For Toulouse, it's settled... or almost.
Two years after leaving it, he will return to L1.
But for the second ticket of direct accession, they are still four in the race with four days remaining.
AC Ajaccio is on a favorable tie ahead of Auxerre, Paris FC and Sochaux.
These four teams, who have distanced themselves from the 6th, Le Havre, are guaranteed to play at least the playoffs.
Overview of the forces present.
Ajaccio benefits from a favorable calendar.
LP INFOGRAPHIC
AC Ajaccio (2nd, 67 points)
The dynamic.
AC Ajaccio has just garnered 25 points out of a possible 30 over the last ten days.
Olivier Pantaloni's team has been undefeated for six games and remains on five wins in a row.
The strength of AC Ajaccio is its iron defense with only 17 goals conceded.
The team can also rely on several very experienced and regular L2 players such as goalkeeper Leroy (33), Coutadeur, Nouri (36), Avinel (35), Courtet (33), Barreto (31 years).
Krasso's loan from Saint-Étienne in January was a success (4 goals, 2 assists).
The leaders and the staff of the ACA have repeated all season that they were not necessarily programmed to play the climb this season.
Relive the winning goals #ACAUSLD 🔥😍😍🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/MNuauW0RD8
– AC Ajaccio (@ACAjaccio) April 20, 2022
But they find themselves in a very favorable position for this final sprint.
This team has shown that it can handle the pressure.
Olivier Pantaloni (55), coach of the first team since 2009 (except in 2013-2014), seems set to experience a second rise in L1 after that of 2011. “We have known for a long time that we have a close-knit group, who wants to succeed, says Pantaloni.
For us, this is something extraordinary.
Players are aware of this.
This state of mind surely allows us to compensate for other shortcomings.
The group wants to get there together.
They live together on a daily basis.
This is one of our strengths.
»
The number: 21.
The number of clean sheets (matches without conceding a goal).
Ajaccio is the best defense in L1 with 17 goals conceded.
The calendar.
The Corsicans face two teams not yet saved (Valenciennes, Grenoble).
They receive during the last day Toulouse which will certainly already be assured of finishing champion of L2.
Auxerre (3, 64 pts)
The dynamic.
Jean-Marc Furlan has repeated it all season: in L2 everything is decided in the last two months.
“The main thing is to be able to work well all year round to be transcendent over the last eight crucial days”… The 64-year-old coach knows what he is talking about: he is THE specialist in L2 climbs, three with Troyes, one with Brest.
In the Auxerre team, there are also five players who had participated in the rise of Brest in 2019 with him: Leon, Coeff, Bernard, Autret and Charbonnier.
Furlan therefore has a real team of specialists who know how to manage money-time.
💬 "𝐽𝑒 𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑛 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛"
📺 Before traveling this Friday in Bastia (21h), Julien Lopez introduced himself in press conference. # CBSBPFC Pic.twitter.com/viyusexl1g
– Paris FC (@ParisFC) April 21, 2022
And as he hoped, his group has grown in strength for two months with 8 wins in the last 10 games.
The team was able to rebound after its defeat against Toulouse (1-2) on March 19 by overcoming the suspension (3 games) of Charbonnier, its top scorer (14 goals).
Auxerre can also rely on in-form players, like Hein, 9 goals and 7 assists this season.
"We believe in it more than ever," says Furlan.
With the victory against Dijon (Tuesday) in the derby, we made people happy.
What is very strong is that since this year the atmosphere is fantastic, people come back to the stadium.
The playoffs are not the goal.
It still freaks me out…”
The figure: 55.
The number of goals scored by Auxerre, 2nd attack in L2 behind Toulouse (78 goals).
The calendar.
On paper, it's definitely the most affordable of the four second-place contenders.
It will nevertheless be necessary to pass the obstacle Caen this Saturday.
A program that has also made Thierry Laurey wink, coach of Paris FC, who will play him Friday in Bastia, a sequence of 3 games in 6 days.
Paris FC (4th, 63 pts)
The dynamic.
Second for a month and a half after their success against AC Ajaccio (2-0) on February 1, Paris FC experienced a black hole in March.
On March 15, his series of invincibility was shattered in half time in Nancy (3-0).
The Parisian club paid for its hecatomb of injuries (six offensive players at the same time).
“We missed too many players,” regrets Thierry Laurey.
In Toulouse, after jostling the leader for more than an hour, Paris FC lost (2-1).
For lack of an offensive solution, Laurey had to launch the young Beaka (18 years old) and Bacha (17 years old) at the end of the match.
The draw (2-2) against Dijon, also remained "across the throat".
"I lack indulgence on the goal of equalization," he squeaks.
Thierry Laurey will take Paris FC to Ligue 1. Icon sport Icon Sport
But even tired and diminished, his team found the resources to regain success against Rodez and Caen (1-0).
The Parisians are condemned to faultless.
"If we have to go to the play-offs, we'll go... But if we can't be 2nd, we'll have to be 3rd at least to tackle them in the best conditions
(one game less and reception at home."
The positive point is the return of the attackers, Guilavogui and Caddy, while waiting for Gory, but the bad luck continues since Paris FC has just lost its defensive leader Ousmane Kanté (ruptured Achilles tendon).
The figure: 2.
The number of points taken by Paris FC between March 15 and April 11 (2 losses, 2 draws).
A series that made him fall from 2nd to 4th place.
The
calendar.
This Friday's trip to Bastia will be complicated.
Paris FC will then receive Valenciennes, not yet saved, and Grenoble, on the last day, which should be maintained.
Sochaux (5th, 61 pts)
The dynamic.
On March 12 after their defeat at Auxerre (3-2), Sochaux was 10 points behind Paris FC, then 2nd.
Since then, Omar Daf's players have not lost.
For the first time this season, they even chained a series of victories (four), just stopped by the leader Toulouse (1-1) on Tuesday.
“I told my players that everything will be decided on the 38th day, launches Omar Daf.
I hope that Toulouse will play the same in Ajaccio on the last day as against us.
»
Omar Daf's 💬 before this Friday's game at 9 p.m. against @PauFootballClub.
#PAUFCFCSM pic.twitter.com/d5mlPMSWlX
– FC Sochaux-Montbéliard (@FCSM_officiel) April 21, 2022
The coach who has often insisted on the lack of depth of his workforce which has less experience than Ajaccio or Auxerre, can, on the other hand, rely on his state of mind.
In L2, it is one of those who run the most.
“At the start of the season, we would have signed to finish in the top five, believes Daf.
Afterwards when we are in this place at this time of the season, we cannot be satisfied with it and we want to get as high as possible.
“If taking over Ajaccio will be complicated, Sochaux is aiming for 3rd place.
The figure: 30.
The goals conceded by Sochaux, 2nd defense of L2.
The calendar.
The program does not seem insurmountable even if Sochaux will have to manage two complicated trips to Pau and Valenciennes, not yet saved, during the penultimate day.
He will also have to be wary of Bastia next week.
