All you need to know about Châteauroux v. Paris!

A BIT OF HISTORY...

Paris v. Châteauroux, Act 10! The two teams have already faced each other nine times in competitive fixtures, with the record sitting in favour of Les Parisiens (six wins and three defeats).

Paris and Châteauroux have played a total of 18 games against each other when you factor in their nine friendlies, including the last one from 14-and-a-half years ago – a 2-1 win for PSG on 12th July 2008 – with a record of 12 wins and six defeats for the capital club.

The two teams have faced each other twice in the Coupe de France, with two wins for Paris: a 3-1 victory on 13th January 1996 at the Parc des Princes in the round of 64, then a 1-0 triumph in the final in Saint-Denis on 29th May 2004.

Châteauroux also wrote their names in Paris Saint-Germain history on 25th October 1970, when they became the first team to beat the capital club in what was Les Rouge et Bleu's ninth competitive fixture (a 2-0 loss at the Stade Georges Lefèvre in Division 2).

29 players have played for both teams: Jimmy Algerino, Jean-Hugues Ateba Bilayi, Thierry Bacconnier, Grégory Bourillon, Roméo Calenda, Joël Cloarec, Stéphane Dalmat, Nicolas Douchez, Bernard Dumot, Jean-Claude Fernandes, Vincent Fernandez, Rudy Haddad, Yann Lachuer, Alboury Lah, Robin Leclercq, Ronan Le Crom, Jérôme Leroy, Chiguy Lucau, Didier Martel, Florian Maurice, Patrick Mboma, Edvin Murati, Eric Rabesandratana, Davin Rinçon, Bruno Roux, Thierry Tinmar, Jean-Luc Vasseur, Igor Yanovsky and Christian Zajaczkowski.

Five men who have either played for or managed PSG have also managed Châteauroux, in chronological order: Robert Vicot, Joël Bats, Jean-Luc Vasseur, Benoit Cauet and Marco Simone. Let's not forget current Châteauroux chairman Michel Denisot, either, who was vice-chairman of Les Rouge et Bleu from 1991 to 1998, winning eight trophies in his seven-year term: the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996, the Division 1 title in 1994, the Coupe de France in 1993, 1995 and 1998, the Coupe de la Ligue in 1995 and 1998 and the Trophée des Champions in 1995.

With 28 goals, François M'Pelé is Paris Saint-Germain's leading scorer in the Coupe de France, ahead of Kylian Mbappé (22 goals), Edinson Cavani, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Pedro Miguel Pauleta (16 goals each), Safet Sušić (15 goals), Mustapha Dahleb (14 goals) and Dominique Rocheteau (13 goals).

THE STAKES...  

On Friday, Paris Saint-Germain will be playing their 248th Coupe de France match, with a record of 176 wins, 30 draws and 41 defeats, making for an average win percentage of 71%. (N.B.: a defeat on penalties is statistically considered as a draw.)

The capital club are also on a run of 23 consecutive away wins in the Coupe de France ever since their elimination at the hands of Evian TG in the quarter-finals of the 2012-2013 edition (1-1 a.e.t., 1-4 on pens).

In fact, Paris Saint-Germain have had something of a love affair with the Coupe de France for more than 50 years now. Having won the competition 14 times, the capital club are its most successful side ahead of ten-time winners Marseille.

THE KEYS TO THE GAME...

Across 52 seasons, Les Rouge et Bleu hold an exceptional record of 46 wins and just five defeats at this stage of the competition. They haven't been beaten at the last-64 stage since 17th February 1990, so nearly 33 years ago – an unprecedented feat in French football.

Paris Saint-Germain also haven't been beaten by a lower-league club in the Coupe de France since 4th March 2009, when they were knocked out 3-1 on penalties by National side Rodez in the last 16, meaning that they hold a 26-game unbeaten streak against lower-league opposition (Aubervilliers, Evian TG, Vesoul, Quevilly, Agen, Martigues, Le Mans, Angers, Locminé, Sablé, Arras, Brest, Auxerre, Wasquehal, Niort, Avranches, Sochaux, Les Herbiers, Pontivy, Villefranche, Linas-Montlhéry, Lorient, Pau, Caen, Feignies-Aulnoye and Vannes).

Marquinhos, meanwhile, is set to make his 30th Coupe de France appearance for Les Rouge et Bleu, with the Brazilian sitting just ahead of Marco Verratti, who has made 28 appearances, as the player in the current squad to have appeared the most times in the competition. The club record in this respect is held by Jean-Marc Pilorget, who featured 52 times in the Coupe between 1975 and 1989.