OM faces off against petit Granville in a quarter-final of la Coupe de France. Granville currently plays in CFA2. To give you an idea of the difference between the two teams, OM’s reserve team won a group in the CFA2 category last year. However, OM has fallen to small teams in this tournament before (Carquefou), so any idea that this will be an easy game is wrong. With already playing in a tough game against FCBB, OM must be efficient and serious against this small Cinderella side. Preview and Lineup to follow.

Photo of the Granville coastline, courtesy of francethisway.com

There are a couple key ideas in this game:

Avoid the Upset

OM must not let hubris be their downfall tomorrow. For the Granville players, this is the biggest game of their careers. They will be giving their all in every pass, tackle, and shot. Playing in front of their home fans, Granville will come out and challenge OM. OM must weather their determination with their own efficiency and talent. If OM matches their intensity, this game should be in the bag. However, anything can happen in a soccer game…

Play subs or starters?

Michel faces the dilemma of who to play. Ideally, this is an opportunity to play younger talent and rest starters. However, given the cancellation of the Ajaccio game, OM must continue the momentum of the Bilbao performance to salvage anything from this end of the season. Do you risk playing your starters and suffering an injury? Or do you try out new players and risk a loss? I say, play the starters. Coupe de France could be a way for OM to win silverware and get into Europe next season.

Momentum for the Rest of the Season?

The Bilbao game was beyond disappointing. OM fans saw their team perform well in yet another big game, but still come out with nothing but regret. The team motivation and determination seemed to be at fever pitch afterwards, with a couple players assuring fans that they would stop at nothing to achieve results by the end of the season. The cancellation of the Ajaccio game, 3 days after the Bilbao result, saw this spirit suddenly get put on hold. With a full week passed from Bilbao, will the players remember their promise?

My prediction: OM 2-0 Granville. Goals from Michy and Fletcher

Notes – Diarra, Nkoulou, Dja Djédjé and Diaby will not be available for the game.

My Lineup

Mandanda

Manquillo – Rolando – Rekik – Mendy

Isla – Romao

Cabella Nkoudou

Fletcher Michy

ALLEZ l’OM !