A stay, even a short one, on the Isle of Beauty in the heart of winter would make more than one vacationer dream. But for Clermont Foot 63, it is a trap match which promises to be on the lawn of the always hot Armand-Cesari stadium in Furiani.
On behalf of the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, fate was harsh for the promoted Auvergne, with a clash against a Ligue 2 team, which will seek a breath of fresh air in the cup in order to forget its difficulties in championship (18th in the standings).
The Sporting Club de Bastia, back in the elite antechamber, had a complicated first half of the season, and the arrival of the former Clermont coach Régis Brouard this fall did not really change the situation for the Corsicans. .
We know that we must expect a difficult match in Corsica, but I hope we can still celebrate when we come back – Pascal Gastien
But it will still be necessary to be wary of the experience in the national cup of a coach who has already led US Quevilly, a team which then played at the 4th national level, until the semi-final of the event in 2010. , beaten only by Paris-Saint-Germain.
In order not to suffer too much from the always hot atmosphere of Furiani, Pascal Gastien still has to deal with many absences, mainly in central defense (Hountondji, Ogier and Billong). Good news all the same for the Clermont trainer with the return of the Spaniard Oriol Busquets in the group which will go to Corsica, but also and especially of Josué Albert, who will probably be aligned alongside the versatile Alidu Seidu in the axis of defense this Sunday afternoon.
– Jean-Pierre Morel
If the Ivorian defender, passed through the Jean-Marc Guillou academy in Africa, is not necessarily called upon to become a pillar of the Clermont-Ferrand central axis, in particular because of his size (1m73), his head trainer predicts him a nice future: “He is still a young 21-year-old player, very interesting and on whom we count in the future. Every coach dreams of a player like him, who does not ask himself a question, that he is made to play central defender, lateral or off-center right. He is a boy who plays, who is very solid in his head knowing what he wants and having character. I have no doubt that he has a lot of ingredients to go towards the very high standard. “
In attack, another lack of mark was expected for several weeks already, since Clermont travels without his number 1 scorer, Mohamed Bayo, who left to join his selection of Guinea for the African Cup of Nations.
Regarding the departure of Jonathan Iglesias from Paris FC, the defensive midfielder will not be traveling to Corsica for a final match with his club at heart. The Franco-Uruguayan will spend his medical check-up in Paris on Monday and will sign his one-and-a-half-year contract immediately.
In an atmosphere that promises to be incandescent, Clermont Foot knows it is expected, and will have to draw on its resources to avoid falling into the trap set by the Sporting Club de Bastia.