Coupe de France (Round of 16)

Olympique de Marseille vs AS Monaco FC
Orange Velodrome, Marseille, France
Wednesday, March 1st, 2017 3:00PM

Welcome back to another edition of the Lewnau Sports Bureau!  Last week’s Match of the Week between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona truly lived up to the billing.  A few players, namely Rafinha, Godin, and of course Lionel Messi, churned out Oscar winning performances.  With that said, this week we’ll see Best Picture as Marseille faces-off against Monaco. Near the beautiful banks of the Gulf of Lion, in the picturesque Orange Velodrome, the two will duel for this crucial Coupe de France Round of 16 one-off match.  Thus, lets get you primed for an entertaining and ascetically pleasing fixture.  I’ll discuss Marseille’s rich Coupe de France tradition, Monaco’s magical 2016-17 campaign, reveal my key performers to watch out for, and lastly provide my game prediction.

Marseille’s Trophy-Enriched Coupe de France Pedigree

There’s only one place to start and that’s with the nearly unmatched Coupe success of Marseille.  Les Olympiens have featured in a record 19 Coupe de France Finales, most recently last season against archrival Paris Saint Germain (A match for the history books, and one that I’ll feature in the months to come).  In addition, Marseille has won a record 10 Charles Simon Trophies.  A record that is now shared with PSG after Les Parisians claimed its tenth this past May.  Thus, Les Phoceens are a dominating force within this domestic cup competition, and with this year’s iteration marking the 100th anniversary of the Charles Simon Cup, expect Marseille to make another great run at the title.

Monaco’s Magical 2016-17 Campaign

Les Rouges et Blancs are in the midst of a spectacular year.  So good so, that with nearly three fourths of Ligue 1 action in the rearview mirror, Monaco is still sitting atop the table. Three points ahead of PSG, they have a realistic eye on hoisting its first major trophy since 2000, when the club won Ligue 1 in the 1999-00 season followed by the Trophee des Champions at the beginning of the 2000-01 campaign.  To put things into an even more improbable context, Les Monegasques were actually relegated to Ligue 2 upon the completion of the 2011-12 season.  In addition, last year, PSG ran away with the Ligue 1 title by finishing a whopping 31 points above Monaco.  Thus, this year has been truly magical for the Red and Whites as they are succeeding in the domestic league, are set to face PSG in the Coupe de la Ligue in March. Also, they are still very much alive in the UEFA Champions League Knockout Stage, and now are set to parlay that success, that momentum, into making a serious run at the Charles Simon Cup.  The question is, can the magic continue?  

Key Match Performers

Monaco’s success this season has been built upon its attacking prowess.  They’ve scored an astonishing 78 goals through 27 games, which is nearly a three goals per game average.  This decisive form is lead by Radamel Falcao, Thomas Lemar, and Valere Germain.  But the man that I really want to highlight for the Red and Whites is the teenage wonder-kid, Kylian Mbappe.  At the tender age of 18 years, Mbappe is a fast paced forward, with a silky smooth style to his game.  In addition, he appears to already have the physical frame to handle the work load of top-flight football and the riggers of colliding with fully grown bodies on a day in and day out basis.  Mbappe has been so impressive, that he's scored 11 goals and produced 5 assists this year.  Therefore it’s no question why he’s not only been compared to French legend Thierry Henry, but that Henry himself has stated that Mbappe is better than he was at 18 years of age.  So make sure to keep an eye out for the talented youngster in this one.

On the flip side, Marseille’s main focus must be to defend well, a goal that is easier said than done when facing Monaco.  But the reality is that, Les Olympiens just lost Le Classique 5-1 this past Sunday, and now face an even more potent attack.  Thus, centerbacks Karim Rekik and Roland must be on the same page tactically.  Also, seasoned veteran vice-captain fullback Patrice Evra can help in this regard by being vocal with his back line, making sure that the aforementioned center backs are in the proper positions, stepping up when necessary and making sure everyone is organized on set pieces as well.  Offensively, Marseille will be hoping for the dazzling Dimitri Payet of EURO 2016, not the player who appeared disinterested and dissatisfied earlier this year in London with West Ham United.

LSB Prediction

This midweek cup match will certainly be fun to watch.  The rabid Marseille crowd will have the Velodrome roaring and the flairs that’ll be lit will have the stadium shimmering.  A true spectacle at kickoff and one that will seep into the veins of Les Phoceens and combusting into a surge of overpowering play on the pitch.  Payed will be the player of old, setting up his teammates, namely Thauvin and Gomes for scores.  Meanwhile Les Rouges et Blancs will get one back through Mbappe in the final thirty, but no matter how hard Monaco pushes for the equalizer, the chances will simply go begging as the much maligned Marsellie backline holds firm for the Coupe de France victory.  Pedigree wins out in the in the end.  2-1 Olympique de Marseille

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