Strasbourg will host Nice at the Meinau on Wednesday in a Coupe de France semifinal that kicks off at 21:00, with the winner earning a place in the final at the Stade de France on 22 May.
Pascal Dupraz, who yesterday framed the clash as tighter than the teams’ recent league meeting, said he expects the tie to be decided on penalties and even predicted the scorer: "Je vois un match beaucoup plus accroché et indécis à la Meinau ce soir," he said. "Je pense que le Racing va se qualifier." He added: "Et je pense que ce match se terminera sur un nul à l'issue du temps réglementaire." Dupraz also warned supporters that "Il n’y a pas de prolongation avant la finale en Coupe de France." and finished with a final personal forecast: "Je le vois marquer ce soir."
The route to Wednesday’s showdown underlines why the tie matters. Lens have already booked a place in the final after beating Toulouse 4-1, leaving the Meinau winner to join them on 22 May. Nice reached this stage after a 2-1 win over Saint-Etienne in the round of 32, a 1-1 draw at Nantes that they resolved 5-3 on penalties, a 3-2 victory over Montpellier and a goalless draw at Lorient that they settled 6-5 on spot-kicks. Strasbourg reached the last four after a 2-1 win over Dunkerque in the round of 32, 6-0 and 3-1 wins in subsequent rounds over Avranches and Monaco, and a 2-1 quarterfinal victory against Reims.
Strasbourg stressed the match-day experience around the game as clearly as the fixture itself. Club messaging promises a return of the festival-style fan area: "Un stand de grillades géant sera de nouveau installé en Fanzone pour découvrir ou redécouvrir nos traditionnelles saucisses blanches et merguez." Supporters will also find currywurst from a food truck, two Franchi stands offering waffles and ice cream, and the club’s own note that "Vous pourrez également déguster de savoureuses tartes flambées." Tarte flambée will be available on the fifth floor of the south stand, in the Fanzone and at the bottom of the north stand.
Entertainment is scheduled throughout the evening: THE AERO SWING will play from 18:45 to 19:30 and again from 20:00 to 20:45, and a Troisième Mi-Temps will take place outdoors after the match. Family amenities include a Family-Zone Europa-Park installed at the east corner of the south stand. Practical additions in the Fanzone include a Crédit Agricole truck offering a barber and a chance to win tickets for the Coupe de France final, a KFC wheel game with prizes, and the Schmoutz'Cam activated in the stands before kick-off.
Supporters who cannot attend can follow the game on Strasbourg’s digital platforms, where Constantin Djivas will provide commentary from 20:45, and on radio via France Bleu Azur 103.8 FM and RMC Sport 98.8 FM.
The match arrives less than three weeks after Strasbourg’s 3-1 Ligue 1 victory over Nice on 4 April, a result Dupraz referenced while warning that cup football often diverges from league form. That tension — a convincing league win on paper versus the unpredictability of knockout football and Dupraz’s explicit prediction of penalties — is the match’s clearest friction: a result that looked settled in April could still be undone by one night at the Meinau.
What follows is simple and absolute: the winner goes to the Stade de France on 22 May to face Lens. Dupraz’s public bet — Strasbourg through on penalties and a named scorer — gives the many fans arriving for sausages, tarte flambée and THE AERO SWING a storyline to watch during the 90 minutes and, very possibly, the shootout that Dupraz says will decide it.
