Le Racing qualified for Europe last term under the guidance of their English coach, Liam Rosenior. They hope to build on that in the 2025/26 season.
| Strasbourg Outright Market | Odds |
|---|---|
| To finish in the top 3 | 9.00 |
| Winner without PSG | 23.00 |
Odds courtesy of 1xBet. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Can Strasbourg be the best of the rest?
While PSG remain in a league of their own in France, the battle for the remaining Champions League places could again be one of Europe’s closest.
Strasbourg finished only four points outside the top three in Rosenior’s debut campaign. While they were disappointed to also narrowly miss out on Europa League qualification, that may prove to be a blessing in terms of their domestic ambitions this season.
Backed by the BlueCo consortium, who have invested over €100m this summer, Strasbourg have significantly strengthened their squad. The arrivals of Joaquin Panichelli, Lucas Hogsberg, Soumaila Coulibaly and Pape Demba Diop have added much-needed depth.
Despite being unpopular with many fans, the Chelsea partnership has already brought in Mathis Amougou and Ishe Samuels-Smith on permanent deals. Meanwhile, three more Blues youngsters have arrived on loan deals.
Rosenior hope the fresh recruits can push Strasbourg to challenge just below PSG - and possibly Monaco.
To get there, they need to sharpen up in attack. Last term, they were the second-lowest scorers among the European qualifiers and averaged just 10.5 shots per game — the fourth-worst record in Ligue 1.
An open race for the top three
Strasbourg now have enough quality in their ranks to suggest they are genuine contenders in the race to finish in the top three. The case for that bet becomes stronger when you look at the other contenders.
Lyon will find it almost impossible to replace talisman Rayan Cherki, who registered 19 goal contributions in the French top flight last season. Their top scorer Alexandre Lacazette has also moved on, so it’s very much a transitional period at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
It’s a similar story in Nice where their attack has been severely weakened after the versatile Evann Guessand moved to Aston Villa. The 24-year-old led the side with 12 goals, and he also registered a joint-high eight assists for Les Aiglons last time around. Gaetan Laborde, who netted 11 goals, has also departed the club.
In the north, Lille have seen the backbone of their team disrupted. Goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier and centre-back Bafode Diakite brought in sizeable fees. However, Les Dogues have other gaps to address, having lost top scorer Jonathan David and midfielder Angel Gomes on free transfers.
Marseille are the bookies’ current favourites to join PSG and Monaco in securing automatic entry into the league phase of the Champions League. They’re given a 52.4% chance of finishing in the top three. However, you never know what you’re going to get at the Velodrome, where things often fall apart.
With so many of Ligue 1’s top talents in recent years no longer in France, this is shaping up to be the kind of campaign when new stars are born. With an average age of just 21.8 in the Strasbourg squad, many of those breakout players may be found at the Stade de la Meinau.
With an implied probability of just 7.7% to finish in the top three, Rosenior’s side stand out as great value to reach Europe’s elite competition.