Soccer Coupe de France Prediction

Annecy vs Toulouse - Match Preview

⚽ 6 April 2023 - 18:45 GMT +0

The tenth Coupe de France (CDF) semi-final between a second-tier side and a Ligue 1 outfit since the turn of the century sees Annecy welcome Toulouse, in what will be their first-ever meeting. Having never made it past the round of 16 before, surprise package Annecy will now look to become the first Ligue 2 side to appear at Stade de France in France’s oldest national football tournament since Auxerre back in 2015.

Probably stunned after knocking out ten-time CDF winners Marseille on penalties in the previous round, coach Laurent Guyot’s men have followed that up with a worrying four-game winless run (D1, L3), and a 4-0 loss away to relegation-battling Nîmes last weekend is not the best preparation ahead of this clash. The task is therefore complicated for the hosts, especially as only 12 second-tier sides have reached the CDF final in 105 editions of the competition.

Visitors Toulouse will have to overcome a psychological barrier that has plagued the club since its inception, having lost both their previous CDF semi-final appearances (1985, 2009), with the most recent coming against a Ligue 2 side (Guingamp 1-2). Things could be different this time with coach Phillipe Montanier in charge, as he led Rennes to the CDF final back in 2014 while knocking out second-tier Angers in the semi-final (3-2).

Courtesy of six losses across their previous eight Ligue 1 outings (W2), winning the trophy is Toulouse’s only path to qualify for a first European competition since 2009/10, with a UEFA Europa League place up for grabs for the champion. A 6-1 win against second-tier Rodez in the previous round should give Montanier and his team believe they can reach their first CDF final in club history in style.

📋 Players to watch: Annecy’s young striker Moïse Sahi Dion is the CDF joint-top scorer with five goals so far, and he has found the net in four of his previous six competitive outings. He could be upstaged early on by Zakaria Aboukhlal, who has scored the game’s opener (own goals excluded) in Toulouse’s previous three CDF outings.

⚡ Hot stat: Toulouse have been knocked out by second-tier teams or lower in four of their last five CDF campaigns.