VIDEO – Football: Quevilly-Rodez, the keys to the match

Here we are. The Raf starts its Ligue 2 season this Saturday evening (7 p.m.)… The fourth in a row in the antechamber of the elite of French football. But this year is likely to be even harder than the previous ones, both the high level and the particular format (four decents and no jump-off) promise hell for the smallest clubs, like Rodez. So, it is essential to collect points quickly… Starting with this evening, against Quevilly, on the lawn of Robert-Diochon.

Reassurance after difficult friendly matches

Rodez’s first mission this Saturday will be to gain confidence. Indeed, the Ruthénois have won only one of their six pre-season matches and do not necessarily approach this first day of the championship in the best way mentally. But according to Laurent Peyrelade, who had probably voluntarily chosen to plan difficult friendly matches to prepare his players for the harshness of Ligue 2, this should not be a problem. “Whether you play Bordeaux, Quevilly or Nîmes, that shouldn’t change your preparation. It will be tough all the time. We know we’re going to suffer this season, but we’re ready for that. We made preparation matches for learn to suffer. When you take Ligue 1 like Montpellier or Clermont, it’s far from being a cakewalk.”he said Friday at a press conference.

In the Norman camp, confidence is not necessarily in good shape either, since Quevilly has won only one of its four friendlies.

The head could therefore play a decisive role during this first day.

Incomplete squads on both sides

In addition to the state of confidence, the two formations which face each other this Saturday also have another point in common. That of not starting the season with a full squad. Indeed, on the Ruthenian side, coach Peyrelade expects even more in terms of the transfer window and knows that things could get carried away in the coming weeks: “We are missing at least one player per line. From the start, we knew that this year we would recruit later than usual. The players we would like to have are not necessarily attracted to Rodez on July 15, but will be able to maybe on August 15. You have to be patient”.

On the Norman side, the problem seems substantially identical. Indeed, coach Olivier Echouafni would also like a reinforcement per line, plus a goalkeeper who would become Nicolas Lemaître’s understudy, thus relegating Rudy Boulais to third place in the hierarchy.

These incomplete groups could therefore have an influence on the outcome of this meeting. Especially at game time when the first changes will have to be made. Bench depth should not allow coaches to rotate as they might normally wish.

The groups