Evian vs Lens Preview

Evian coach Pascal Dupraz has no intention of stepping down from his job despite facing a barrage of criticism over their woeful start to the Ligue 1 season.

The Thonon-les-Bains club are the only team without a win this campaign, and lie at the foot of the table with a single point from six matches heading into Wednesday’s clash with Lens.

Three successive defeats, including a 2-1 loss to Bordeaux at the weekend, have led some to question whether Dupraz is the right man for Evian, yet the coach remains defiant and is confident his team can turn a corner.

“My aim is to continue to coach this team,” he told a press conference. “We have to face this criticism and shoot it down.

“We are not doing well in the table at the moment but we are much better than that. Over time that will be reversed.

“The team have not fulfilled their potential but, with time and a little persuasion, that will change. We still lack a yard of pace but we are not far from finding our form.”

Defender Aldo Angoula will sit out the visit of Lens because of injury.

Lens have settled in well following their promotion to the top flight, and were unfortunate to suffer a 1-0 defeat to St Etienne last time out, which ended a run of three matches unbeaten.

Coach Antoine Kombouare could not help but feel a little aggrieved at that result, yet has every faith his players will bounce back at Evian.

“There was a lot of disappointment after the match,” he told a press conference.

“There wasn’t much I could criticise and I liked the attitude of my players. They were able to compete and dominated St Etienne and, with a little more luck and determination, we could have won.

“But we must quickly forget that match and move on, plan for Wednesday’s game which has come around all too quickly. Evian have had two extra days to recover than us but we will recharge the batteries and try to get something from them.”