The Coupe de France returns this weekend and will see Olympique Marseille host Montpellier at the Orange Velodrome on Saturday in the last 16 of the cup competition.
Olympique Marseille began their Coupe de France run with a 4-1 win over amateur side ES Cannet-Rocheville in December last year. They then beat US Chauvigny 3-0 in their last game and could easily have scored triple that tally with the number of quality chances they created.
The home team have already come further than they did in the tournament last season where they suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Canet Roussillon.
Montpellier beat Andrezieux-Boutheon FC 1-0 in their first game and then beat Strasbourg by the same scoreline in the next round, with fullback Mihailo Ristic scoring the sole goal of the game.
Montpellier were beaten on penalties by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals of the cup competition last season after the game ended 2-2 in normal time. They will now be looking to go a step further in the tournament this time around.
Olympique Marseille vs Montpellier Head-to-Head
There have been 36 meetings between Olympique Marseille and Montpellier. The hosts won 19 of those games while the visitors have won eight times. There have been nine draws between the two teams.
The two sides last faced off in a Ligue 1 clash earlier this season which Olympique Marseille won 3-2 away from home.
Olympique Marseille Form Guide (All Competitions): W-D-W-W-D
Montpellier Form Guide (All Competitions): W-L-L-W-W
Olympique Marseille vs Montpellier Team News
Olympique Marseille
Pape Gueye, Bamba Dieng and Gerson are all away on international assignments and will miss the cup game at the weekend. Konrad de la Fuente is a doubt for the game as he recovers from injury.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Konrad de la Fuente
Unavailable: Pape Gueye, Bamba Dieng, Gerson
Suspended: None
Montpellier
Maxime Esteve, Pedro Mendes and Thibault Tamas are all injured and will not play on Saturday. Teji Savanier, Jordan Ferri and Stephy Mavididi are all out with suspensions while Ambroise Oyongo is away on international duty.
Injured: Maxime Esteve, Pedro Mendes and Thibault Tamas
Doubtful: None
Unavailable: Ambroise Oyongo
Suspended: Teji Savanier, Jordan Ferri, Stephy Mavididi
Olympique Marseille vs Montpellier Predicted XI
Olympique Marseille Predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Pau Lopez; Valentin Rongier, William Saliba, Duje Caleta-Car, Luan Peres; Boubacar Kamara; Cengiz Under, Dimitri Payet, Matteo Guendouzi, Luis Henrique; Cedric Bakambu
Montpellier Predicted XI (4-4-2): Dimitry Bertaud; Junior Sambia, Nicolas Cozza, Mamadou Sakho, Mihailo Ristic; Florent Mollet, Gabriel Bares, Joris Chotard, Nicholas Gioacchini; Sepe Elye Wahi, Valere Germain
Olympique Marseille vs Montpellier Prediction
Olympique Marseille are currently on an eight-game unbeaten run and have lost just one of their last 11.
Montpellier are also in good form with seven wins in their last nine games. However, with star midfielder Teji Savanier set to miss Saturday's game, the visitors' chances against Marseille are severely dented. We expect the home side to emerge victorious.
Prediction: Olympique Marseille 2-1 Montpellier