It is not the easiest match to play of the season, but it is in any case the first of the calendar year 2025, after the winter break and the week of break in training for the players of the Pau FC: le FC Metz stands on the road of the Pau team this Saturday, January 4! Despite the fairly limited difference in the ranking (the Grenats are 4th, with 7 points ahead of Pau in 10th), Nicolas Usaï knows how much the Grenats are favorites but hopes to play hard at Saint-Symphorien, to start the year in the best possible way. The coach of the Béarnais club was at a press conference this Friday.
Also read >> FC Metz – An update on the group, the opponent of the weekend… the words of Stéphane Le Mignan before Pau
“The pressure is the same for each match, because each match is an opportunity to take as many points. We will be dealing with a high quality opponent, with ambitions to join the elite, but we must realize that it is a great match to play. We are finishing our first leg, we will make sure to fight with our weapons, to put in place what we want to put in place, especially to be in action in this match. We will have to be realistic in the strong times and the weak times, defend very well when we are a little shaken and make sure to be effective in the actions we can take. »
The absence of Khalid Boutaïb, the opportunity for some to take a step forward
“My attackers are capable of letting go. It is above all being efficient and realistic that matters, increasing the goals/chances ratio. It is an opportunity for them, without the “old” (sic) tomorrow, to perform well and to show in matches all the qualities that they already show on a daily basis. In Metz, we will immediately be in the swing of things, like at the start of the season when we hosted Caen after going to Clermont. Whatever the positions of the teams, we know that these are always tough and contested matches. We are very excited about the idea of returning to competition. »
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