All you need to know about Le Mans vs Paris Saint-Germain!

A little history...

This will be the 14th official match between Paris Saint-Germain and Le Mans FC, and Les Rouge et Bleu have 8 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses. The Parisians had faced the Union Sportive du Mans (USM), the club that created Le Mans FC in 1985, during the 1970-1971 season in the National Championship (1-1, 0-0).

The two sides have never met in the Coupe de la Ligue, and only once in the Coupe de France, with a 2-0 quarter-final win for Paris at the Parc des Princes on March 2, 2011. Le Mans FC will tonight become Paris Saint-Germain's 30th opponent in the Coupe de la Ligue since the competition was created in 1995.

7 players played for both teams: Willy Grondin, Chiguy Lucau, Jean-Eudes Maurice, Fabrice Moreau, Fabrice Pancrate, Cédric Pardeilhan and Stéphane Sessegnon. Daniel Guicci played for the Le Mans Sports Union (USM).

Amara Diané, Fabrice Fiorèse, Guillaume Hoarau, Peguy Luyindula, Pedro Miguel Pauleta each scored twice against Le Mans, a club record.

The stakes...

After five Coupe de la Ligue triumphs between 2014 and 2018 and 21 consecutive wins in this competition, Paris Saint-Germain was beaten 2-1 by Guingamp at the Parc des Princes in the quarter-finals of last season’s competition on 9 January.

The Parisians, who have won the most victories in this competition, will aim to win a ninth trophy for the last ever Coupe de la Ligue. The club from the French capital hasn’t lost to lower division opposition in the Coupe de France or the Coupe de la Ligue since 13 January 2010 and the 1-0 elimination to second division Guingamp in the Coupe de la Ligue last 16 – winning their last 21 matches (Evian TG, Vesoul, Quevilly, Agen, Martigues, Le Mans, Angers, Locminé, Sablé, Arras, Brest, Auxerre, Wasquehal, Niort, Avranches, Sochaux, Les Herbiers, Pontivy and Villefranche in the Coupe de France, AC Ajaccio and Orléans in the Coupe de la Ligue).

Marco Verratti could become the Parisian player with the most appearances in the Coupe de la Ligue with a 20th match in Rouge et Bleu, a record he shares before tonight’s match with Sylvain Armand (19 matches).

The keys to the match....

Kylian Mbappé is in scintillating form at the moment, scoring at least once in each of Paris Saint-Germain’s last five matches: Real Madrid, Nantes, Montpellier, Galatasaray and Saint-Etienne. The Parisian striker is getting closer to his personal best of scoring in six consecutive matches with at least one goal in the 2017-18 season, and could also reach the symbolic 40 goals scored in 2019. Only one striker has done better in the history of the Capital Club: Edinson Cavani, with 50 goals scored in 2017.