Four days before the end of the championship, Ajaccio and Troyes can confirm their descent into Ligue 2 this weekend and join Angers, already relegated.
Angers officially relegated since April 30, there are now three places at the bottom of the Ligue 1 standings, which means demotion to Ligue 2 next season. In a special season with four runs, the final sprint for support promises to be even tighter than usual. Four days from the end, eight teams are still under threat of a trip to the second division for the 2023-2024 season.
Mathematically, Montpellier (12th) and Toulouse (13th), who have 43 and 42 points respectively, are among them, but the lower ranked of the two has a ten-point lead over the red zone (each team can collect a maximum of twelve). over the last four days). Only an unlikely combination of circumstances would see Héraultais or Toulouse descend into Ligue 2. The main people concerned by this fight for survival in the elite are Strasbourg, Brest, Auxerre, Nantes and especially the Ajaccio-Troyes duo.
Ajaccio and Troyes very close to Ligue 2
ACA (18th, 23 points) and Estac (19th, 22 points) are almost doomed. The two teams granted themselves a slight reprieve on the last day, but will join the lower level together at the end of this 34th day in the event of defeat or a draw (against PSG for Ajaccio, against Rennes for Troyes) . Even a victory might not be enough for Les Troyens to escape relegation if Nantes take at least one point against Toulouse.
If Ajaccio were to create a surprise by winning at the Parc des Princes, the Corsicans will be able to continue their fight to maintain at least one more day. “We will try to play until the end to score points for fun. We can perhaps set ourselves the challenge of finishing 17th. We knew this season would be difficult, it’s up to us to finish as best we can.”already blew on April 16 the Ajaccien coach, Olivier Pantaloni, resigned after a defeat in Strasbourg (3-1).
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If the formalization of the descent of Ajaccio and Troyes only seems a matter of time, the fight is still extremely tight to avoid 17th place, which Nantes currently occupies (32 points). Three other teams are still on waivers with the Canaries: Auxerre (16th, 34 points), Brest (15th, 35 points), and Strasbourg (14th, 35 points).
Favorable calendar for Nantes, less for Auxerre and Brest
As such, the clash between Auxerre and Brest on Sunday is of capital importance for both clubs. The winner would get a breath of fresh air, especially if Nantes were to lose to Toulouse. But the Canaries, despite their very negative dynamics and the ousting of their coach Antoine Kombouaré, undoubtedly have the most “affordable” schedule by the end, since they will host Montpellier, who cannot look either ahead or behind them. , and Angers, already condemned. Only the move to the current 5th, Lille, in the middle of the race to obtain a European place, seems difficult to overcome.“We suck, but 16th place is two points away, it’s reaching out to us. There is hope. We have to kick our ass hard”, had thundered Kombouaré before his last match, Sunday, lost 2-0 against Strasbourg. Nantes has not won in the league since mid-February.
On the other hand, Auxerre and Brest have a much more difficult schedule: the Burgundians will then rub shoulders with the two best teams in the championship (Paris and Lens), then with the winner of the Coupe de France, Toulouse. After this weekend, the Bretons will have to face a very fit Clermont team, then move to Marseille, current 3rd in Ligue 1, before ending their season against Rennes, in search of a European ticket. Finally, Strasbourg, currently the best ranked, will face two teams that do not play the leading roles, Troyes and Lorient, even if the Alsatian club will also host PSG on the 37th day.