PSG vs Nice

PSG and Nice are set to trade tackles in a handsomely-looking Coupe de France last-16 tie at the Parc des Princes.

PSG have found their Coupe de France campaign a stroll so far, easing past lower-league outfits Feignies-Aulnoye and Vannes in the previous two rounds by an aggregate score of 7-0. But with several key players missing due to ongoing World Cup qualifying in South America, ‘Les Parisiens’ could be in for a much more challenging task versus a Nice side they failed to score against in the first half of the season (0-0). Yet, before jumping the gun, bear in mind that Mauricio Pochettino’s men are unbeaten in their last 15 matches in domestic action (W10, D5) since a 2-0 defeat at Rennes in early October. What’s more, runaway Ligue 1 champions have racked up three consecutive home league wins without conceding while warming up for this encounter.

PSG’s dominance of domestic proceedings should not intimidate Nice. The visitors head into this tie on a run of six straight victories in all competitions, scoring an average of 2.0 goals per game in that period. Additionally, since falling to a 1-0 loss at Troyes in mid-October, Christophe Galtier’s men have gone unbeaten in their subsequent seven away league games domestically (W6, D1), winning the last three in a row without conceding. As for their Coupe de France commitments, a hard-fought 1-0 triumph over third-tier Cholet in the previous round helped them navigate their way through to this mouth-watering contest. But Nice will have to defy their ‘Parc des Princes jinx’ to make it to the quarter-finals, having failed to win any of their last 11 Ligue 1 fixtures here (D4, L7). It’s also worth noting that they’ve drawn a blank twice in their four most recent trips to the nation’s capital.