Rumilly Vallieres will hope to pull off the giant killing of all giant killings when they welcome Monaco to the Stade des Grangettes for Thursday's Coupe de France semi-final.

The fourth-tier hosts dumped second-tier side Toulouse out of the tournament to reach the final four, while Monaco saw off Lyon to keep their hopes of silverware alive.

Match preview

Rumilly Vallieres have only taken to the field once in league action as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic threatened to derail their season entirely, but the lack of competitive action has not prevented the Championnat National 2 hosts from making history in the cup.

Fatsah Amghar's men enjoyed a relatively straightforward run to the quarter-finals, where they were expected to be blown away by Ligue 2 promotion hopefuls Toulouse, but the fourth-tier side refused to give up on their dreams as they beat the second-tier side 2-0 on April 20.

Mathieu Guillaud opened the scoring for the fourth-tier hosts before teenage defender Anthony Rouault turned into his own net in the 83rd minute as David came out on top against Goliath, but the task that awaits them this week is far more daunting.

Of course, these are the fixtures that any fourth-tier side would dream of playing in, and Amghar's men ought to take inspiration from the 1999-2000 Coupe de France run of now-defunct Calais RUFC, whose team of part-timers reached the final before losing 2-1 to Nantes.

A 4-1 friendly victory over Bourg-en-Bresse was the ideal way for Rumilly Vallieres to warm up for one of the most historic nights in the club's history, but having seen their Ligue 1 title chances fade away, Monaco will not be prepared to show any mercy.

A strike from an unlikely source in young midfielder Eliot Matazo was enough to propel Monaco to a crucial victory over Reims in the fight for Champions League football, one week after their fiery encounter against Lyon left their title hopes in tatters.

It is still mathematically possible for Monaco to finish at the top of the pile, but their destiny is out of their own hands and two tough fixtures versus Rennes and Lens lie in wait, so Niko Kovac would do well to focus his efforts on the one trophy that is still on offer for Monaco.

Les Monegasques may have suffered defeat in league action to European rivals Lyon recently, but they overcame Rudi Garcia's men 2-0 in the quarter-finals to reach the semis, while Metz, Nice and Grenoble Foot 38 have also fallen to Monaco's superiority in the Coupe de France this year.

The visitors travel to their fourth-tier hosts having enjoyed a run of six consecutive away victories with six clean sheets to boot in all competitions, and while changes can certainly be expected on Monaco's end as they battle for third place in the league, an appearance in a first Coupe de France final since 2010 is firmly within reach.

Rumilly and Monaco are vying for a spot in the showpiece event against either Montpellier HSC or perennial winners Paris Saint-Germain, and while the hosts can be forgiven for daring to dream, Monaco will be out to serve them a harsh dose of reality in Thursday's gargantuan encounter.

Team News

Rumilly Vallieres are in excellent shape heading into this game and should be able to welcome Dan Delaunay back as the last line of defence after he missed their recent friendly victory.

Alexi Peuget - who captained the side to their victory over Toulouse last time out - should be fit to man the midfield despite an injury scare against Bourg-en-Bresse, while his partner Guillaud has shaken off a thigh problem.

Right-back Dorian Michaud should also return to boost the hosts' defensive options, but it would be harsh to see any member of the team from their shock victory over Toulouse drop out here.

Monaco youngsters Pietro Pellegri and Willem Geubbels - both of whom would have had good chances of featuring here - are still banned following their involvement in the mass brawl against Lyon.

Kovac's attacking ranks are also depleted by the losses of Sofiane Diop (ankle) and the veteran Stevan Jovetic (calf), while Krepin Diatta is yet to recover from a bout of COVID-19.

Alterations on the visitors' end should see Radoslaw Majecki displace Benjamin Lecomte in goal, while the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Florentino and Fode Ballo-Toure are all in line for starts at the 2000-seater Stade des Grangettes

Rumilly Vallieres possible starting lineup:
Delaunay; Boinali, Ribeiro, Bishop, Bozon; Cottin, Peuget, Guillaud, Gay; Liongo, Moke Njedi

Monaco possible starting lineup:
Majecki; Sidibe, Matsima, Disasi, Ballo-Toure; Florentino, Fofana; Martins, Fabregas, Golovin; Ben Yedder

We say: Rumilly Vallieres 0-3 Monaco

Champions League-chasing Monaco should keep some of their big-hitters in reserve as they look ahead to a difficult end to the Ligue 1 season, but attempting to get one over Les Monegasques is surely a bridge too far for Rumilly.

The minnows' current crop will remember this remarkable feat for years to come, but they are facing a Monaco side who have already seen their hopes of Ligue 1 glory crumble, so we can only back a comprehensive win for Kovac's men en route to the final.