Football: Avenir Foot Lozère hosts one of the region's flagship clubs on Saturday, Nîmes Olympique

The Avenir Foot Lozère players will host the Nîmes Olympique reserve team at the Jean-Jacques Delmas stadium, this Saturday, November 9, 2024. Kick-off will be at 6 p.m.

Hosting Nîmes Olympique, even if it is the reserve team, always represents a special challenge. One of the region's flagship clubs has lost a little of its splendor, but the poster is worth the detour. For this match against the young crocodiles, the Lozériens will be keen to show that they can compete. Especially since the latest result brings hope. Trailing 2-0 on the lawn of leader Graulen last week, the AFL showed character to come back to 2-2 and thus pocket a high quality point. Especially since the Grau-du-Roi players had a record of four victories in as many matches.

Catch up with the leading teams

So here are the Mendois fully armed when they welcome another team that is a natural candidate for promotion to National 3. The Mendois are sixth in the championship with eight points, just three points behind their opponents on Saturday, who occupy second place in the standings. .

A new victory would therefore allow Nabil Zanina's players to completely catch up with the leading teams and confirm their good start to the season. Only a defeat at Narbonne and an unfortunate elimination in the Coupe de France at Fenouillet darkened the balance sheet a little. Defeating the crocodiles would be a prestigious victory in addition to being an excellent accounting operation.

On the Nîmes side, they have still not experienced defeat after five days. They have three wins and two draws. If they remain in a draw (3-3) against Vauvert, they can boast of having signed the biggest victory of the season in R1. It was the players from Canet-en-Roussillon who bore the brunt with a score of 9-0.

Certainly, they have the best attack in the championship, but the Mendois have the second best defense, which should provide a stylish opposition.

Public support

For this match and for the rest of the season, we will have to do without Louis Laurent, the goalkeeper. Arriving at the start of the season, he left for Aigues-Mortes, to play in National 3. But the Lozériens, exemplary of solidarity since the start of the season, should find the necessary resources to show a good face against the Nîmes .

One of the keys could be the support of the public and the coach, Nabil Zanina, is counting on the support of the Lozerian faithful: “I hope that the supporters will respond, because we are going to need them against a very good team. It is going to be a big match, like every weekend in a very tough championship.”

A busy weekend

The other senior teams will also have two very tough matches, against the respective leaders of their different championships. The reserve (R3), buoyed by its great victory against Sources de l'Aveyron (3-0) travels to Saint-André-de-Sangonis, Saturday at 6:45 p.m.

Team three (D1), which won its first success in the championship against Naucelle (1-0), will travel to Aguessac on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Finally, the girls (D1), who conceded their first setback last week, will be keen to get back up against the Pays Alzuréen, this Saturday, November 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the Causse d'Auge.