Nîmes Olympique
The match to win. Certainly, there are three more matches to follow, but this clash tomorrow between Nîmes (2nd, 50 pts) and Cannes (1st, 51 pts), at 6 p.m. at the Antonins, has all the hallmarks of a final. With the largest budget in this group C, Cannes is eagerly awaiting to rediscover its glorious past, while Nîmes does not want to sink into the fourth division as they aim to move up this season. For that, they must beat a direct rival, something neither team has managed to do so far. Against the top five, Nîmes has five defeats and one draw before facing Cannes and Istres. Cannes, on the other hand, has a record of five draws and one defeat before two clashes against NO and Saint-Maur on the final day. For the Crocodiles, it may be enough to win just one, but the right one, tomorrow. “We are extremely motivated. It’s going to be a celebration, we will see a lot of smiles in the stands, we have to win. We feel the whole city backing us. There is no pressure, I feel my players totally calm and confident, they manage it pretty well,” commented coach Mickaël Gas, who relies on the crowd and a sold-out stadium to see his players transcend. “It’s good pressure. We must have fun, stay within the framework, add a bit of madness but not lose ourselves either,” emphasizes the experienced Oualid Orinel, who insists on not “retreating too much,” which had cost Nîmes against Saint-Maur and Rumilly. For this match, Martinez and Caoki are injured, Touré is suspended. Match to be followed live and exclusively on Objectif Gard.
Probable lineup
Salamone – Loubacky, Dramé, Célestin, Diallo – Pirès, Benhamza, Orinel – Bennour, Depres, Sylla. Substitutes: Dias, Doucouré, Coulibaly, Kubota, Khasa.
Olympic Athletic Club (OAC)
A suspended player and a return. This Saturday at 6:30 p.m., Olympique d’Alès will host another Olympique with the reserve team of Olympique Lyonnais. In the first leg, which took place at the beginning of January, the two teams ended in a 1-1 draw, with a quick opening goal by the English-Venezuelian prodigy Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez (who has since moved to Annecy in Ligue 2), and OAC equalized on a penalty in the 94th minute. For this match, Alès coach Jean-Marie Pasqualetti will meet an assistant he knows well on the opposing bench, as Pierre Chavrondier, who assists head coach Gueïda Fofana, is a former Alès player with whom he played during the 2002/2003 season. Against this young Lyon team, the Alès players will have to do without Élie Maurin, suspended for this match, and Noë Cabezas, victim of a collision against Fos-sur-Mer, who was under concussion protocol this week and will be rested. Conversely, Uygar Barut, who has been recovering from a hamstring injury in recent weeks, has returned to team training and will be in the squad this Saturday. Lyon-La Duchère, the current leader of the standings, will face Fos-sur-Mer (3rd) at the same time, a match that could be decisive for the end of the Alès championship depending on the result.
Probable starting eleven:
Bourdelle, Larcier, Chaveriat, Hamard, Traoré; Peyrard, Bouraja, Benezet; Fontaine, Ekra, Fournel. Substitutes: Barut, Baptiste, Andrée, Coulibaly, Poleri.
United Sporting Association of Nîmes (USAM)
Confirming the rebound. After their impressive victory against Istres (27-36) last Sunday, USAM (11th, 19 pts) put an end to a series of seven consecutive defeats across all competitions. Now, David Degouy’s men want to continue this upward trend this Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Parnasse against Toulouse (8th, 25 pts) in the 25th round of Starligue. Six more matches to play for the Nîmes team, who have nothing left to play for except to try to make up their five-point gap to reach the top 10. On the other side, Fénix is coming out of a tough period with four straight losses. Their bad streak also ended in the previous round with a win against Dijon (27-24). The Toulousains are aiming for sixth place, which could potentially lead to a European spot. In terms of the squad, Pardin is absent due to a concussion. Coach David Degouy has called up an extended squad of 18 players as several uncertainties remain, he will reduce it to 16 tomorrow morning after the muscle warm-up.
USAM Group:
Hodzic, Grosjean; Anquetil, Vincent, Acquevillo, Gibelin, Faustin, Derisbourg, Zuzo, Rochette, Gibernon, Nol, Onodi, Tuxagues, Peyre, Wedberg, Kamtchop-Baril, Kaczor.
