Paris (AFP)

Reims and Strasbourg will compete for the first ticket for the semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue on Tuesday (9:00 p.m.) in Champagne, before the clash of quarters between Paris SG and Saint-Etienne on Wednesday (9:05 p.m.) at the Parc des Princes.

Eliminated at the last minute by Monaco in the Coupe de France just after the Holidays (2-1), Reims hopes to regain the taste of victory for its first home game of the year against a direct competitor in Ligue 1.

The Champenois especially want to repeat the performance of thirteen years ago when they had reached the last four of the competition for the first and last time, before falling in January 2007 against Bordeaux (2-1), winner this year- the.

But even when passing the Strasbourg obstacle, holding the title, the road to the final is far from clear. Because Paris, Lille and Lyon, the first three of the last Championship, are still in the race.

The Lyonnais will host Brest on Wednesday (6.45pm), four days after having easily disposed of their neighbor Bourg-en-Bresse (National, 7-0) in the Coupe de France.

Rudi Garcia will he once again trust his striker Moussa Dembélé, involved on four goals against the club of the third division, and whose name often returns in the transfer section? Will we see the young Maxence Caqueret (19) and Rayan Cherki (16), the authors of their first professional achievement?

To resume with a victory, "it's good for confidence as well as the fact that we scored seven goals. I also liked the entry and the performance of the young people," noted the OL coach, badly embarked in L1 but still vying in the Champions League.

- Galtier rattle -

Confidence, Lille had little before receiving Amiens Wednesday (9:05 pm) at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium. Corrected 5-1 by Monaco before the holidays, the Northerners were frightened Sunday in the Coupe de France against the fans of Raon-l'Etape (N3, 3-2), after leading 3-0.

"The qualification is certainly important, it is deserved but I will speak calmly and calmly with my players on this last quarter of an hour because we cannot give as much hope to an opponent in a context like that", railed Lille coach Christophe Galtier.

The recovery was much easier for PSG which outclassed Linas-Montlhéry (R1) 6-0 on Sunday, also in the Coupe de France, with notably a double from Edinson Cavani against the club of the sixth division.

Wednesday at the Park, the degree of adversity will go up several notches against revengeful Stéphanois, after the stinging defeat recorded mid-December (4-0) in the Cauldron in the Championship.

For the occasion, coach Thomas Tuchel should reinstate his attacking stars Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Mauro Icardi, left to rest this weekend.

League Cup quarter-final program

Tuesday:

(9:00 p.m.) Reims - Strasbourg

Wednesday:

(6.45 p.m.) Lyon - Brest

(9:05 p.m.) Lille - Amiens

Paris SG - Saint-Etienne

© 2020 AFP