Football – Ligue 2. ACA: eight finals, one goal

Refreshed after their success against Nîmes, the Ajacciens will take advantage of the international break to recharge the batteries before embarking on the home stretch of the championship. At the end of it, the stated ambition of going directly to Ligue 1

After a defeat in the derby and a draw at Quevillyl’AC Ajaccio was able to raise his head, regain his legs and energy to end his week in the best possible way.

A victory against Nîmes “with the way”recognized Olivier Pantaloni after the meeting. From now on, place for an international truce which comes at the right time to find freshness, both physical and mental, and to heal the wounds since in Avinel, Marchetti, Moussiti Oko and Botué, Coutadeur and Barreto were added on Saturday.

If the Acéistes have benefited from three days of rest and are only resuming training today, six of them have left to join the ranks of their respective national teams, namely Bayala (Burkina Faso), Youssouf and Alhadhur ( Comoros), Diallo (Ivory Coast), Laci (Albania) and Cimignani (France U20).

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In a restricted committee, the Ajacciens should therefore take the opportunity to recover before returning to battle for the last eight meetings, eight finals in forty days.

A calendar considered affordable by many observers and supporters, insofar as the ACA will face more teams fighting for their survival than direct adversaries, but despite everything fraught with pitfalls, especially when you know the difficulties experienced by the Ajacciens in bending low blocks. Presentation(s).

Nancy – ACA April 4

The long final sprint for Olivier Pantaloni’s men will begin in Lorraine.

Dead last since the opening of the championship, Nancy could look like an ideal victim.

It seems that this will nevertheless not be the case, firstly because the red lantern will play one of its last cartridges to dream of a hypothetical maintenance, but also because the ASNL is capable of brilliant blows on his lawn: we remember his victory against Bastia (2-1) last January or more recently, and even more strikingly, a clear and flawless success against Paris FC (3-0). So distrust.

ACA – Pau on April 9

The trap match par excellence against a completely liberated formation, probably already saved and too far to qualify for the play-offs. Players, the Palois recently held in check the Toulouse leader on their lawn, but also Paris FC, no later than last Saturday. And they beat the ACA in the first leg (1-0).

Dijon – ACA le 16 april

The big disappointment of the season for a team initially presented as the ogre of Ligue 2.

After a catastrophic start to the championship (one point taken after six days), the Dijonnais alternated the good and the less good and like Pau, they should play liberated, since benefiting from a comfortable mattress of seven points of advance on the barrage.

Again, beware of a team that has a lot of individual qualities and remains on four games without defeat.

ACA – Dunkirk on April 19

No time to breathe. Starting the following Tuesday, the ACA will host the current 19^e of the championship. A team which fights for its survival, which has also hooked Paris FC and which will give everything to win its maintenance.

And as each point is worth gold, it is certainly a low and very compact block which will face the Ajacciens. Everything they love!

Valenciennes – ACA on April 23

A long trip at the end of this week to three games for the Acéistes against a formation which, too, is fighting to maintain (5 points ahead of the barrage currently).

But who seems to have more arguments than Dunkirk or QRM. It remains to be seen where the Northerners will be by then, they who had hooked the ACA in the first leg (0-0).

ACA – Le Havre on April 30

A special game. The troop of Paul Le Guen is heading towards a failed season, it which aspired to a place in the top 5 and which is 10 units from Sochaux.

Not in good shape (3 consecutive defeats), beaten at home by their rivals in December and by their Caen neighbors last Saturday, the Normans will do everything to play a bad trick on the ACA and give – a little – a smile to their supporters. .

Grenoble – ACA on May 7

Direction the Stade des Alpes for the penultimate day, against a team that has been doing much better in recent weeks (4 games without defeat) and seems scheduled to play its maintenance until the end.

Another difficult match for the Acéistes, against an opponent who, whatever happens until then, will have the ambition to win for his last home game of the season in the league.

ACA – Toulouse on May 14

Where will the two teams be when it comes to facing each other on the final day? Flamboyant, Téfécé seems a cut above in this championship. Will he continue at this pace, to the point of already being crowned when he faces the ACA? Will he also experience a setback forcing him to win at Timizzolu to access Ligue 1?

Difficult to answer these questions and therefore to plan for this meeting today. One certainty, however: the Ajaccien supporters have checked this date for a little while, synonymous with a dream final.

A look into recent history shows that the two teams have had to face each other several times in decisive matches. The most optimistic remember the 2011-2012 season, with a 2-0 victory for the ACA at the Stadium thanks to a double from Johan Cavalli and a stay in extremis in Ligue 1.

Those who are less will talk more about the 2018 play-offs during which Téfécé shattered ACA Ligue 1 hopes.

In the meantime, and to afford the right to dream, the ACA will have to negotiate the next seven meetings well. An arduous task but within reach of a group wishing to write a beautiful page of history.

20 years after the rise of the band to Michel Moretti and Rolland Courbis, the wink would be wonderful.

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