The last quarter final of the Coupe de France will be on Thursday-evening between four-division team SAS Épinal and AS Saint-Étienne. Will the SAS Épinal manage to stunt the number fifteen of the Ligue 1?
SAS Epinal:
SAS Épinal won the eighth finals of the Coupe de France at the end of last month with a 2-1 win over Lille and is therefore surprisingly in the quarterfinals of the Coupe de France. For the rest, the season of the fourth division team is not that spectacular at all, as the team is in seventh place in group A of the Championnat National 2, already 23 points behind the front runners and will not be promoted this season either. Nevertheless, it can be a historic season for the Xavier Collin team, as the team that has never reached the highest level can reach the semi-finals of the Coupe de France for the first time in history. The success of Jean-Philippe Krasso seems to be partly due to the fact that the attacker was responsible for half of his team’s hits in the Coupe de France this season, including the two hits against Lille.
AS Saint-Etienne:
Just like SAS Épinal, AS Saint-Étienne is going through a disappointing season in the competition. Last weekend, Claude Puel’s team lost a visit to Montpellier, after an early goal and a red card for Montpellier. In the second half, Les Verts were lord and master on the field, but because Puel’s team did not score for the second game in a row, a 1-0 defeat was suffered. As a result, the lead over the relegation line dropped to just four points, and in the event of a new loss this weekend visiting PhD student Stade Brestois, Puel’s team can again lose two places in the rankings.
It is not that far yet, because the cup match against SAS Épinal is waiting for Thursday evening. The only way Les Verts can still save their season is by winning the cup, but given that the top three of the Ligue 1 is still in the tournament, that seems to be an almost impossible task. The importance of this competition for AS Saint-Étienne seems to be mainly to regain confidence, something that is currently completely lacking at les Verts.
PREDICTION: St Etienne to win @ 1,35
