Paris FC – ACA, kick-off at 8:45 p.m., following live from 8:30 p.m. on RCFM.
Paris FC is only one point in the standings (42 for the ACA, 41 for the PFC editor’s note), but well over an hour and a half from Corsica. The fault of a disciplinary sanction against the club of Pierre Ferracci, following the incidents noted in the section against Olympique Lyonnais.
In the absence of Stade Charléty, suspended for this meeting, it is at the MMArena of Le Mans that the meeting was relocated. However, fans will not be banned.
“The other solution would have been to play it at Charléty behind closed doors, like the matches that will follow for the PFC”, explained on Saturday Olivier Pantaloniquestioned by RCFM on the possible advantage that this could confer on his team. “At the limit, I wonder if it wouldn’t have suited us better to play directly in Paris, […]but we are happy to play at Le Mans, no problem. We will play on neutral ground, but with the possibility of having supporters. But that’s not something we’ve raised with the players to say it gives us an extra edge.” In addition, due to COVID-19 within the airline initially chosen, the ACA will have to land and depart not in Paris but in Angers, an hour and a half from Le Mans.
With Coutadeur, Krasso, but without “taking the lead”.
On January 28, the aceist coach greeted, during the draw (0 to 0) against Auxerre, another top competitor, physical resources which his group had demonstrated. Forced to resume competition 2 weeks later than planned in January, the fault of two meetings postponed for Covid-19, the ACA had narrowly won in Amiens, logically lost in Caen, and just missed out on victory against a very fine AJ Auxerre.
The month of February does not look any more tender, however, with a trip to Paris (3rd) on Monday, another to Sochaux (4th) on the 19th, and receptions from Guingamp and Rodez.
_”It is obvious that PFC and Sochaux are teams that are fighting with us. These are two big challenges. The Paris team has strengthened in the transfer window (Jonathan Iglesias and Khalid Boutaïb have signed)they are in good shape this year (12-game unbeaten streak, editor’s note). It’s going to be an important match for them, just as much as for us, but again, we’re not going to worry too much. It’s a team that has changed its system quite a few times. This week, we tried to put in place situations that could disturb them.[…]_ developed O. Pantaloni in front of the press.
Behind, the emphasis seems to have been on the speed of this PFC team. In front, the time will be for the concretization, because the ACA has just chained two meetings without scoring (defeat in Caen 0-2, draw against Auxerre 0-0). The presence in the group of new striker Jean-Philippe Krasso, a 24-year-old Ivorian center forward measuring 1m87 and loaned by AS Saint-Etienne for six months, seems well received by the players.
“Any help is welcome”, assured Tayrik Arconte, a young striker full of power in the last match, at the end of Saturday’s training. “We don’t see it as competition, we see it more as help, and I hope that this new recruit will do us only good.”
Mathieu Coutadeur will be back for the match and Cédric Avinel will return from his suspension, but Vincent Marchetti, expelled against Auxerre, will remain in Ajaccio. Michael Barreto “feel better”, but will still be absent, as will Bevic Moussiti-Oko, who has been injured for a long time, and the two Burkinabés who are playing the match for 3rd place in the African Cup of Nations, Cyrille Bayala and Jean Fiacre Botué.