Rodez vs Paris FC-Fourth-placed Rodez and fifth-placed Paris FC battle it out on Tuesday night for the right to meet Saint-Etienne in the Ligue 2 playoff final.
The upcoming match is just one of three hurdles that both sides must clear to progress to the top flight, as the 16th-placed Ligue 1 side await the ultimate prize.
Rodez vs Paris FC-Match preview
With champions Auxerre and second-placed Angers sailing off into the Ligue 1 sunset and third-placed Saint-Etienne immediately seeing off the second hurdle, Rodez AF and Paris have another hurdle to overcome if they want to fill their top flight. the dream
The winner of Tuesday’s tie will have just three days to recover before facing Saint-Etienne in the promotion final, followed by a two-legged playoff with the 16th-placed Ligue 1 side – possibly Metz – to decide their respective fates for 2024. -25 seasons.
For Rodez, a big-time promotion would be historic for a side who have struggled in the Ligue 2 basement after relegating the third tier in the 2018-19 season, having finished 15th in their previous four campaigns before Didier Santini took over. His magic is around this time.
The 55-year-old – who was once in Livingston, Scotland during his playing days – masterminded a total of 60 points from 38 matches for Les Sangs et Or to finish fourth, a routine 2-0 thrashing of AC Ajaccio on the final day.
Defensive discipline was otherwise hard to come by for Rodez in the regular season, though, with 51 goals conceded being the highest score in the top nine in the table, Rodez vs Paris FC-while a few too many draws – 12 to be exact – denied them a higher ranking and a more direct route to the top division.
Even competing for a place among the French elite is commendable for a club with Rodez’s modest history, and the same could be said of their impending foes Paris FC, Rodez vs Paris FC-without a Ligue 1 appearance since the 1978-79 season of football.
Having previously formed an alliance with the country’s best in Paris Saint-Germain – an alliance that ended more than 50 years ago – the Blues have since watched from afar as their wealthier rivals rule the roost, but a reunion could soon be on the cards for 2024-25.
Stephen Gillie’s men finished one point and one place lower than Rodez in the Ligue 2 standings, but unlike Les Sangs et Or, they have had the former in the push for a top-half placement, finishing in the top seven in each of the last four campaigns.
An impressive 11-game unbeaten run from February 3 to April 20 helped Paris punch their ticket to the playoffs, but they won just two of their final regular-season fixtures – a 1-1 draw with Bastia in their final match – and relegated Kane. A coveted playoff spot by just one point.
The Bastia draw also marked a ninth straight match without a clean sheet for the Blues, who won 2-0 at home to Rodez in December’s Ligue 2 clash, but Santini’s men avenged a 1-0 win in April, 10 games against the capital side. Their third win.
Rodez vs Paris FC-Team News
Rodez’s problems closing shop can be partly attributed to their defensive injury crisis, with goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi-Njau (knee) sidelined, such as centre-backs Eric Vandenabilly (broken leg) and Joris Chougrani (knee).
Number one Sebastien Sibois has now recovered from a stomach problem, though, giving the nod to 18-year-old Reims loanee Ewain Jaouen for the last two matches, leaving Santini in a tough dilemma in goal.
Winger Lucas Buades is also suffering foot problems at Rodez, whose two-man strikeforce of Andreas Hauntondzi and Kylian Corridor managed 26 goals between them in the regular Ligue 2 campaign.
With Rodez Ruay in the defensive absence, most of Paris’s fitness problems came at the other end of the pitch, as Lamine Guay (knee) and eight-goal top scorer Pierre-Yves Hamel (unspecified) were both out, while playmaker Ilan Kebbal arrived with a sprained ankle in the stroke of half-time on Friday evening.
Paris’ main creator has 11 assists this term – in addition to six goals – only expected to deal a devastating blow to the Blues’ chances of progressing to Tuesday’s semi-finals, but Gili can still call on a worthy replacement in Alimami Gori. .
The 27-year-old had seven goals and eight assists in the regular season for Paris, whose long-term cruciate ligament victim Sofiane Alacouch will also see from the infirmary, and there are also concerns over midfield fulcrum Cyril Mandouki in his wake. Last time out own forced withdrawal (Rodez vs Paris FC).
Rodez vs Paris FC Lineup:
Rodez AF Probable Starting Lineup:
Seabois; Roux Yao, Danger, Mambo; hag; Silla, Rajot, Taibi, Abdullah; Corridor, Hauntonji
Paris FC Probable Starting Lineup:
Encambadio; Dabyla, Mbo, Kolodziejak, Gaudin; Marchetti, Camara, Doucet; Gori Diko, Jabbari
We say: Rodez AF 1-0 Paris FC
Missing their top scorer and top playmaker for Tuesday’s semi-final, the signs are not promising for hapless Paris FC, whose cruel injury spell will scupper their promotion chances.
Gilly’s men have already struggled to close the back door in recent weeks, so Corridor and the Hauntondzi-inspired Rodez may just need a goal to set up a date with Saint-Etienne.