Overview
Strasbourg has a long history at the Coupe de France with three championships, but in recent years they have often encountered difficulties when they want to go deep.
Since the championship in the 2000-2001 season, Le Racing has not passed the round of 16 in 21/24 participations, and the best achievement in that period was only the quarterfinals.
However, it is difficult to underestimate Strasbourg at this time. This team is clearly improving and playing stably on many fronts, despite the change of head coach at the beginning of the month.
Strasbourg leads the Conference League group stage and ranks seventh in Ligue 1, only one point behind the European Cup spot. Last weekend, they lost narrowly 1-2 to Paris Saint-Germain despite having a numerical advantage, but that was just a rare stumble.
That defeat marked Gary O'Neil's first defeat in 4 matches (3 wins) since replacing Liam Rosenior, and also ended Strasbourg's 8-match unbeaten streak in all competitions (6 wins, 2 draws). Including two domestic cup wins.
Previously, they started their cup campaign with a 2-1 victory over Dunkerque and then exploded with 6 goals against Avranches. In addition, home form is the mainstay as Strasbourg has won 6/9 recent matches at their home ground in all competitions (1 draw, 2 losses).
In the opposite direction, Monaco entered this confrontation in a context where their away form was not really convincing. They lost 4/8 of their most recent away trips (2 wins, 2 draws). Notably, the two rare victories in that series came from the national cup, when Monaco successively defeated Auxerre (2-1) and Orleans (3-1).
Since their most recent appearance in the cup, Sebastien Pocognoli's team has only won 1/5 matches in all competitions (2 draws, 2 losses), although that victory was very impressive when they defeated Rennes 4-0 last weekend. Monaco is currently ranked 10th in Ligue 1, 8 points behind the top 4 and 21 points away from the top, making the championship race distant.
Although they have entered the UEFA Champions League play-offs and are preparing to face PSG, not many people believe Monaco can go deep in Europe. Therefore, the Coupe de France is considered the most realistic path for them to seek titles this season. Monaco has won the league 5 times, the last time raising the trophy was in the 1990-1991 season, and they have gained more confidence thanks to their recent head-to-head record.
Monaco has won 6/7 of their most recent encounters with Strasbourg, including a 3-2 victory at the beginning of the season, and has also won all three of their most recent away games to Alsace.
Red and white shirt fans have even more reason to look forward to a complete victory, because the last two times Monaco was eliminated in the Coupe de France were from a penalty shootout. This is a scenario that they certainly want to avoid repeating.
Personnel situation
Strasbourg is likely still missing Maxi Oyedele due to a muscle injury, while Emanuel Emegha is also expected to be absent due to a leg injury.
In defense, Mamadou Sarr has been called back by Chelsea after a loan period, which has somewhat narrowed Gary O'Neil's defensive options. In return, he will receive good news when Valentin Barco returns after suspension.
Monaco is also having a headache because of injuries, especially in the lower line. Christian Mawissa and Eric Dier both have hamstring problems. Wout Faes sprained his ankle, and Mohammed Salisu is on a long-term leave due to a cruciate ligament injury.
Expected lineup:
Penders, G. Doue, Hogsberg, Doukoure, Chilwell, Barco, El Mourabet, Moreira, Enciso, Godo, Panichelli.
Kohn, Vanderson, Teze, Kehrer, Ouattara, L. Camara, Zakaria, Akliouche, Golovin, Fati, Balogun.
The match between Strasbourg and Monaco takes place at 3:00 AM on February 6th (Vietnam time).
