Europe 1 with AFP 10:18 p.m., February 27, 2023

Olympique Lyonnais launches the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France on Tuesday at 9:10 p.m. with the reception of Grenoble, before Marseille-Annecy on Wednesday and a Ligue 1 shock between Nantes and Lens, the organization of which will be behind closed doors at regret of clubs and supporters.

The Coupe de France returns this Tuesday and Wednesday for the quarter-finals of the competition.

Olympique Lyonnais receives Grenoble with an idea in mind, to reach the semi-finals.

OL undoubtedly know that their best chance of qualifying for a European Cup next season is through a victory in the Coupe de France, synonymous with a direct ticket to the Europa League.

Ninth in Ligue 1, Laurent Blanc's players are three wins away from a sixth title in this event, which they have been seeking since 2012. The first stage, in the quarter-finals, is surely the simplest, facing one of the three Ligue 2 clubs still in the running, Grenoble.

The GF38 are on a bad slope in the second division, with two draws and a defeat in their last three matches.

And he has still not faced any elite club in his career.

"We had to reconnect with a more virtuous spiral. We have an important week starting," reacted OL recruitment director Bruno Cheyrou after Saturday's victory at Angers (3-1) in Ligue 1.

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Three L2 clubs still in contention

Another favorite for the trophy and scorer for Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, OM also welcomes a resident of Ligue 2, Wednesday (9:00 p.m.).

Annecy, 10th in L2, clearly does not have the squad to compete with Igor Tudor's armada, but OM left a few feathers on Sunday evening during the classic loss 3-0 against PSG.

The only clash between Ligue 1 clubs opposes Wednesday (6:15 p.m.) Nantes, defending champion, to Lens, 4th in the Championship.

This revenge, ten days after the Lensoise victory at Bollaert in L1 (3-1), will take place without spectators, the fault of a disciplinary sanction which dates back to the last Cup final between the Canaries and Nice, at the Stade de France (1 -0).

Sentenced to a match behind closed doors, Nantes has still not served it because the Canaries have played all their away matches so far.

According to several media, the Nantes club tried to offer an alternative solution, on neutral ground and with the public, but it is heading well towards the organization of a match in a sadly empty Beaujoire stadium.

The group of Lens supporters and several local elected officials from Pas-de-Calais even tried, via press releases or letters to the FFF, to reverse the trend.

Without success.

Toulouse will also be opposed to Rodez (L2) in the quarter-finals, Wednesday at 6:45 p.m.