An horizon that will probably have to wait until spring to be clearer. The fate of FC Villefranche-Beaujolais, to participate in the birth of the next Ligue 3, is on track. However, with 11 matchdays left in the championship, it still needs to add around ten points to its tally to be more relaxed in this quest.
Especially after suffering two defeats against candidates for the future Ligue 2, by the same score (2-1), against Dijon and then Sochaux last weekend. Obviously, these last two defeats, although not predictable, were entirely foreseeable in the Caladois’ schedule, facing teams that are far more offensive.
A battle between two teams looking to leave a mark on each other
And now? It’s time for Valenciennes, once again an old Ligue 2 team, at Armand-Chouffet, to pick up a pretty remarkable start to 2026 with three wins out of four possible, between late January and mid-February.
What might this duel in Calade look like? Certainly a battle between two teams looking to leave a mark on each other, as long as a head-to-head comparison is rigorous: same number of points (25), 12th place for the northerners, 13th for the Caladois.
Valenciennes, despite its significantly larger budget, has experienced a National season far from its aspirations, considering its resources and squad. The coach Stéphane Moulin, the former emblematic guide of Angers, left the red and white ship in February, of his own accord, after suffering four consecutive defeats and remaining at 13th in the championship.
Since then, Valenciennes has not lost in its last two matchdays (1-1 against Paris 13, 2-1 victory against Caen), with the local talent, Pierre Blois, on the bench, ensuring interim management as a new coach could arrive before the end of the season.
Inverted dynamics
In short, the picture of inverted dynamics can characterize the future duel between VA and FCVB, considering that compared to the first match (2-0), Villefranche has significantly reshaped its team with an offensive sector boosted by the arrivals of Touho-Assef-Sabihi.
FCVB returned from Doubs last Friday with a maximum of frustration, given a more vibrant offensive last half-hour, with Pèan holding the fort in goal against the very insistent Sochaux attackers in the Beaujolais sixteen, especially in the first half.
But there were still positive signs from a group that does not give up. One thinks of Babacar Leye’s magnificent new goal – his 6th of the season which demonstrated how coach Fabien Pujo’s team knows how to come back in a match. As has often been the case recently.
Sambaly Keita (midfielder of FCVB): “we will have at heart to show our real level“
Frustrations aplenty, especially in a missed start, have remained in the minds of the players at Villefranche, as seen in Sambaly Keita’s analysis: “We missed our game, especially in the middle of the park, confessed the box-to-box midfielder of FCVB, already focusing on the next match and beyond: Against Valenciennes, we will have at heart to show our real level. We will then have the duel against Châteauroux. If we take six points, we will get closer to safety. These are two key moments in our season.”
Taking back control of their ambitions to stay away from the relegation zone: that will be at the forefront of FCVB’s mind against Valenciennes. It remains to be seen what the northerners think. The race for the future Ligue 3 is still ongoing.
