Givet to give his all against Monaco

Gaël Givet and Julien Rodriguez will find their loyalties tested when Olympique de Marseille meet AS Monaco FC in the pick of the weekend's French Cup round of 32 ties.

Cup heritage
While not a derby game, the sides from Provence and the Riviera are not too far apart, and boast a great cup heritage, with Marseille having taken the trophy ten times to Monaco's five. Neither team has reached the final since Monaco beat Marseille 1-0 in the 1991 edition to avenge a 4-3 defeat in the 1989 showcase. Jean-Pierre Papin scored a hat-trick in that game and, as a promise to his team-mates, kissed both the trophy and the man who handed it to him – French president François Mitterand.

Monaco past
Sunday's encounter will be a special one for Marseille centre-backs Givet and Rodriguez, who played in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League final for Monaco before moving to the Vélodrome Stadium in 2007. Rodriguez scored one of Marseille's two goals in a 2-0 home league win over Monaco on 8 December but misses Sunday's game with thigh and calf injuries. The significance of the occasion is not lost on Givet. "It's a very important match for the team and for both of us," he said. "We grew up as players at Monaco and it is nice to play against them."

Form team
Fifth in the table to OM's ninth, Monaco hope young Marseille-born striker Djamel Bakar can continue the exploits that earned him a hat-trick in the previous round against Stade Brestois 29. They will, however, be up against a Marseille side who have been the form team in France in 2008. A 6-1 thrashing of SM Caen last week confirmed their fearsome reputation. The final will take place at the Stade de France on 24 May with the winners qualifying for the 2008/09 UEFA Cup.