Coupe de France | Round of 64

Dec 22, 2024 at 1.45pm UK

Stadium de Toulouse (Toulouse)

Union Saint-Jean vs Monaco

Match preview

One of the smallest clubs in the Midi-Pyrenees has the chance of a lifetime on Sunday, 90 minutes away from what could be a colossal triumph.

Getting to this stage of the tournament is a remarkable achievement for a club who have beaten a team three tiers above them in the French league system just to get this far.

This is the furthest they have ever progressed in the Coupe de France and this weekend will be the first time they have faced a Ligue 1 side in a competitive match.

Against Monaco, Gregory Sorroche's men will be a tall order, but they go into the game in good form, having won their last two matches by a combined score of 6-1.

Prior to their emphatic 4-0 win over Montferrand in this competition, Saint-Jean had suffered six successive defeats in their regional league.

Not since January 2023, when FCO Strasbourg Koenigshoffen 06 edged Ligue 1 side Clermont 4-3 on penalties, has a team from the sixth tier of the French football league system progressed beyond this stage of the competition.

A season that began so promisingly for the Principality club has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks, with Les Monegasques winning just one of their last six matches in all competitions.

Four of those have ended in defeat, leaving them 10 points adrift of Ligue 1 leaders PSG and 16th in the league phase of the Champions League.

Monaco are winless in their last three away matches and have failed to score in their last two away games outside the Stade Louis II.

Adi Hutter's men have failed to win three Ligue 1 matches this season when leading in the second half, dropping seven points as a result.

Only once in their last six Coupe de France appearances have they been knocked out of the competition in the first round, squandering a 2-0 lead to Ligue 2 side Rodez on penalties in 2023.

Les Monegasques have also been knocked out of the competition on two successive occasions by a team from a lower division, including a penalty shootout defeat to Championnat National side Rouen in the last 16 last season.

Recent Performance

Union Saint-Jean Coupe de France form:WW

Monaco form (all competitions):LLWLDL

Team News

Saint-Jean made just one change to their starting eleven between the Montferrand and Versailles matches, with Djamile Lebon coming in for Sebastien Chinchilla.

Goals from Mathias Capdeville and Jonathan Rafion were enough to see Saint-Jean past Versailles, the second in a row for each player in the Coupe de France.

Monaco first-choice goalkeeper Radoslaw Majecki and Krepin Diatta are likely to miss the game with muscle strains, while Edan Diop is a doubt with a foot injury.

Denis Zakaria is unlikely to feature as he recovers from a hamstring problem, Folarin Balogun is out with a shoulder injury, while Jordan Teze is available despite missing the last Ligue 1 game through suspension.

Possible starting lineup

Union Saint-Jean possible starting lineup:

Rabyi; Viltard, Nativel, Cachart, Kolczynski; Tavares, Capdeville, Rafion; Payan, Belkoussa, Tournier

Monaco possible starting lineup:

Lienard; Teze, Salisu, Kiwa, Ouattara; Matazo, Camara; Minamino, Ben Seghir, Bouabre; Ilenikhena