who is still in the Coupe de France. We are going to prepare as we usually prepare, we are not going to change the way we do things. We will stay as we are. For the stadium? I think that at home, it's going to be very complicated for welcoming supporters… It's the president who will manage all that. Le Puy is moving so we might have their Massot stadium… The best would be Geoffroy-Guichard for us. Would we be able to fill it? These are questions to ask yourself. This is the role of the president”detailed, on RMC, the Espaly coach, who would therefore like to do like the neighbors of Puy, who received Rennes in the quarter-finals in a very full Cauldron last season.
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