Evian Thonon Gaillard vs Bordeaux preview - Dupraz: Evian must be brave

Posted Friday, February 06, 2015 by PA

Evian boss Pascal Dupraz has told his side to play Bordeaux without fear as they fight for their Ligue 1 future.

Evian have one win in eight matches, at home to Toulouse in their most recent match at Parc des Sports d'Annecy, but so too have Bordeaux, who have drawn four of their last eight games.

The difference is Les Girondins are seventh in the table and Evian are 11 places below them entering the fixture.

"It will be a difficult match," Dupraz said on etgfc.com.

"They have more history than us and it is a more prestigious club. But we fear no one.

"In Marseille (a 1-0 loss last weekend), I was proud of our performance.

"We play our Champions League every weekend. Past matches, I do not care.

"We need points. Our situation is difficult, we sometimes move out of the relegation zone. Unfortunately, we go back very quickly.

"If we had the ability to claim successive wins, it would be nice.

"We would like to be closer to 30 points as soon as possible."

Bordeaux will be without a number of players through injury, including Theo Pellenard, Julien Faubert, Younes Kaabouni, Cheick Diabate, Marc Planus and the suspended Jaroslav Plasil.

Bordeaux boss Willy Sagnol's expectations remain high.

He told the club's official website: "Now we have to take the points."

Recent history points to victory for the visitors.

Bordeaux have not been beaten in Annecy in three visits, with one win and two draws.