Leader with eleven points in advance, the US Thionville Lusitanos of Julien François goes to his runner-up, Forbach, this Saturday at the Schlossberg stadium. With the possibility of driving the point home and getting a little closer to the climb to National 3.
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Today at 7:00 p.m.
Can we say that the US Thionville Lusitanos is on track to move up to N3?
“In terms of accounts, for sure it’s good, but there’s still a long way to go, especially since we’re playing a late match at Forbach this weekend. In the event of poor performance there and if Forbach wins at Reipertswiller afterwards, our lead would drop from eleven to five points. That’s why we’re concentrating above all on pursuing our results dynamic. If we manage to keep this pace, we can hope to achieve our goal of going up to N3, yes. »
What are the strengths of your team?
“We found a dynamic from the match against Reipertswiller (3-1 win on November 12) , where we changed our game system and chained the victories before Christmas. We were keen to resume well afterwards, against Sarreguemines, an ambitious team (4-1 success on February 4) , and the merit goes to the players, their seriousness, their qualities and their state of mind. That explains our very good results cycle. »
“We are on their backs”
Are you aware of the danger of seeing yourself too handsome?
“Obviously, we insist on not looking too much at the classification, not to believe that it’s already folded. With Stephane (Borbiconi, his deputy) , we have enough experience, and the players too, even if sometimes, unconsciously, they may want to relax. But we are on their backs. We must keep a team balance and concern all the players. Because we have a large squad and leaving five or six players with the B team or at home at the weekend is not easy to manage either. We must preserve this dynamic and it is the job of the staff. »
Your view of Forbach, who hooked you in the first leg (2-2)?
“They’re a great team, which caused us problems when they came back from a two-goal deficit. In addition, they strengthened by recovering Smaïl Morabit or Saïd Idazza, who was injured throughout the first part of the season. This club has also invested a lot to find a place at the national level, it will be a great duel to deliver. But all the games are difficult because the opponents are always extremely motivated against us. We have to deal with this balance of power. »
A great opportunity to drive the point home?
” Yes. Forbach will do everything to beat us, to give himself hope, and a positive result would consolidate our lead. We are going there with humility, with the desire to do well and to confirm what we are currently doing. »
Forbach – Thionville, this Saturday (6:30 p.m.)
