A new season is about to start in the Ligue 1. The last one was cancelled due to COVID-19, and this evening (19:00) Girondins de Bordeaux – Nantes will be the opener of the 2020-2021 season. All eyes are on PSG, Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille, but we are going to recommend three other attractive teams to follow up this year in France.
LILLE OSC: Coached by Christophe Galtier, who ended on the second spot of the table in the first season he completed at the club (2018-2019). This last year, when the Ligue 1 got cancelled, he finished only one point away from the Champions League. This time, he will battle to return to the UCL while he plays the Europa League. In order to pull that off, he will count on the most expensive sign in the history of the club: Jonathan David (20years old, Canada).
David is the most attractive interest of this team. He played 42 games, scored 23 goals and gave 7 assists last season at his old club, KAA Gent. He can play on any offensive position and speed is one of his main characteristics. He has set a lot of expectations, but he will more than likely meet them all. However, he is not the only young star to take into account.
Manager Luis Campos is the responsible man for these outstanding signs. He is one of the biggest talent finder in the world and has brought to his current club names like Victor Osimhen o Nicolas Pépé. Today he has Gabriel Magalhães, Jonathan Ikoné, Renato Sanches o Timothy Weah,among others. These are the incentives to follow “Les Dogues”.
OGC NICE: Patrick Vieira is the coach for “The Eagles”, the first European club in his career. This last year he qualified his team for the Europa League, ending at the 5th spot, and he is expected to make it to Europe again this upcoming season. That is the goal of the property that runs the club, the British Group “Ineos”, which owns the entity since last year. It will be interested to see the investment in order to fulfill their ambition.
One of the most attractive points of Nice, apart from the coach, is their squad. It is formed by players who are not older than 26, which proves their clear intentions of keeping a young team. This way, the eyes are on the promising players: Thuram-Ulien (Lilian Thuram´s son), Amine Gouiri (watched by Real Madrid) and Pedro Brazao (followed by FC Barcelona), among others.
Youcef Atal (24 years old, Algeria) is another player to keep your eyes on. He can develop his game anywhere on the wing, right or left. He stands out with his both feet and his ability with the ball, but he also helps out in defense. This is what coach Vieira has to say about him: “The aspect that differentiates him the most from the others is his desire to step into the box”. Chelsea and PSG are watching him, but he has already stated that his intention for now is to stay at Nice. No doubt this player is a big reason to watch this team.
STADE RENNAIS FC: “Les Rennais” have qualified to the Champions League for the first time in history. They got their ticket through the third spot of the league. A lot of this has to do with their coach Julien Stéphan. He is the biggest attraction of the club, along with Eduardo Camavinga.
Stéphan, 39 years old, arrived at Rennais in December 2018. This is his first experience at a senior locker-room after coaching the second team during three years. In just one year and a half, he has already won the French Cup against PSG and made it to the Champions League. He has done an excellent job so far, and with so many years in his career down the road, it will be exciting to follow his next steps.
Eduardo Camavinga (17 years old, France-Angola), was one of the Rookiest of the year last season in the Ligue 1. He made his debut when he was only 16, beating several records. He has proved to have a mature difficult to find in other young players, decent ball treatment and outstanding fitness. He plays as a midfielder and has been linked to Real Madrid. Everything points that he will be huge player in the future and he is more known as time passes by. He will stay at Rennais this season and play compete in the Champions League, the perfect tournament to show off his potential.
