FC Nantes boss Antoine Kombouaré is hoping for his front three of Randal Kolo Muani, Ludovic Blas and Moses Simon to be at their best as Les Canaris look to win past Ligue 2 BKT side Bastia and into a Coupe de France semi-final against Monaco.
Coupe de France quarter-finals
Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
FC Nantes - SC Bastia
- Kick-off at 21:00 CET (20:00 GMT)
Nantes have impressed by turns this season - their sitting tenth on the Ligue 1 Uber Eats table is a reflection of their ups and downs - but in their lead-up to this Coupe quarter-final, they were found wanting with a 1-0 defeat at home to Strasbourg.
'We slumped'
Kombouaré, who has lifted the Coupe de France three times - twice as a player and once as a coach, all with PSG - knows that his side will need to do much better if they are to get past a feisty Bastia outfit and into the semis.
"Last Sunday, when we could really have hoped for solid performance, we slumped, and there's nothing to say we'll be able to bounce back and have a strong second half of the season," said the Nantes boss of the Ligue 1 Uber Eats defeat. "We didn't follow through on our ambitions. We weren't dangerous in the final 30 metres, especially in the second half, and we couldn't hurt them in attack."
'We know what they can bring to the table'
This places a fairly hefty duty on the shoulders of star forwards Kolo Muani, Blas and Simon, who should get the nod once again on Thursday night.
"They're neither supermen nor machines. But we know their importance in our attacking line-up. We know what they can bring to the table. Here we are heading into a Coupe quarter-final and if they can step up, it will help us enormously.
Monaco showdown on the line
Meanwhile Bastia, currently 17th in Ligue 2 BKT and coming off a disappointing 1-1 draw with Pau at the weekend, are looking to keep punching above their weight and add Les Canaris to a list of 2021-22 scalps that boasts Ligue 1 Uber Eats sides Clermont (rd of 16) and Reims (quarters).
The winner of this quarter-final will face AS Monaco, who beat Amiens 2-0 on Tuesday, in one semi-final while OGC Nice do battle with National 2 (D4) side Versailles in the other, to be played in early March.
Probable teams
FC Nantes: Descamps; Corchia, Girotto, Pallois (c), Appiah; Coco, Chirivella, Cyprien, Simon; Blas, Kolo Muani
SC Bastia: Placide; Palun, Sainati, Guidi; Le Cardinal, Ducrocq, Vincent (c), Kaïboue, Salles-Lamonge; Magri, Santelli
