Who are the Ligue 2 promotion favourites? | OneFootball

With the new Ligue 2 campaign getting underway, Get French Football News chooses the five favourites for promotion to Ligue 1.

FC Lorient

“To see Lorient in Ligue 2, with the means and the efforts made in these past 18-24 months, is a monumental failure, I take responsibility,” admitted club president Loïc Ferry following the final game of the season against Clermont. Les Merlus were only one goal away from saving their skin in Ligue 1 on the last day of the season, but it was too little too late for the Breton side. The club with the eighth-highest budget in Ligue 2 now return to the second tier for the first time since 2020.

“We’re only counting on players who are fully committed to the FC Lorient project,” said a steadfast Olivier Pantaloni at the start of pre-season. Pantaloni swapped Corsica’s Mediterranean warmth for Brittany’s jagged Atlantic-facing shores after ending a 10-year stint at AC Ajaccio to join Les Merlus.

Despite relegation from the top tier, Lorient are a side that – on paper – look more than equipped to bounce back to Ligue 1 at the first attempt. But a string of departures will likely complicate matters for Pantaloni. At the start of pre-season Lorient had a squad size of 30 players, but the likes of Yann Mvogo, Gédéon Kalulu and Mohamed Bamba are likely to head to the exit door before the end of the transfer window. But that will suit Pantaloni, known for a minimalist coaching style which is centered around a tight-knit core group of players.

Ligue 2 will be the perfect environment for some of Les Merlus’ younger talent, including Eli Junior Kroupi (18) who will look to build upon a solid breakthrough season in the top tier, should he stay. Les Merlus are hoping that Pantaloni’s pragmatism can help fire Lorient back to the big time.

Clermont Foot

Pascal Gastien’s seven-year spell as manager of Clermont Foot ended in far-from-ideal circumstances. Les Lanciers were relegated to Ligue 2 after finishing bottom of the top tier with a measly 25 points. In his shoes steps Sébastien Bichard, who spent the latter half of last season as Gastien’s assistant manager and named-successor. It will be his first job as a head coach, after having enjoyed successful spells as assistant manager at Red Star FC, FC Sion, and the Kosovo national team.

With the disappointment of relegation from Ligue 1, France’s second tier could be a more conducive environment for Clermont’s new transitory phase to take place. It will, however, need experienced heads on the pitch.

33-year-old veteran Henri Saivet joined the club at the start of the summer upon the expiration of his contract at Pau. The former Bordeaux, Angers, Saint-Étienne and Newcastle midfielder has joined with the intention of bringing his experience to what is a relatively youthful setup.

Austrian attacking midfielder Muhammed Cham (22) is without a doubt the most exciting prospect at the disposal of Bichard. The objective for Bichard’s men will be to compete for promotion back at the first time of asking, but whether that will give the young coach enough time to put in place his attractive style of play and convert that into results is another matter.

Stade Malherbe de Caen

“In the blink of an eye, Stade Malherbe has opened itself up to the whole world,” says manager Nicolas Seube following a pre-season clash against Guingamp. He is referring to the takeover of the club by Kylian Mbappé’s investment firm Coalition Capital.

Les Vikings are now looking cautiously optimistic for the season ahead after a turbulent couple of years. Seube managed to turn around Caen’s fortunes last season in spectacular fashion; taking over the club in 16th place after the departure of Jean-Marc Furlan and then agonisingly missing out on the playoffs by two points only six months later. With the backing of the Mbappé clan, they are hoping to go a step further in this campaign.

Part of Seube’s success last season was down to his trust in young players who have risen to prominence: Defender Brahim Traoré (20) and midfielder Noé Lebreton (20) are two key players to watch this season along with winger Bilal Brahimi (24). Former Inter Milan, Sunderland, and Saint-Étienne midfielder Yann M’Vila (34) has become the first signing of the Mbappé era – adding some crucial experience to the side. Given the quality in their ranks, Les Vikings look set for a raid on the upper half of the table this season.

FC Metz

Change was needed at Metz after the club fell to the relegation play-offs under László Bölöni and suffered a dramatic play-off defeat (2-1) to Saint-Étienne. Not even the return of an all-firing Georges Mikautadze could save what was a disjointed and morale-drained side by the end of the season. Incoming manager Stéphane Le Mignan is one of a new breed of French manager who has risen through the divisions. After leading US Concarneau to their first-ever season in Ligue 2, the 50-year-old was called upon for Metz’s return to the second division.

“The idea is for FC Metz to have a distinctive playing style,” said the Frenchman in his first press conference at the Lorraine club. Taking a huge influence from Christian Gourcuff from his time with the legendary Lorient manager in Qatar at Al-Gharafa, Le Mignan believes in the interchangeability of player’s positions and triangular positional play.

Les Grenats were always going to lose some key players on their way back down to Ligue 2: Mikautadze signed for Lyon, and midfield star Lamine Camara opted to join Monaco. Yet, there is a core which has been added to with the signing of a familiar Ligue 2 face in Jessy Deminguet (26). Despite interest from Ligue 1, captain Mathieu Udol also looks like he’ll be staying at Metz.  Much like Clermont, Metz will need patience for Le Mignan’s style of play to be established, but the squad still has enough quality to threaten near the top of the table this season.

Paris FC

Paris FC experienced heartbreak in last season’s Ligue 1 play-offs, losing to Rodez on penalties following a dramatic quarter-final 2-2 draw. “It’s cruel and a reflection of our season,” remarked manager Stéphane Gilli. Despite finishing in the top half of the Ligue 2 table in four of the last five campaigns, last season’s fifth-place finish was unexpected, especially after a poor start.

Sitting 17th after the first 10 games, Les Parisiens seemed to be in a relegation battle. However, a managerial change brought in Stéphane Gilli for his first head coaching role, leading to a major turnaround in the second half of the season. Gilli’s possession-based style has energised the squad.

Last season’s Ligue 2 top creator Ilan Kebbal (26) looks eager to link up with new star signing Jean-Philippe Krasso (27). After experiencing the Champions League with Red Star Belgrade, the former AS Saint-Étienne striker and AFCON winner returns to France, providing a significant boost to Paris FC’s promotion ambitions.

With a solid generation of young players that also includes France U23 goalkeeper Obed Nkambadio (21), PFC are looking to compete for the promotion spots this campaign.

This article was taken from the GFFN Ligue 1 Season Guide,  which can be downloaded HERE.

GFFN | George Boxall