Getting closer to the climb for one and the maintenance for the other. Both away this Friday during the 27th day, Red Star and Versailles must bring home points.
Habib Beye’s men reach the goal
With 8 days remaining, the Seine-Saint-Denis club finds itself in a very comfortable situation with 7 lengths ahead of Niort (2nd) and 9 over Martigues (3rd) knowing that the first two reach the L2 . Before the long-awaited clash in a week against its runner-up Niort at the Bauer stadium, the Red Star travels to the red lantern Cholet. The ultimate trap match. Cholet, which has worn out 4 coaches this season and where the president will withdraw, is 11 points behind the first relegated team (Nîmes).
“Perhaps players can think about this summit against Niort before the match against Cholet,” says coach Habib Beye. Even if we say they are doomed, it is a team which won its last match (2-1 in Orléans) and which will be difficult to play on an artificial pitch. It’s not necessarily ideal to play football but you will have to go there with the desire to win rather than thinking about this match against Niort. The best way to prepare for this shock is to arrive with the best possible lead in the rankings in order to have great confidence. »
The technician will be handicapped in the midfield with the absences of Joachim Eickmayer and Fred Dembi due to suspensions. After its victory in Villefranche (0-2) 10 days ago, the first away in more than 5 months, the Red Star wants to continue. Even if its last matches are consistent and its lead over its competitors is quite significant, the average points over the last 4 matches (one victory and 3 draws) is the lowest since the start of the season.
” This is paradoxical ! We sometimes say that it is better to lose one match and win two from an accounting point of view, but defeat damages you mentally and gives you bad benchmarks, says Habib Beye. My team knows that it is very strong and not losing is also a form of resilience that allows the group to move forward and move forward. This championship is going to be very long and very difficult. People who thought that we were going to validate a move up to L2 with 10 days remaining, that was not a reality. It will play out until the end. My team shows a lot of balance game after game which is reassuring for me. »
The Versaillais with a direct competitor
With the announcements of the arrival of Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly as a shareholder and the partnership with Kombini, notably for an inside mini-series on the club, Versailles continues to move forward with its projects. But for them to materialize, there is already support to be found on the ground.
Tenth, the tenant of Jean-Bouin is only two points ahead of the first relegation, Nîmes. But since the arrival of Jean-Luc Vasseur, there has been improvement at all levels. The team is undefeated (2 wins, 2 draws) and has shown that it is not giving up, as evidenced by its equalizer in the 94th minute against Niort on Monday (1-1). A fantastic goal from Jordan Mendes, 20 years old, trained at the club.
This result against the runner-up Red Star is all the more meritorious as Versailles was deprived of several internationals (Prunier, Bangoura, Diakhaby, Bahenda, Lapis). This is a nice inconsistency for this National Championship which is not lacking… The FFF only authorizes matches to be postponed in the case where the club has two selected for the French team. An aberrant, even discriminatory regulation for those selected from Africa or others…
“We certainly had some absentees but this draw against Niort is not an achievement,” believes Jean-Luc Vasseur. We are continuing what we have been doing for several weeks. This group always shows a spirit of sacrifice and resilience. He continued to believe in it and found the resources to come back. It is with this state of mind that we will be able to maintain ourselves. »
For this trip to Marignane, Kevin Nadje is suspended but Vasseur will be able to recover his internationals (Diakhaby, Prunier, Bangoura). Fifteenth, Marignane is only 3 points behind Versailles. “I don’t look at the rankings, all the matches are important, you have to take points each time,” the coach plays down.
