Le Mans vs PSG Predictions

• 2013 was the last time PSG failed to beat lower-tier competition in either of the French cups.
• PSG have won this competition in five of the last six years, while they’ve lifted the trophy eight times in total.

Uphill struggle for hosts

Winning just one of their last five league games, Le Mans will view this a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of Ligue 2. They’ll know they stand little chance of progressing, but they will of course be looking forward to the occasion, as will their fans, who’re expected to arrive at MMArena in their droves.

Le Mans have been away from the top flight for nearly 10 years and are a now a side fighting for survival in the second tier. So, for most of their players, a game against the mighty PSG will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

In their own division, Le Mans have not been in great form, but they did win their most recent match, which was at this venue. Scoring three goals en route to victory on that occasion should’ve raised confidence levels slightly. The fact they also scored three goals en route to beating Ligue 1’s Nice in the previous round will have the hosts feeling confident, too.

Easy for the visitors

Without disrespecting their hosts, this is probably a game PSG will feel they could do without. But they must turn up (in every sense of the word) if they want to regain the Coupe de la Ligue title they surrendered last season.

While Le Mans have struggled to pick up regular wins in Ligue 2 of late, PSG come into this match in fine form, both in terms of winning and scoring. That said, PSG didn’t exactly go wild when beating a second-division side at this stage of the competition last season.

They travelled to take on Orleans and won by just two goals to one. They also needed extra-time to get better of a lower-league side in the Coupe de France last term.

Visitors to win without dazzling

As touched on above, PSG could do without this game, especially as their focus will be on their final league game before the winter break, which takes place only three days after this fixture.

Thomas Tuchel is also likely to rotate, so the bet that stands out is ‘PSG to Win & Under 4.5 Goals’. Unsurprisingly, PSG have a very good record against lesser sides in the cup, but for all their might, they have scored more than four in their none of their last seven cup matches against lower-tier teams. However, they’ve kept a clean sheet in five of those seven.