Our football match prediction:
Angers
Match Time & Date:
10/01/2018
20:05 GMT
Prediction: 1-1
Montpellier
Angers and Montpellier square off against each other at Stade Raymond-Kopa in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue. Angers set up a meeting with Montpellier by beating the likes of Nancy and Metz in front of home fans and they are definitely capable of extending their winning run in the League Cup. Les Scoistes have been struggling in the Ligue 1 this season and, no doubt, they want to give fans some cheer. La Paillade, on the other hand, outclassed Olympique Lyon in their last game in the last 16 and they aim to move one step closer to winning the trophy. However, seeing that Angers are tough to beat at home, a close encounter is on the horizon and we predict the winner will be decided in the extra time. It has to be emphasized that the two teams played out a 1-1 draw in the Ligue 1 in December.
Highlighted Player (Mathieu Michel):
Mathieu Michel is a product of Nimes football academy. The 188-cm-tall goalkeeper played for the youth team of Nimes from 1999 to 2014 and in August 2013 he made his first-team debut with les Crocodiles, playing the entire game in a 3-1 loss to Tours. After making 79 appearances for the club from 2012 until 2016, Michel moved to Angers in the summer of 2016, signing a three-year deal with the Ligue 1 club. The French shoot-stopper, who was born in Nimes on September 4, 1991, managed to keep eight clean sheets in 23 appearances for Angers in the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 campaign and you should bear in mind that he conceded 25 goals in the process. Angers did well to make it to the 2016/2017 French Cup final, but big-spending club Paris Saint-Germain proved to be a big catch for Stephane Moulin’s troops. Mathieu Michel’s contract with les Scoistes expires on June 30, 2019.
Highlighted Team (Montpellier):
Over the years Montpellier have established themselves as a mid-table side in French Ligue 1. Montpellier are considered one of the youngest clubs in France as they were founded in 1974, but it has to be noted that a number of high-profile footballers played for the club in the past. French football legend Laurent Blanc played for Montpellier from 1981-1993 and he scored 76 goals in 24 appearances in the league for the club. Eric Cantona, Roger Milla, Carlos Valderama and Olivier Giroud played in Montpellier’s colours as well, but Pascal Baills is the player with most appearances for the club (429). La Paillade did remarkably well to win the Ligue 1 trophy in 2012 and that is considered the club’s biggest success. Montpellier won Coupe de France on two occasions (1929, 1990), with the team beating FC Sete and FC Paris respectively in the title games. The team welcome their rivals at Stade de la Mosson and the capacity of the stadium is 32.900. In 1999 Montpellier won the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
