“it doesn’t matter behind closed doors. The rivalry remains, there will be intensity, combat and duels”

Tuesday December 3, Ajaccio and Bastia will compete on the lawn of the Michel-Moretti stadium in a derby, or rather half of a derby, in exceptional conditions, after a first period disputed last October. But the two clubs, which are not at their best in the championship, want to concentrate on victory.

“In the first 42 minutes we are very happy to have been at 0 – 0, so today it is a chance to have the opportunity to resume this match in different conditions”…

A match which will begin in the 42nd minute, three minutes of play before a half-time without returning to the locker room, with a simple change of sides, a derby behind closed doors…

The modalities of this ACA – SCB, supposed to go to the end of a derby which began on October 26, and was unable to reach its conclusion, are certainly very particular.

But Mathieu Chabert, the Ajaccian coach, prefers to see the glass half full, and a chance offered to win over the northern rival, tomorrow evening on the lawn of the Michel-Moretti stadium.

Especially since AC Ajaccio, on October 26, was 12th in the Ligue 2 championship.

And today, after one victory and three defeats, he is in a somewhat reassuring 16th place. “We are play-off players, so I'm not going to tell you that everything is going well. But it's not by shooting red bullets at the players and the club… We're not proud to be here. But we don't lower your head, far from it, what we're doing will end up paying off, I know it, and I'm not the only one in this case, we're all convinced of that.

And then the Sporting Club de Bastia, for its part, is hardly more flamboyant. He is well established in the middle of the table, in 11th place. He nevertheless struggles with recurring problems of offensive efficiency, and remains in eight matches without a victory…

READ ALSO – Derby Ajaccio – Bastia: an investigation opened into incidents occurring between supporters

But we know that these figures weigh less in the balance when playing a derby. And for Ajaccian defender Clément Vidal, despite being behind closed doors, “It will remain a match between Ajaccio and Bastia. The rivalry remains, and they are the same players on the pitch. There will be intensity, combat, duels, and it is up to us to impose our character on the ground, if we want to win”.

Benoît Tavenot, the Bastia coach, said nothing else: “over 50 minutes, we have to be dynamic, and not ask ourselves any questions. It won't take 40 minutes to get into the match. It's going to be very special, we'll see what happens… It's up to us 'be good.'

Derby ACA – SCB, the rules:

• Following the incidents of October 26, the LFP Disciplinary Commission took the following sanction: the match will be played behind closed doors.
• While the match will resume in the 42nd minute, with the score 0 – 0 which was that of the previous match, there will be no half-time, but a “brief break”, and a change of sides.
• So that the situation, as much as possible, is not too different from that of the initial derby, the coaches of the ACA and the SCB will have to rely on the same scoresheet, or almost. In the event of injury to a player, he may be replaced by another player, qualified on the initial date, and absent from the match sheet. But only one change can be made. Which explains why Mathieu Chabert, who has to deal with two injured players, will have to settle for a group of 17 players.
• The starting 11, on the other hand, may be modified. And the two clubs will be able to make their five changes, since none had been made on October 26.
• Finally, the cards distributed during the 42 minutes already played are still relevant today. Matthieu Huard and Everson Junior, both from Ajacci, are concerned.