“A derby is not played, it is won”! This famous football expression has, without a doubt, been running on loop for several days in the heads of Ajaccio and Bastia supporters. Because, this evening, it will clearly be a question of regional supremacy between the two flagship clubs of the island. “We know the importance that this match can have for the supporters or for the Corsican players“, confided Dume Guidi in a pre-match press conference. Before continuing: “It is up to us, the locker room managers, to make all the players understand the importance of this type of match.“. A feeling also shared by the ACA and Christopher Ibayi for whom: “derbies are always special matches. We were even more focused this week. We did our best to prepare for this match. This is an opportunity to please our supporters“.
12 Corsicans on the field?
A meeting for honor, therefore, but a meeting which could, above all, set the pace for the rest of the competition for the two teams. With a series of three matches without a victory on the Ajaccian side and four on the Bastiais side, this derby will undoubtedly leave its mark on the sporting level. Between a Sporting which is clearly marking time after a thunderous start to the season and an ACA team lacking success and not helped by the refereeing in recent weeks, the outcome of this meeting could condition the rest of the first leg of both teams. “It’s the 10th match of our season and I’m looking forward to it a lot. warns Benoit Tavenot. The objective of this match is to validate our good start to the championship.“As for the ACA and Mathieu Chabert, the objective will also be to maintain the current solidity at home.”We know how to put the ingredients together to perform well at home launches the acesite coach. But we will have to put even more into this match. We will have to be more decisive in the last third of the field. It’s a match that can take us forward“.
A derby which, this year, takes on a whole new dimension and meaning with the possibility of having 12 Corsicans on the pitch. 7 on the Bastiais side and 5 on the Ajaccians side. Ajaccians who could have had an even larger contingent of Corsican players but they will have to do without the services of Santelli and Campanini. Also absent is the young Arsène Kouassi Kouassi, heavily sanctioned with a 7-match suspension on Wednesday by the disciplinary committee. On the other hand, on the Sporting side, no one was absent for this meeting, except the Bastia supporters who, once again, were banned from traveling by the internal security services.
ACA – SCB a meeting to follow live on RCFM with a special evening from 7 p.m.! Live pre-match on the pitch, full commentary and post-match from the corridors of the Stade Michel Moretti.
Swiss
