One of the surprise packages of the Coupe de France, Thaon can create a massive shock on Sunday when they host the reigning champions Nantes at Stade de la Colombiere.
The fifth-tier French side have already ousted two Ligue 2 opponents on penalties, squeaking past Amiens in the round of 64, while Nantes are undefeated in 2023, blanking Vire 2-0 to get to this point of the competition.
Match preview
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A pair of dramatic upsets in the earlier rounds of this tournament have turned Thaon into one of the darlings of the Coupe de France this season.
Not only have they taken out a pair of sides in Amiens and Sochaux, who are three levels above them in the French football league system, but they have overcome some massive odds in the process.
They came back from a pair of one-goal deficits in the eighth round against Sochaux, while Romain Chouleur saw his side hold off Amiens despite being a man down for most of the second half.
Thaon have conceded in just one of their previous four home fixtures in all competitions, while they sit in second place in the Grand-Est National 3 table.
So far, domestically, they are the only unbeaten team in the Grad-Est this season, scoring multiple goals on seven occasions.
They have never beaten a top-flight side in this competition, though they gave Reims quite the scare last season, conceding a 93rd-minute strike to Fraser Hornby and losing 1-0.
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Nantes began their title defence well, scoring once in each half for their first away victory at the Coupe de France since defeating Sochaux on penalties last season.
La Maison Jaune were the last club outside of Paris to win this tournament on consecutive occasions in 1999 and 2000, but they have not been consistent in this competition, only making it beyond the round of 32 once over their previous three campaigns.
Antoine Kombouare's men have not conceded in any encounter this year, shutting out Montpellier HSC 3-0 last Sunday in league play.
Their current run of four successive clean sheets in Ligue 1 equals their previous longest streak without conceding a goal.
The last time they managed to do that was in between August-September 2017, while Nantes are the only side in the top flight who have not given up a goal since the domestic campaign resumed in late December.
Defensively, Nantes have looked relatively compact and organised against teams outside the top flight and have not conceded to a lower-tiered squad since the 2018-19 Coupe de France when they gave up one to LB Chateauroux, though they wound up winning that contest 4-1.
They have not lost to a French club in a lower division at this tournament since dropping a 4-3 decision to Auxerre in 2017-18 when AJA were in Ligue 2.
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Team News
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Thaon goalkeeper Raphael Rodriguez was the hero for his side once again as he stopped the Amiens penalties from Hassane Bande and Siriky Diabate.
That allowed Theo Gazagnes to fire home the winner and send this amateur club into this stage of the competition for a second successive campaign.
Mohamed Comara has scored in back-to-back domestic fixtures, while an own goal from Bafode Cisse cost them two points in their previous league game, which they drew 1-1 at Strasbourg Alsace 2 in early December.
Wilfried Rother will be suspended for this match after receiving a red card early into the second half against Amiens, while Loris Petitpain missed their round of 64 clash after he was dismissed in their shootout victory over Sochaux.
Goals from Mostafa Mohamed and Evann Guessand helped propel Nantes to victory in the previous round of this tournament, as Remy Descamps made three stops for the clean sheet.
Ludovic Blas, who had the winner when Nantes captured the Coupe de France last season, notched his third of the domestic campaign a week ago, with the other strikes coming courtesy of Mohamed and Andrei Girotto.
Denis Petric is out with a sore hip, while Nicolas Pallois will not be available because of a problem with his knee.
Quentin Merlin continues to recover from a groin strain, and Ignatius Ganago could be a few weeks away from full fitness after previously sustaining a muscle injury.
Thaon possible starting lineup:
Rodriguez; Alves, T. Condi, Cisse, Michelutti; Lecoanet, Gazagnes, Koriche, Didierjean; Comara, Dufour
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Descamps; Centonze, Castelletto, Zeze, Corchia; Moutoussamy, Doucet; Simon, Chirivella, Guessand; Mohamed
We say: Thaon 0-3 Nantes
Nantes may not be the most potent side in the French top flight, but their backline has been challenging to break down this year, and it is hard to imagine they will face much pressure given how much further Thaon are in the football league system when compared to les Canaris.
Experience and overall quality should equal another comfortable triumph for the reigning Coupe de France winners.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
