In great shape, Rodez goes to Toulouse, this Monday evening December 13 at 8:45 p.m., for a regional derby against the big favorite to rise to Ligue 1, just dislodged from the throne by Ajaccio. And with the added bonus of beIN sports cameras.
We may hear all season long that all matches have the same importance during a championship, the fact remains that some posters are more attractive than others. The one who awaits Rodez Aveyron football, this evening in Toulouse, ogre of Ligue 2 and great regional neighbor, is one of them.
To be honest, there is even a certain excitement at the idea of seeing Laurent Peyrelade’s men once again treading the lawn of the Stadium. Not just for a story of nostalgia, which takes us back to the summer and early fall of 2019, when the blood and gold relocated seven home meetings there during the work of Paul-Lignon. The confrontation against the favorite for the climb, still on the throne of leader before the weekend’s meetings, will above all allow to gauge a little better the level of the Ruthenians. They are moving forward with the wind in their sails, mastering their playing principles better than ever, which make them an intense team, united and difficult to tame. With four wins in their last five league games, they are in 7th place, which has never happened to them at this stage of the season since their rise to L2.
“To get there, everything has to be aligned”
It remains to be seen how far this momentum can carry them and what exploits Pierre Bardy and his gang can still accomplish. We would be careful not to risk an answer now, as the Piton club, for the past five years, has gotten into the habit of pushing the limits of what is possible. Which amounts to saying that, for this evening, despite a defense weakened by the absences of Joris Chougrani and Amiran Sanaia, the Aveyronnais would be wrong to refrain from dreaming of an exploit, they who had managed to beat their prestigious neighbor to Paul-Lignon in February (1-0), it is true four months after a final defeat at the Stadium (3-0). “It’s possible to do it, but everything has to be aligned. We can’t afford to give gifts or have moments of collective absence., warns Laurent Peyrelade. We have to be super rigorous in what we want to put in place, make it last and materialize the situations we will have. Because we will have some. “
From one derby to another
Beyond the balance of power and knowing how the so-called little one, who is less and less so, will try to cope with the favorite, this meeting is also of interest in terms of local supremacy. A fashionable refrain for the Ruthenians, ten days after their success in front of Nîmes (1-0), the other team of Occitanie resident of L2. Moreover, the fact of playing the neighbors’ match against Toulouse underlines the recent progress of Raf, more used to frequenting Albi or Luzenac during derbies during the previous decade. It also recalls the wanderings of Téfécé in the recent past, yet sized to move upstairs, and which narrowly missed the climb last season.
The derby context should be reinforced by the presence in the stands of many blood and gold supporters, for the shortest trip of the season. Even if the programming during the week could cool some enthusiasm (see next page), the Aveyronnais of Toulouse should be present to support Rémy Boissier and his partners, on the occasion of the first clash between the two clubs in the league without any cover-up constraint. fire or sanitary lock-up.
Not to spoil anything, the prestige of the opposition between neighbors will be reinforced by its programming on the Monday evening box, the niche of prestigious posters, under the cameras of beIN sports. An unusual schedule for the Raf, confined for two years to multiplexes. Even if the presence of Toulouse has a lot to do with it, one would swear that this choice of broadcaster is also indicative of the progress made by the Ruthenians in recent months. And what better than a prestigious poster to confirm them?
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