Lyon vs Grenoble Foot 38

Groupama Stadium forms the backdrop for an intriguing Coupe de France quarter-finals tie between Ligue 1 heavyweights Lyon and second-tier Grenoble Foot 38.

An eight-point deficit on fifth-placed Rennes means Lyon could miss out on a European finish in Ligue 1 for the second season running despite easing past rock-bottom Angers 3-1 at the weekend. Therefore, lifting the Coupe de France title for the first time since 2011/12 could be a perfect alternate route for next season’s European football. Laurent Blanc’s men opened the competition with comfortable wins over lower-league sides Metz and Chambery before edging fierce top-flight rivals Lille on penalties in the last round. ‘Les Gones’ will hope for a more straightforward task here after a hard-earned 2-1 win over Lens in their most recent outing at the Groupama Stadium ended their underwhelming three-match winless run on home turf (D2, L1 – 90mins only).

In the meantime, visiting Grenoble fell four points behind second-placed Bordeaux in Ligue 2 after a disappointing 0-0 home draw against Le Havre at the weekend. But automatic promotion to the top-flight remains on the cards, even though they’ve won none of their last three league outings (D2, L1). Unlike their hosts, Vincent Hongon’s men have had to take a longer route to reach the quarter-finals, negotiating five Coupe de France rounds, including a hat-trick of 1-0 wins in the build-up to this fixture. Before slumping to a 2-1 defeat at Caen on their most recent domestic travel, Grenoble had won four consecutive away matches, including three without conceding, so they shouldn’t be lacking enthusiasm despite the odds.