Bordeaux just missed out on the top two in Ligue 2 last season. Three points were the difference between Girondins and a return to the top flight of French football.
On Monday, Bordeaux will start their second consecutive campaign in the second division, with a trip to Pau.
Let's play ⚽ pic.twitter.com/GWnBY0LGFp— FC Girondins de Bordeaux (@girondins) August 3, 2023
Let's play ⚽ pic.twitter.com/GWnBY0LGFp
Les Maynats finished the 2022-23 season 12th in the Ligue 2 standings. The team posted a record of 12W-11D-15L and a goal difference of –12.
Pau are one of the smaller clubs in the division and were only formed in 1959. The city’s population is just over 76,000 people.
Compared to Bordeaux, Pau are a backwater of French football. Girondins were French champions just over 10 years ago. Since then, Bordeaux have struggled off and on.
Bordeaux posted a record of 20W-9D-9L last term, with 51 goals for and 28 against. A two-game losing streak on the final two matchdays sealed their fate of playing Ligue 2 football for this season.
Girondins took four points from six from Pau in 2022-23. The teams drew 1-1 in Bordeaux before Girondins picked up a 2-0 win at Pau’s Nouste Camp Stadium.
Manage David Guion led Bordeaux to third in Ligue 2 last season. He is now aiming for a top-two finish to earn automatic promotion back to the top flight.
Guion prefers a defensive 4-4-2 formation, using a double six in midfield. The club has spent money in the transfer window, signing strikers Aliou Badji, Zan Vipotnik, and Jeremy Livolant.
Bordeaux had the second-best defence in the league last season. Signing three strikers in the offseason shows Bordeaux’s focus will be on scoring goals to win games and earn promotion.
Pau hired manager Nicloas Usai in the offseason. He has built a team on a budget, signing players on loan and free transfers.
The team address its defence by signing goalkeeper Bingourou Kamara from Montpellier. Defenders Ange Ahoussou, Kenji-Van Boto, and Johann Obiang have arrived, too.
Pau conceded the fifth-most goals last season, with 52. Usai’s first order of business is to improve the defence. Usai does have two players nursing injuries ahead of the match.
Centre-back Noe Sow is returning from a cruciate ligament injury and could sit out the game. Left-back Jean Lambert Evans is also recovering from a knee injury and is likely to miss the game.
Bordeaux will get a result on opening day away from home, as they pick up a 1-1 draw at Pau’s Nouste Camp. The draw will be a good start for Girondins in their fight for promotion.