Total suspense at the top of Ligue 2

The final sprint is indeed launched in Ligue 2. at 6 days from the end of the championship, the suspense remains on several levels. In the current state of things, Lorient, Metz and Paris FC compete for the only two places available to go to Ligue 1, while three other teams, Dunkirk, Guingamp and Laval, are struggling to access the play-offs. And to spice up a little more things, what could be better than direct confrontations between some of these clubs. This is the case from this 29th day with the trip of Guingamp (4th, 48 points) on the side of Dunkirk (5th, 48 points) Monday evening.

FC Lorient, 1er, 58 points

Leader of the ranking with two lengths in advance, Lorient is necessarily the best placed to return to Ligue 1, only one year after having come down. The Merlus have the best weapons with the presence of Eli Junior Kroupi, co-championship rider (15 achievements), who dreams of finishing his Lorient adventure on a climb, well seconded by Sambou Soumano (10 goals). Aiyegun Tosin and Laurent Abergel are also one of the best league 2 smugglers (5 offerings each). Under the leadership of Olivier Pantaloni, already mounted twice in L1 with AC Ajaccio, the Morbihannais took the lead in Ligue 2 on the evening of the 16th day to never let go. They even counted up to 5 points ahead but the defeats against Laval and especially in Paris in early March tightened the gap. The Lorientais still leave favorite in this final straight because they have the advantage of an affordable calendar with opponents all outside the Top 8, except this important trip to Guingamp in a week.

FC Metz, 2e, 56 points

Among the head trio teams, Metz is undoubtedly the one that makes the least noise. It is however she who aligns the best series of the moment with 6 wins over the last 7 games. The Grenats even took the lead a few hours last weekend due to a match scheduled earlier than Lorient. The regular scorer Cheikh Sabaly (12 achievements) has his best statistical season and acts as a perfect complement with the everything, Gauthier Hein, author of 9 goals and 6 assists. For his first season at the club, Stéphane Le Mignan managed to assemble a coherent alloy between the presence of experienced players (eh, Udol, Stambouli, Deminguet) and some young people in the middle of the progression of the Senegalese sector (Gueye, Diallo, Sané). Messins also have the advantage of the calendar with 4 games against opponents in the last 5 places but beware of this last day on the Laval side …

Paris FC, 3e, 55e points

The PFC season has already been commented on long, wide and across, especially since the club's acquisition by the Arnault family with the support of Red Bull. The means were already very important for Ligue 2, they became too big for this championship. It is still necessary to win its place on the field, because paradoxically, the announcement initiated a negative spiral in terms of results with only 2 victories in 9 games between the end of October and mid-January. The team of President Ferracci logically rendered their leader chair despite an XXL workforce. Jean-Philippe Krasso responds present with his 15 goals (co-manier director of L2), when Maxime Lopez blows a little more hot and cold, like the club. The PFC hits the teeth, but shows irregularities between a success on Lorient then a slap received in Laval. In these last games, the trip to Grenoble appears to be the only major difficulty since it will especially be necessary to face teams from 2nd part of the table.

Guingamp, 4E, 48 Points

This season, the EAG is often capable of the best and a little of the worst, like its Coupe de Coupe de France where it eliminates Toulouse before getting out by Cannes. His sawtill results are also worth this 4th place while the workforce is full of talent players like Alpha Sissoko, a best league 2 smuggler (8 offerings), Amine Hemia (9 goals and 2 assists) or a Jacques Siwe, 10 times scorer but sometimes too intermittent. Théo Le Bris's contribution this winter (loaned by Lorient) has done good and it is also on this dynamic that the Costarmoricans are surfing at the moment. Sylvain Ripoll and his players have found their good cruising pace in recent weeks with an attractive game, but it is probably too late to hope to get one of the first two places. Especially since the calendar is rather strong with two next games in Dunkirk and then against Lorient. Once these obstacles have passed, Guingamp will have more visibility on his final objectives.

USL Dunkirk, 5th, 48 points

A few weeks ago, Dunkirk could still believe in a final “double” Cup of France-Montée in Ligue 1 but it must be believed that the epic completed in the semi-finals against PSG this week started the bodies and the heads. 3rd at a small point from the PFC after having beaten it on the evening of the 23rd day, the USLD continued with a qualification against Brest, before collapsing ten days later. The slap received in Rodez (5-1) was the tipping point since the club suffered disappointments at home against Metz then in Bastia, before this famous match against Paris where he believed there after having led two goals. There is also frustration with this goal granted to Marquinhos who should have been refused. The fall is brutal, but it is immediately necessary to recover in it, under penalty of ending this magnificent season on a taste of unfinished. And it starts with a beautiful song with the reception of Guingamp on Monday. The rest is not much less complicated. You will have to play in Amiens and Troyes, then receive Grenoble and especially Laval.

Laval stadium, 6th, 43 points

In this final sprint, Olivier Froolli's men present themselves a tone below the others, evidenced by their place in the classification and their number of points. On the other hand, they are a bit of a referees since they have just faced the PFC and Guingamp and must still fight battle in Dunkirk, in addition to welcoming Metz during the 34th and last day. All the season, the Mayennais suffered from irregular results that prevented them from playing a higher notch. Over the same period, they were able to knock the PFC 3-0 and to beat Lorient twice, while winning in Ajaccio (3-0 defeat) and to bow to the house against Martigues and Annecy. They are nonetheless tough opponents, led by the veteran-driver Malik Tchokouné (9 achievements) and the right foot of Thibaut Vargas (6 assists). Hanging the 5th place of the play-offs will be the main objective, but for that, it will be necessary to show continuity in the results.