The new season of the French Ligue 1 is almost upon. After an exciting campaign last term that saw Lille surprisingly win the league ahead of more fancied sides like Paris Saint Germain and Olympic Lyonnais, we anticipate another action packed 10 plus months full of twists and turns.
Another set of two club sides have as usual been promoted this season to replace relegated teams Nimes and Dijon. Nantes won their relegation playoff match against Ligue 2 side Toulouse and therefore retained their spot in the Premier French Football division. We will be taking a look at the newly promoted Ligue 1 teams for the 2021/22 season, Clermont Foot 63 and ES Troyes AC.
TROYES AC
Troyes AC is returning for their fifth stint in the French top division after playing three seasons in the French lower division. They achieved promotion after finishing top of the Ligue 2 championship. Troyes is a relatively young club, as they were established 36 years ago when Maurice Cacciaguerra and Angel Masoni with the support of other people set up the club. ESTAC has enjoyed a topsy turvy spell during their time in Ligue 1.
Their most successful period was during their first run in the league from 2001-2006 when they finished 7th on two occasions in between that time period. This was their most successful time too in European competition when they famously defeated English side Newcastle United in the 2001 Intertoto Cup final.
On and off performances in the league have over the years seen them getting relegated and promoted frequently. Troyes’ manager is Laurent Batiles and he has been in charge for about 2 years. ESTAC play their home matches at the Stade de l’Aube in the city of Troyes. Their home jersey is all blue shirt and shorts while their away kit is white.
The current head coach of Troyes AC is Laurent Batlles. Troyes AC players to watch out for are Yoann Touzghar, Florian Tardieu, Levi Lumeka, and Rominigue Kouamé.
CLERMONT FOOT 63
New boys, Clermont are playing in the French Ligue 1 for the first time in their history. They achieved this feat by finishing second in the lower Ligue 2 division, earning themselves automatic qualification. The club is based in Clermont-Ferrand a city in France and have existed in one form or the other for over hundred years.
Their home kits colors are red jersey over blue shorts on red socks. Their away jersey is white while their third kit is black. The Chairman of the club is Ahmet Schaefer. Les Lanciers as they are fondly called are currently being coached by Pascal Gastien.
They play their home matches at the Stade Gabriel Montpied, Clermont-Ferrand. Clermont in 2014 became the first professional French male team to hire a female head coach with the initial appointment of Helena Costa, and later Corinne Diacre.
However, the current head coach of Clermont is Pascal Gastien. The Clermont players to watch out for this season re Mohamed Bayo, Jonathan Iglesias, Jérôme Phojo, and Akim Zedadka.
