Evian Thonon Gaillard vs Lorient preview - Bernard wary of Lorient threat

Posted Wednesday, March 04, 2015 by PA

Evian assistant boss Stephane Bernard is refusing to get carried away after seeing the relegation-threatened side win two Ligue 1 games in a row.

Victories against fellow strugglers Lens and Metz have brought a new wave of optimism to Evian as they prepare to face another team near the bottom of the league in Lorient on Wednesday.

Pascal Dupraz's men now sit outside of the relegation zone on wins alone but another victory in Wednesday's rearranged clash will take them to 32 points, above their opponents and three points clear of the drop.

And Bernard is only focusing on the accumulation of points in a league table which sees just seven points separate eighth from 18th.

"The first words of the players at the end of the game on Saturday were - we are not excited," he told the French media. "They did nothing.

"We only have 29 points. The aim is to ensure as soon as possible that we stay in Ligue 1, so to score 40, 42 or 43 points."

He added: "Two good matches are done with victories in Lens and Metz, where players did as requested by Pascal in terms of mindset and behaviour.

"Now we have a third match against Lorient on Wednesday which is as important as those against Lens and Metz.

"If we take the three points, we will be on track to maintain our status even if we will have only 32 points.

"Lorient is a team that plays very good football, it will be a tough game. But we also have an argument."

Lorient travel to the Parc des Sports Annecy, where the pitch has been covered in the hope of avoiding another postponement with the cold weather, in a run of good form themselves as they head into the match unbeaten in their last four.

But Lorient midfielder Walid Mesloub echoed Bernard's sentiments that work must be done to get away from the drop zone.

"This is far from over," he told the club's official website. "It will be difficult to the end. We'll have to keep that mindset.

"With this enthusiasm, I hope that we will be rewarded."