Evian vs Bastia

April 24, 2015
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

The 1-1 draw with Guingamp saw Evian increase the advantage over the bottom three to two points and they now have a chance to make a giant step towards Ligue 1 survival by defeating relegation rivals Bastia. The Corsicans are going through a very rough patch having lost last three matches and definitely face a tough task in Annecy.

Evian showing signs of improvement

Evian escaped the drop last season thanks to winning the final two matches of the campaign, but they hoped for a much more successful season this term. Serbian midfielder Milos Ninkovic, who returned to Annecy, was expected to help les Roses escape the relegation tussle altogether, but a succession of injuries prevented the former Serbia international from playing an important role and the team largely struggled in his absence. The attacking midfielder finally returned to the side ahead of the season finale and the improvement was evident, with Evian defeating Montpellier, while bring points from away matches against Nice and Guingamp. Les Roses were very unfortunate to lose at home to Lille having missed several glorious opportunities to score, but their performances have clearly improved and that gives them confidence ahead of the all-important clash against Bastia. Evian have done pretty well at their Parc des Sports, especially when facing bottom-table sides, with Pascal Dupraz’s charges winning five of last six-matches against teams in the bottom half of the standings.

Influential midfielder Daniel Wass should be recalled to the starting line-up, but Jonathan Mensah is banned and Oliver Sorlin, Kassim Abdallah, Mathieu Duhamel and Jesper Hansen are out injured.

The most unpredictable side in France

This season has been a genuine rollercoaster ride for Bastia that can still end either in huge success or major disappointment. Les Bleus have been thoroughly impressive in domestic Cups, reaching the final of Coupe de la Ligue by defeating Monaco on penalties, before they were hammered 4-0 by title-winning Paris Saint-Germain. However, while they pursued Cup success, Bastia seem to have taken their minds off the league campaign, which resulted in some very disappointing performances. Les Bleus slipped to the danger zone as they could only take one point from last five matches and three straight defeats mean Ghislain Printant’s side will be very low on confidence when they face relegation rivals Evian. Bastia clearly have plenty of problems up front, with January recruit Giovanni Sio the only player capable of scoring on regular basis, and they have now failed to score in four of last six matches on all fronts. The visitors also have some important missings, with veteran defender Sebastian Squillaci having been ruled out for the season, so I seriously doubt their dismal run will end in Annecy.

Sebastian Squillaci suffered a thigh injury against Reims, while Florian Marange and Abdoulaye Keita remain on the sidelines.

Verdict

Evian have clearly raised their form of late, and they are becoming a real danger in the final third, with Wass and Ninkovic creating plenty of chances for their teammates. Les Roses have also largely impressed at home against bottom-table sides, so they can be trusted to see off out-of-sorts Bastia on Saturday.

Top pick: Home win   2.15 (23/20) @ bet365

Alternative pick 1: Bastia not to score   2.38 (11/8) @ William Hill

Alternative pick 2: Evian to win to nil   3.30 (23/10) @ BetVictor

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