After three weeks without competition, interspersed Friday, April 29 with a friendly match against RC Lens (1-0 defeat), the Stade de Reims will reconnect this Saturday, May 7 with the D1 Arkema championship. He receives the red lantern, AS Saint-Étienne, with the ambition of finishing as high as possible in the standings.
“HUMILITY AND CONCENTRATION” – Assured of maintaining in D1 since its success in Montpellier, April 2 (1-2), the Rémoises advance without pressure against ASSE. Objective for the latter: to climb another place or even two, they who are ranked seventh three points from Montpellier (6th) and six from Bordeaux (5th). Facing the Vertes who occupy the last place, Magou Doucouré knows that his team must approach this meeting with caution. “It will take humility but also concentration. In some matches, we had this little decisive that made us run for the score, but we have this DNA that means that we don’t give up until the end, reminiscent of the Rémoise side dish. This meant that we were able to get results in Montpellier, in Soyaux (1-2, April 16). »
“We have three games left. The first two are more accessible (Saint-Etienne and Dijon), yet the third (Paris Saint Germain) could be too depending on the state of mind, but I feel like saying that this weekend’s is the hardest of the three, believes Amandine Miquel, the stadium coach. For Saint-Étienne, that’s where it died, we’re going to have to be vigilant and convinced about that and I think it will be a very difficult match. »
THE “LAST CHANCE” FOR SAINT-ÉTIENNE – Les Stéphanoises, who notably managed to hook the neighbor Lyon this season (1-1, March 12) had given a hard time in the first leg to the Rémoises (1-0 success at Stade de Reims on December 12) “It’s true that in the first leg, we had a fairly difficult match. We had only won 1-0, on a difficult ground of course. There, we know that we have a team in front of us who will give everything to get this hope of maintenance, knows Magou Doucouré. Now, we are competitors, we are not here to give the slightest crumb to the opponents. They play their survival but we also have things to play. Admittedly, we are maintained, but there are places to look for above. We will do everything for. »
“It’s a team that has a particular path and I personally found that it had what it took to maintain itself, adds Amandine Miquel. It was complicated there. It’s their last chance, until the last second, they will give everything to stay in this championship, especially when we know the difficulty they had to go back to D1. The players will have to realize this a little faster than they do now. The fact, I think, of having a workforce that has generally never experienced this pressure or this situation means that they do not realize the adversity they are going to have to manage, but we are going to harp on them. »
WITHOUT FELLER, RETURN FROM OUCHENE – For this penultimate home match in D1 in 2021-2022, Amandine Miquel and her staff will not be able to count on a full group, as often this season. Naomi Feller (“big muscle lesion”) et Grace Rapp (metatarsal fracture) won’t be part of it. Melchie Dumornay, “who resumed training this week”, will not be 100%. Good news, Sonia Ouchene will return after serving her two suspension matches. “We are fair but it will pass”, philosophizes the stadium coach.
