Chateauroux vs PSG

Runaway Ligue 1 leaders PSG take a trip to the Stade Gaston Petit to encounter third-tier Chateauroux in a seemingly routine Coupe de France tie.

Stuck in the Championnat National relegation group after going winless in their last seven league outings (D4, L3), Chateauroux look like a doomed outfit even before the kick-off. However, they’ve fared well in the Coupe de France this season, beating lower-league Stade Poitevin 1-0 in the opening round before a 4-1 humbling of Lege Capferret last time out. Worryingly, though, since that cup success, Maxence Flachez’s men have gone winless in four consecutive matches (D2, D2), conceding 2+ goals on three occasions. Particularly vulnerable in the opening stages, they’ve shipped at least one goal within 25 minutes of play in all of those four games, highlighting the potential for falling behind early on.

Meanwhile, after welcoming World Cup winner Lionel Messi back to the fold, reigning Ligue 1 champions PSG are looking to bounce back from an underwhelming 3-1 defeat at fellow title hopefuls Lens on New Year’s Day. Having been knocked down from an almost-perfect 16-game top-flight start (W14, D2), Christophe Galtier’s men are keen to get back on the saddle against a Chateauroux side they’ve overcome in their last two Coupe de France ties, most recently in 2004. Indeed, ‘Les Parisiens’ have been victorious in three of their four previous competitive H2Hs against this opposition (L1), keeping a clean sheet in each win. It’s also worth mentioning that before succumbing at Lens, they had won three consecutive away games in all competitions by an aggregate score of 7-2.