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NederlandMontpellier HSC and Paris Saint-Germain temporarily take a break from Ligue 1 action as they gear up for Wednesday's Coupe de France semi-final at the Stade de la Mosson.
The hosts go into this game having overcome Strasbourg 3-2 in league action, whereas PSG's title hopes suffered a huge blow in a 1-1 draw at Rennes.
Match preview
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As they have done so often throughout Montpellier's mixed season, Andy Delort and Gaetan Laborde came up with the goods to propel La Paillade to a 3-2 victory over Strasbourg, with the former netting in between Laborde's brace all before the 50-minute mark.
Ludovic Ajorque and Kevin Zohi set up a nervy finish to the encounter, but Montpellier ultimately held on to bounce back from two successive defeats to Nice and Saint-Etienne, though that triumph has done little to boost their chances of a European berth for next season.
La Paillade also knocked Strasbourg out in their inaugural Coupe de France meeting earlier in the season, and they have secured three victories over lower-tier sides in Olympique d'Ales, Chateaubriant and Canet Roussillon en route to the final four, but not one of those victories was at all convincing.
However, all four of Montpellier's Coupe de France games so far this season have been on the road, so they will certainly welcome a return to familiar surroundings for the semi-final, and they have only lost one of their last six at the Stade de la Mosson.
The two-time Coupe de France winners have already achieved their best finish in the tournament since the 1996-97 campaign - where they lost in the final four to Guingamp - but the perennial champions of the tournament are standing in their way as they bid to book their spot in the showpiece event.
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With their Champions League hopes dead in the water and their stronghold on Ligue 1 seemingly destined to come to an end, the Coupe de France may be Mauricio Pochettino's only saving grace this season.
The capital outfit fell further behind Lille in the title race as Rennes striker Serhou Guirassy cancelled out Neymar's opener in a 1-1 draw on Sunday night, and with PSG now three points behind the leaders in the table, Lille only need four points from their remaining two matches to dethrone PSG.
One can only begin to wonder what failure in Europe, the league and the Coupe de France would mean for Pochettino's future in the PSG hotseat, but they have simply swept aside the competition in the cup so far, beating Angers, Lille, Caen and Brest without shipping a single goal.
While Sunday's stalemate at Rennes prevented PSG from securing a seventh away win on the bounce in the top flight, they have embarked on a nine-game unbeaten run on the road domestically, and the reigning Coupe de France champions have not failed to reach the final since the 2013-14 season, where they were actually beaten by Montpellier in the second round.
PSG won both of their Ligue 1 meetings with Montpellier by an aggregate scoreline of 7-1 earlier this season, but Montpellier managed to beat the champions at the Stade de la Mosson as recently as April 2019.
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Team News
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Montpellier playmaker Florent Mollet is back from suspension and should slot straight back into the first XI for the semi-final, while Teji Savanier has served a two-game ban for remarks made towards an official.
Damien Le Tallec could therefore drop out as Savanier returns, while Dimitry Bertaud is set to continue in goal as Jonas Omlin nurses a thigh injury.
La Paillade should field a near full-strength lineup for the semi-final, with minimal changes expected from the weekend, although Arnaud Souquet's spot at right-back could come under threat from Junior Sambia.
A well-rested Kylian Mbappe should earn an immediate recall to the PSG team after serving a suspension at the weekend, but Presnel Kimpembe's rash tackle on Rennes' Jeremy Doku earned him a red card and he will not be available.
Ander Herrera and Marco Verratti are also banned due to an accumulation of yellow cards, although the latter has picked up a knee injury and is fighting to be fit before the season concludes.
Pochettino will certainly shuffle the pack despite the importance of this battle, which could see the likes of Alessandro Florenzi, Abdou Diallo, Mitchel Bakker and Leandro Paredes all return to the fold.
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Bertaud; Sambia, Congre, Hilton, Cozza; Ferri, Savanier; Laborde, Mollet, Mavididi; Delort
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Rico; Florenzi, Marquinhos, Diallo, Bakker; Gueye, Paredes; Sarabia, Rafinha, Neymar; Mbappe
We say: Montpellier HSC 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Montpellier may sense an opportunity against a PSG side completely devoid of confidence at this moment in time, and the visitors have plenty of selection concerns to work around for the semi-final.
However, Pochettino will be desperate to at least land a Coupe de France triumph to cap off what has been an otherwise underwhelming season by PSG's standards, so we cannot look past a win for the reigning champions on their way to the final.
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