Low-key top-gun Gignac looks for French Cup boost

AFP - 3 January 2009 03:15

Toulouse´s forward Andre-Pierre Gignac, seen December 20 in Toulouse. Gignac has hit 12 goals this season but not the headlines. Now he hopes that his hot form will continue when he leads the Toulouse attack into action against fellow first division outfit Valenciennes in the last 64 of the French Cup on Saturday.

PARIS (AFP) - French league top scorer Andre-Pierre Gignac has hit 12 goals this season but not the headlines.

Now he hopes that his hot form will continue when he leads the Toulouse attack into action against fellow first division outfit Valenciennes in the last 64 of the French Cup on Saturday.

Gignac, a bit-part player from the bench last season, is also hopeful that the new year will bring him international recognition from Les Bleus coach Raymond Domenech with a host of crucial World Cup qualifiers on the horizon.

"I have been putting in a lot of work," said the man bought from Lorient to replace giant Swede Johan Elmander, twice the club's top scorer with 11 goals, who was transferred to English side Bolton.

His coach Alain Casanova has no doubts that Gignac, who has struck a brace on four occasions this season, can make it at the international level.

"If (Caen striker Steve) Savidan has had his chance with the French team, I can't see why 'Dede' can't do it," said Casanova.

League champions and French Cup holders Lyon travel to fifth division Concarneau while last season's finalists Paris Germain go to fourth division Montlucon.

In all-first division ties, Bordeaux face Saint Etienne, Sochaux host Rennes and Nantes, who defeated fourth division Calais in the 2000 final, meet Caen.

At this stage numerous lower league sides are still alive, including seventh-level outfit Schirrhein from the northeastern region of Alsace, who will try to get past second division Clermont.

Blagnac of the fifth division will bid to hog the headlines by dumping first division Monaco while fourth division sides Besancon and Yzeure go up against Marseille - who were shocked in last season's round of 16 by little Carquefou - and fellow top flight club Le Mans.

Marseille have a record ten Cups to their name ahead of seven for PSG and six for Saint Etienne.

Fixtures:

Friday

Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois v Lille

Saturday

Jeanne d'Arc le Port v Tours

Yzeure v Le Mans

Alfortville v Le Havre

Schirrhein v Clermont

Andrézieux Bouthéon v Sedan

Raon-l'Etape v Grenoble

Port La Nouvelle v Rodez

Vannes v Châteauroux

Bayonne v Vitré

Montpellier v Dunkirk

Saint-Omer v Guingamp

Alençon v Lorient

Grande Synthe v Calais

Louhans-Cuiseaux v Troyes

Brest v Croix-de-Savoie

Niort v Boulogne-sur-Mer

Romorantin v Nancy

Concarneau v Lyon

Toulouse v Valenciennes

Sochaux v Rennes

Ajaccio v Auxerre

Arras v Nice

Bordeaux v Saint-Etienne

Nantes v Caen

Sunday

Pont de Roide Vermondans v GFCO Ajaccio

Evry v Créteil

Villefranche v Orly

Eclaron Valcourt v Dijon

Blagnac v Monaco

Montluçon v Paris Saint-Germain

Besançon RC v Marseille