Mehdi Abeid against PSG in February.

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SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS / SIPA

  • FC Nantes welcomes PSG on Saturday at La Beaujoire, without all its usual defense.

  • Against all expectations, it is not Thomas Basila who should accompany Jean-Charles Castelletto in central hinge, but Mehdi Abeid.

There is never a good time to have a lot of absentees, but we must admit that it is more than bad for FC Nantes.

Saturday, at 9 p.m., against PSG, Christian Gourcuff will have to compose without all of his defense holders.

Fabio (left side), Andrei Girotto (central defender) and Sébastien Corchia (right side) are affected by the Covid-19 and Nicolas Pallois (central defender) is suspended.

"We try to work well during the week, and everything can be cut off at the last moment ..." regrets Abdoulaye Touré.

An observation that applies to all L1 clubs in a period of health crisis, even if the FCN is one of the formations most affected by the virus since this summer.

“We do not know where we are going, we do not control much, admits Christian Gourcuff.

In terms of concentration, we are no longer really in the competition.

We are not in the ideal conditions to have the spirit of sport.

“Saturday, Gourcuff fortunately less than ten players affected by the virus [which allows not to postpone the match].

"It is not the number that counts, plague the Breton by referring to the new protocol of the LFP causing the postponement of a match when a formation cannot fold 20 names on a scoresheet.

But what matters is if a sector of play [defense] is affected as is the case for us this weekend, and that penalizes ”

Abeid has been preparing in central defense since Monday

Who is to accompany Jean-Charles Castelletto at the central hinge?

Young Basila?

"There are other possibilities ...", responds bluntly the Nantes coach, sending a very negative message to this young element at the end of the contract in June.

In fact, since the start of the week, it is Mehdi Abeid, defensive midfielder who is preparing to play central defender.

“We don't have much time to think.

Mehdi [Abeid] can take a step back.

He has rigor, concern for placement and he is generous defensively.

When you see how Andrei [former defensive midfielder] was able to acclimatize quickly to this position of central defender… Mehdi has the intelligence to adapt.

"A sacred baptism of fire while waiting for the Algerian against the Parisian squad, nonetheless deprived of Neymar ...

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