AC Ajaccio v SC Bastia: The derby that divides an island

While the five red cards handed out in a single Ligue 1 meeting between AC Ajaccio and SC Bastia in 2012-13 offers some insight into their direct history, events off the field involving the two Corsican clubs have often dominated the headlines too.

Crowd trouble during that campaign led to the following season's meetings being played behind closed doors. Somewhat fortuitously, it ensured no away supporters were present as Bastia consigned their island rivals to relegation with an 88th-minute winner in April 2014.

That stood as the most recent competitive meeting between the clubs until Bastia, demoted to the fifth tier in 2017 due to financial irregularities, sealed a third successive promotion last season to reach Ligue 2.

Eight years on from their last duel in the top flight, Bastia triumphed 2-0 as the derby made its long-awaited return in September.

On Saturday, the clubs meet for the reverse fixture in Ajaccio in a match which could have significant implications for both — at opposite ends of the table.

«The derby against Bastia is very important for the supporters because it is about regional supremacy,» Ajaccio fan Anthony Tognetti tells BBC Sport.

«Outside of football, Ajaccio and Bastia have always been rivals. There is a strong antagonism between the two cities.

»The atmosphere between the ultras of the two clubs can be tense, especially during matches. Many incidents have occurred in the past and from now on the travel of supporters during the derbies is prohibited.

«For normal supporters, it is all about the bickering and 'macagna' — the jokes — around the matches.»

The rivalry geographically divides the rugged Mediterranean island of Corsica between its two main cities; the capital Ajaccio in the Corse-du-Sud