Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Coupe de France match.
AS Cannes have undoubtedly been one of the biggest fairytale stories in this season’s Coupe de France. The third-tier outfit have battled their way to the semi-finals and now stand just one match away from the final. Their next challenge, however, is a significant step up — Ligue 1 side Reims.
AS Cannes
That said, Cannes’ run has been aided by a favourable draw. Their quarter-final win came against Ligue 2’s Guingamp (3:1), though the scoreline flattered them. Guingamp created 2.68 xG and fired 17 shots at goal — a reminder that Cannes rode their luck. Unsurprisingly, their approach was ultra-defensive, ceding possession and parking the bus, and they’re likely to stick to that same formula here.
Reims
Reims, for their part, are among the struggling sides in Ligue 1 this season — a fact that will give hope to Cannes. Their biggest issue has been inefficiency in front of goal. Despite generating 32.1 xG across 27 games, they’ve only managed to score 29 times. Even more worryingly, they’ve drawn a blank in three of their last four outings. The exception was a 3:1 win over Marseille, but that result was misleading — they produced just 0.97 xG and relied heavily on open space that Cannes won’t allow.
AS Cannes vs Reims Prediction
This is a career-defining night for many of Cannes’ players, and they’ll dig in with everything they’ve got to protect their goal. Given Reims’ attacking struggles, it’s tough to see them breaking through more than once.
