Nantes face Paris ordeal with Éric Blahic on the bench in survival fight | OneFootball

Nantes visit Paris for their rearranged matchday 26 tie with survival flickering. Assistant Éric Blahic will lead the team after Sunday’s dismissals left Vahid Halilhodzic and Patrick Collot banned.

According to L'Équipe, Halilhodzic is suspended for four matches, back only for the finale, and Collot has a one-game ban with another suspended, putting Blahic on the Parc des Princes touchline.

Blahic stayed on after arriving with Ahmed Kantari. Despite his experience, the outlook is bleak, with Nantes five points behind AJ Auxerre and a goal difference of -21 to -14.

Rennes away follows on Sunday, then Marseille at home, Lens away and Toulouse at the Beaujoire. They likely need at least three wins, having only four all season, just one in the past three and a half months, a 2-0 over Le Havre.

The 1-1 draw with Brest brought a stoppage time equaliser while down to 10 after the erroneous dismissal of Dehmaine Tabibou, a third straight draw.

Halilhodzic said his side were punished unfairly, noted the referee admitted a mistake, and argued only exceptional exploits, beating Paris-SG and Rennes, will do.

They aim to hang in, yet seven stoppage time concessions have cost six points and only three goals have come in six outings. Johann Lepenant urged total commitment, and Louis Leroux lamented the risk of tarnishing the club’s image, as hopes turn to another last-day escape.

Source: L'Équipe