Predictions Ligue 2 - Rodez AF vs Paris FC on 22 May 2024

Ligue 2 - Rodez AF vs Paris FC
Match Time: 22-05-2024 02:30 Wednesday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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As champions Auxerre and second-placed Angers sailed off into the Ligue 1 sunset, and third-placed Saint-Etienne earned an immediate bye to the second hurdle, Rodez AF and Paris have another obstacle to traverse if they are to fulfil their top-flight dreams.

The victor of Tuesday's tie will have just three days to recuperate before tackling Saint-Etienne in the promotion final, after which a two-legged playoff with the 16th-placed Ligue 1 team - most likely Metz - will determine their respective fates for the 2024-25 season.

For Rodez, promotion to the big time would be historic for a side that have been battling in the Ligue 2 basement since leaving the third tier behind in the 2018-19 season, finishing no higher than 15th in their previous four campaigns before Didier Santini worked his magic this time around.

The 55-year-old - who once had a stint at Livingston in Scotland during his playing heyday - masterminded a total of 60 points from 38 matches to guide Les Sangs et Or to a fourth-placed finish, sealed with a routine 2-0 beating of AC Ajaccio on the final day.

Defensive discipline was otherwise hard to come by for Rodez in the regular season, though, as 51 goals shipped was by far the highest total in the top nine of the table, while a few too many draws - 12 to be exact - denied them a higher ranking and more straightforward path to the top division.

Even challenging for a spot among the French elite is praiseworthy for a club of Rodez's modest history, and the same can be said for their upcoming foes Paris FC, without a Ligue 1 appearance since the 1978-79 season.

Previously forming an amalgamation with the best in the land Paris Saint-Germain - an alliance which ended over 50 years ago - the Blues have since watched on from afar as their affluent counterparts rule the nation, but a reunion for 2024-25 could soon be on the cards.

Stephane Gilli's men finished one point and one spot worse off than Rodez in the Ligue 2 standings, but unlike Les Sangs et Or, they have previous when it comes to jostling for top-half placement, finishing in the top seven in each of the last four campaigns.

A brilliant 11-game unbeaten run from February 3 to April 20 helped punch Paris' ticket to the playoffs, but they only won two of their final regular-season fixtures - drawing 1-1 with Bastia in their closing match - and pipped Caen to a coveted playoff place by just a single point.

The Bastia draw also marked a ninth match in a row without a clean sheet for the Blues, who did run out 2-0 victors over Rodez on home soil in December's Ligue 2 battle, but Santini's men earned a slice of revenge courtesy of a 1-0 win in April, just their third triumph from 10 games against the capital outfit.

Prediction:  Rodez AF 1-0 Paris FC