|
FC Supra du Québec VS Cavalry FC |
|---|
When FC Supra and Atlético Ottawa meet, there is never a dull moment. For a 5th time this season, the two teams will face off, and none of the encounters has looked like the others. In the Canadian Premier League, Atlético Ottawa has collected 6 points out of 6 by winning in stoppage time (0-1) in the first match, then making a fantastic comeback in the second encounter. Trailing 1-3 at halftime, Atlético scored 4 goals in the second half to eventually win 5-3.
That said, more recently, FC Supra escaped the Ottawa trap in the Canadian Championship, winning 3-1, then securing a 3-3 draw in the second leg to qualify.
Full of goals, these matches have often opened up in the second half. Of the 10 goals it has scored against Supra this season, Atlético has scored 9 in the final 45 minutes.
An important match for the standings
Beyond the emerging rivalry and the spectacle offered by both teams, this match is an opportunity to seize points in the standings for both teams.
Atlético Ottawa, which has played 16 matches this season, has a 6-point lead over Supra, which has played only 15 matches. In short, Atlético, with 24 points, has the opportunity to pull away from Supra, which has 18 points, while the Montrealers, in case of victory, would give themselves the opportunity to remain mathematically within reach of their opponent.
The different scenarios are not insignificant, as this is indeed a battle for a playoff spot between Atlético Ottawa, 4th in the standings, and Supra, 5th. The two teams have a similar goal difference (-4 for Ottawa; -5 for Supra)
Atlético Ottawa can also claim a return to the podium, having been overtaken for 3rd place by a Vancouver FC in sparkling form in recent weeks. Catching Cavalry and Forge FC seems more complicated, however, since the Hamilton team has 35 points and Cavalry, 34.
A duel for the top scorer spot
This match is also an opportunity for two Quebec players to continue their head-to-head battle for first place in the scoring charts.
Loïc Kwemi, on the Supra side, and Ballou-Tabla, on the Atlético Ottawa side, are in scintillating form and both involved in the Golden Boot race. They have scored their 8 goals this season in their last 9 matches.
After a slower start to the season due to an injury for Kwemi and poor form for Ballou, the two attackers have found their bearings again and have posted high-level statistics in recent weeks. They also both found the back of the net in the last Canadian Championship match.
They will need to maintain these standards, as other attackers remain on the lookout to take the throne in the Golden Boot race. Mohamed Amissi, of Vancouver FC, is just one goal behind (7 goals) and can count on his team's strong performances, while Tobias Warschewski has 6 goals.
The playoff race, the Golden Boot race and regional supremacy: there is no shortage of stakes for this match.
Notes and news
FC Supra has a full squad available.
Probable XIs
FC Supra: Milli; Abzi, Ferdinand, Chrétien, Auguste; Biello, Mlah, Rea; Choinière, Bayiha, Kwemi
Atlético Ottawa: Kalongo; Timotéo, Kozlovskiy, Cloutier, Mbomio, Coulanges; Castro; Aparicio; Ballou-Tabla; Garcia, Fleuriau-Chateau
Key quotes
Nick Razzaghi (FC Supra coach): It's always a good match against Atlético Ottawa. I think for the spectators, it's always an exciting match to watch, there is always plenty of action, plenty of goals. It's an important match for the standings, that's for sure, but the season remains long afterwards. They are a team that knows how to go and get results. They have only lost one match with their new coach, that shows their resilience, it illustrates that they have experienced guys, that they don't give up. In the last match, they could easily have taken Ballou, Aparicio, Fleuriau-Chateau off and rested them for this match today, but they kept the guys on the field to go and get something. They didn't give up and they found a way to get a draw. Their character, being able to stay in matches.
Gustavo Leal (Atlético Ottawa coach) : Supra has a very good team with a lot of interesting players like Kwemi or Rea. In the defensive line, there are also some interesting players. I think they are getting better week after week. We can see that they are improving week after week. In the last part, in the first 15 minutes, our attitude, especially defensively, was not good.
We are in the transition period, between me and Diego [Mejia, the former coach]. So we need to take some time right now to evaluate certain matches or certain players, while focusing on the League. We have two good challengers in the next matches, against Supra and against Vancouver. The last matches against these teams were not the way we wanted, so it's a good opportunity to improve certain things and get better results than the previous ones.
