Monaco vs Bastia preview - Jardim targeting top-three finish

Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim is confident his high-flying side can claim a top-three finish in Ligue 1 this season.

The Red and Whites claimed their 13th league win this term with a 3-1 victory away to Evian last weekend and currently sit fourth in the standings, six points behind third-placed Marseille with a game in hand.

Ahead of Friday's clash with mid-table Bastia at Stade Louis II, Jardim admitted the win at Parc des Sports provided a great boost in morale within his squad as they aim to build on their three-match Ligue 1 unbeaten run.

He told his club's official website www.asmonaco.com: "It's good for confidence. We needed to take the points to keep moving up the table.

"The team is absolutely convinced we can make it into the top three. We'll give it our all."

Teenage defender Almamy Toure, making just his fourth appearance at Evian since making his Monaco debut last month, reiterated his manager's comments and hopes the club can continue on the up as the end of the season draws ever closer.

Toure was on target in the win, alongside Anthony Martial and a Kassim Abdallah own-goal, and he said: "We were solid. That's our strength at the moment. Hopefully we can continue like that."

Bastia head into the clash in great form and sit 10th in the table on the back of four wins from their last five league outings.

But coach Ghislain Printant has suffered a triple blow this week with the news that his side will be without Algeria midfielder Ryad Boudebouz (thigh), defender Sebastien Squillaci (hamstring) and defensive midfielder Yannick Cahuzac (adductor) for the clash.