It's win or bust for Ajaccio on Sunday as they face Nice in the knowledge that anything less than a win will see them relegated.
They will hope to find a Nice team in end-of-season mode, as they have little left to play for.
But even a win could see Ajaccio go down after a 3-0 defeat at Troyes in the archetypal relegation six-pointer in their last outing two weeks ago.
The result left Ajaccio eight points adrift of their hosts and the safety of 17th place.
Coach Jose Pasqualetti was under no illusions as to the implications of the result.
"I think if I said we were still in Ligue 1, I would need locking up," he told the club's website www.ac-ajaccio.com after the match.
"You can say that mathematically it's still possible, but life is not about maths."
The result left Pasqualetti looking towards next season.
"I think that there are good foundations in Ajaccio and there is a possibility of bouncing back as soon as possible, if the lessons are learnt from this season," he said.
The damage was done for the Corsican club in a run of 13 matches earlier in the season meaning recent victories against Toulouse and Monaco have done little other than prolong the agony.
Eleventh-placed Nice will have to try and put the disappointment of their Coupe de la Ligue final defeat behind them.
Having been favourites going into the match with Nancy, the 2-1 defeat was a great opportunity missed to bring European football to the south coast next season.
Their away form will offer some hope to the hosts. Nice have only managed three wins away from home, scoring just nine goals. |