Published 10:51 IST, December 10th 2019
PSG draw amateur sixth-division club in French Cup
Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain will kick off their French Cup campaign with a short trip to sixth-division outfit Linas-Montlhery after the last-64 draw
Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain will kick off their French Cup campaign with a short trip to sixth-division outfit Linas-Montlhery after Monday's last-64 draw. The amateur club will have the opportunity to test themselves against PSG's stars, including the world's most expensive player Neymar, on the weekend of January 5-6, 2020. Linas-Montlhery, who lead their group of the sixth-tier Regional 1, have 289 teams between them and top-flight leaders PSG in the French league system.
Thomas Tuchel's PSG side are bidding to regain their Cup title, having lost on penalties in last season's final to Rennes to end a run of four straight triumphs. Linas-Montlhery have come through seven rounds already, including enjoying a fifth-round walkover. Club president Mickael Bertansetti told Le Parisien after Linas-Montlhery's eighth-round 3-1 win over fifth-tier Evreux on Sunday that three-quarters of the dressing room "support PSG".
The club is based in a suburb only 26km from Paris. Coach Stephane Cabrelli, 52, said he has been a PSG season ticket holder since he was a child, describing himself as a "real fanatic, a PSG madman".
Updated 10:54 IST, December 10th 2019