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Coupe de France Preview: PSG, Monaco to meet again

SoccerNews in Ligue 1 2 Mar 2015

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Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco will renew hostilities in the in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France midweek.

French champions Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco are set to lock horns for the second time in less than a week with a Coupe de France semi-final berth on the line.

PSG welcome Monaco to Parc des Princes on Wednesday after the two teams played out a goalless draw in Ligue 1 action on Sunday.

Laurent Blanc’s men dominated but the only thing missing was a goal to beat the hosts in Monaco as PSG missed the chance to go top of the table.

PSG midfielder Blaise Matuidi’s bemoaned his side’s finishing in front of goal but he is counting on the capital club’s home support to get them over the line in the quarter-final showdown – a repeat of the 2010 final which was won by the Parisians 1-0.

“We lacked the finishing touch, we didn’t put the ball away and we’re disappointed, but we have to stay positive,” Matuidi said.

“We carved out a lot of good opportunities to score, and conceded very few, which means we were well organised.

“Wednesday’s match will be different, we will have the supporters behind us, but we need to work on our recovery now.

“The better team physically, will almost certainly win the quarter-final.”

Holders Guingamp, who are yet to face a top-tier club en route to the quarters, are in action on Thursday as they travel to amateur club Concarneau.

Guingamp head into the last-eight fixture at Stade du Moustoir in Lorient on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Nantes on Sunday.

A gallant Guingamp outfit were beaten by a 68th-minute goal from Yacine Bammou.

The loss came less than three days after Guingamp crashed out of the UEFA Europa League against Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine.

“Given those circumstances and legitimate disappointment of elimination Thursday to the game we did, I think it’s admirable,” said Guingamp coach Jocelyn Gourvennec.

“Often when we are tired and we play every three days, there can be swings concentrations, small avoidable mistakes and there was none. We were very rigorous. And frankly, we were never in danger from the beginning to the end.”

It is an all-Ligue 2 affair in the other quarter-final match on Thursday, with Brest and Auxerre going head-to-head at Stade Francis-Le Ble.

Brest sit fourth in the second division, seven points clear of Auxerre as both teams bid to secure promotion.

European hopefuls Saint-Etienne kick off the round on Tuesday, away to third-tier side Boulogne at Stade de la Liberation.

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