El-Mourabet is on the fringes of the first team. During pre-season, he often trained with the first team and even featured in two pre-season friendlies. However, he has yet to feature in an official match for his hometown club. El-Mourabet, who has received a call-up to Morocco’s U20 side, plays largely for the club’s Groupe Élite team. His performances with this side have attracted interest from Ligue 1 rivals Reims, as well as Eredivisie side FC Utrecht. 

El-Mourabet is currently on a trainee contract with Les Alsaciens, which is set to expire in 2025. The Moroccan youth international is a talented left-footed midfielder who came through the ranks playing for the French youth futsal sides. Since Strasbourg’s takeover from BlueCo, there has been a reticence to sell their brightest prospects. It remains to be seen whether RCSA would be open to a sale in this instance. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Strasbourg were comprehensively losing the midfield battle with some of their players not looking like they knew what they were supposed to do – a worrying pattern for Vieira’s Strasbourg this season. It only felt right that Rennes opened the scoring on their very first shot on target. Strasbourg left-back Thomas Delaine left too much time and space for Lorenz Assignon to cross. Lucas Perrin fumbled his clearance with the ball falling to Adrien Truffert, whose well-taken right-footed curler found its way home. Rennes were far from their best, but it was well enough to tame a dismal Strasbourg side.

The Alsatians kept on leaving the initiative to Rennes, without proving much of a threat to Mandanda. Vieira had enough and brought on two centre-forwards, Kevin Gameiro and Lebo Mothiba, at the hour mark to force through an equalizer. Meanwhile, Bruno Genesio’s players were let down by their final touch, meaning the overall quality of the second half was quite low. Strasbourg goalie Matz Sels was however alert to prevent Benjamin Bourigeaud from scoring a direct free-kick and put the game to bed. Gameiro also went close with the half-volley, showing the frailty of the hosts’ one-goal lead.

The visitors eventually found a way back in the game, punishing another spell of complacency from the Bretons. Gameiro’s powerful effort outside the box was badly mishandled by Mandanda and Mothiba was on cue to restore parity. Vieira’s substitutions paid off, whilst Genesio’s had very little impact in the second half. The visitors even finished strongly but nothing could separate the teams in the end. Strasbourg’s position in the league (14th) remains precarious but the Alsatians will take solace in grabbing a point on the road. Rennes’ start of the season keeps on being underwhelming and questions need to be asked whether Genesio is the right man to fulfil the Brittany side’s grand ambitions.

Rennes players ratings

Steve Mandanda, 4

Lorenz Assignon, 6

Warmed Omari, 5

Jeanuël Belocian, 6 – In the absence of Arthur Theate, the youngster stepped up, pocketing Emegha and displaying good passing quality, physicality as well as good awareness in his positioning.

Adrien Truffert, 6

Benjamin Bourigeaud, 5

Nemanja Matic, 5 – The experienced Serbian midfielder produced another quality shift at the heart of Rennes’ midfield, dictating play and losing very few balls, but only in the first half. And he really should keep his composure when dealing with the refereeing team.  His substitution was arguably the starting point of Strasbourg’s resurgence.

Désiré Doué, 4

Ludovic Blas, 4

Arnaud Kalimuendo, 5 – The France U21 international had little on his plate, but to his credit, he showed glimpses of improvement in his holdup play. Replaced by Martin Terrier, who is slowly building his fitness back after nine months on the sidelines.

Amine Gouiri, 3

Strasbourg players ratings

Matz Sels, 6

Marvin Senaya, 5

Lucas Perrin, 4

Gerzino Nyamsi, 4

Thomas Delaine, 3

Ismaël Doukouré, 4

Junior Mwanga, 4

Ângelo Gabriel, 3 – The Chelsea loanee started well, looking like the only Strasbourg player able to make a difference. But his influence rapidly waned. The Brazilian was also outpaced by Truffert for the latter’s opening goal. Did not make it past the hour mark and was replaced by Kevin Gameiro, who was influential in restoring parity in the 81st minute.

Dilane Bakwa, 3 – The former Girondins winger was nowhere to be seen and was of little use to his teammates, losing a staggering tally of 14 balls in the first half alone.

Moïse Sahi Dion, 4

Emanuel Emegha, 4

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

Vieira is expected to bring changes to the side that crumbled at the Parc des Princes last Saturday. Chelsea loanee Ângelo Gabriel (18), who was absent from the squad that lost to PSG after picking up a minor hamstring injury, is expected to get the nod from Vieira. It’s welcome news for Strasbourg given the Brazilian winger has impressed for his new side, displaying promising dribbling abilities. L’Equipe understands Dutch centre-forward Emanuel Emegha is set to start up front against the Bretons.

Strasbourg likely line-up against Rennes

Matz Sels – Marvin Senaya, Gerzino Nyamsi, Lucas Perrin, Thomas Delaine – Ângelo Gabriel, Junior Mwanga, Ismaël Doukouré, Dilane Bakwa – Moïse Sahi Dion, Emanuel Emegha

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

Gabriel has been struggling with an adductor injury, which saw him miss Strasbourg’s friendly against Karlsruher during the international break. Emegha also missed that fixture with a muscular injury, but unlike Gabriel, he will not be fit enough to make his return at the Parc des Princes. 

Frédéric Guilbert and Jean-Eudes Aholou have both been dropped by Patrick Vieira, which casts doubt on the futures of both players. The former has been a key element for Les Alsaciens prior to Vieira’s arrival. 

Strasbourg likely lineup v PSG

Matsz Sels; Thomas Delaine, Lucas Perrin, Gerzino Nyamsi, Marvin Senaya; Jessy Deminguet, Ismaël Doukouré, Junior Mwanga; Dilane Bakwa, Moïse Sahi Dion, Habib Diarra. (L’Éq)

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Ramos also started ahead of Kolo Muani in the last match before the international break. The latter came off the bench in that match against Stade Rennais and finished clinically just seconds after coming on. However, it is the Portuguese forward who looks set to start against Strasbourg. 

Warren Zaïre-Emery, who has been displaceable in PSG’s midfield this season, is out with a minor injury. Fabián Ruiz, who has played a peripheral role so far, looks set to start in his place. Other than Zaïre-Emery, there are no fresh injury worries for Les Parisiens, who are nonetheless still without Nuno Mendes, Presnel Kimpembe and Marco Asensio. The latter two are nearing a return. 

PSG likely lineup v Strasbourg

Gianluigi Donnarumma; Lucas Hernandez, Milan Skriniar, Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi; Fabián Ruiz, Manuel Ugarte, Vitinha; Kylian Mbappé, Gonçalo Ramos, Ousmane Dembélé. (L’Éq)

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

The Virage Auteuil, the stand where many of PSG’s ultras are situated, will be closed for Saturday’s match against Strasbourg due to homophobic chanting during their 4-0 victory over rivals Olympique de Marseille in September. The Auteuil stand notably houses the Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP), an ideologically pro-Palestinian group. Whilst they won’t be in their usual position behind the goal, many CUP members have bought tickets elsewhere in the Parc des Princes and the club is fearful of the presence of Palestinian flags around the stadium. 

The LFP have called for a minute’s silence, to be held at all Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches this weekend, to be respectfully observed. The silence is in tribute to a teacher murdered in Arras, the two Swedish fans killed in Brussels, and the victims of the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

On-loan Chelsea FC winger Gabriel picked up an adductor injury, which sidelined the Brazilian in Strasbourg’s 3-0 loss to Karlsruher in a friendly match last Thursday. 

Striker Emegha also looks set to miss out on the away match against PSG as he continues to recover from a muscle injury that saw him left out of Stasbourg’s 2-1 defeat away at FC Nantes. 

Both players have trained by themselves the past two days, while forward player Kevin Gameiro (36) missed the team training session today, also making him a doubt for the match on Saturday. 

Strasbourg go into the match on the back of two straight league defeats, the latter coming at home against FC Nantes, and currently sitting in 11th place.

GFFN | Finn Entwistle

After a promising start to the season, which began with back-to-back victories, Strasbourg’s form has slumped. Vieira’s side have lost their last two matches and have just four points from their last five matches. Their latest defeat, at home against FC Nantes, drew boos from La Meinau. The club’s supporter groups have remained vocal since, with the Fédération Supporters RCS addressing a letter to President Marc Keller, notably criticising Strasbourg’s transfer dealings. The group is unhappy with the lack of experience recruited this summer. Since the club’s takeover from BlueCo, who also own Premier League side Chelsea, Les Alsaciens have exclusively recruited youth prospects. 

Vieira is therefore calling for patience in the project. “You have to look at things globally with last season and next season as well. My team has lost players (Alexander Djiku, Dimitri Liénard, Morgan Sanson), and some other key players were present in pre-season before ultimately leaving (Habib Diallo, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde), when we had to hope of keeping them. You need to give the recruits the time to flourish. I knew that when I came here,” said former Crystal Palace manager Vieira. 

He added, “We are starting a new cycle and we are all in harmony about where we are today and where we want to go tomorrow. But I know that the most important thing in this business is results.”

Vieira also believes that Strasbourg’s partnership with Chelsea shouldn’t blind people to the reality of the project at the Ligue 1 club. “Perhaps people outside don’t see the progression as quickly as they would like, but we can’t be blinded by the fact that we’re linked to Chelsea,” he said.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Strasbourg began the season well, winning their first two games, however, even when the club were securing results, there weren’t the performances to match. The points have since dried up too. Les Alsaciens have secured just four points in their last five Ligue 1 games, and have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. Their latest came at home against FC Nantes and murmurings of discontent could be heard around La Meinau. 

One prominent fan organisation have now formalised their frustration by sending a letter to President Keller. The letter, which has also been published on X (formerly Twitter), targets the club’s owners BlueCo. The American consortium, who also own Chelsea, took over Strasbourg on 22nd June, just over a year after they took over the Premier League club. Chelsea have since struggled, and last year missed out on European football, despite significant investment. 

The Fédération Supporters RCS letter is notably critical of Strasbourg’s summer transfer dealings, despite the significant €56m spend. “Following BlueCo’s purchase, the 2023 summer transfer window is our first element of analysis and our first major worry. The exclusive recruitment of very young players – not yet operational and potentially weakened by their over-exposition, combined with the absence of arrivals of more mature players, exposes the club to a sporting risk from which the owners should have better protected us. BlueCo’s imposition of an obligation to buy only very young hopefuls is senseless on a sporting level and the fans don’t relate to their team at the moment.”

“The supporters that maintained that, since the purchase of Racing, we are only a training centre and a secondary piece in a global business, have gained credit following this transfer window, which seems far from the announced ambition.” 

The letter then criticised BlueCo’s management of Chelsea. “Money without competence doesn’t lead to anything good, and the example of Chelsea, our so-called ‘big brother’, who have spent a lot of money but have had a vertical fall down the English hierarchy, is an important reference point: We don’t want to incompetence that reigns at Chelsea at RCSA. Neither directly, nor indirectly.” 

The supporters’ group concluded by globally criticising multi-club models. “Beyond the Strasbourg case, we wish to also remind you that mult-club ownership is a danger to football. The pyramid system that this system is slowly locking into place, and even more strongly than was already the case, risks reducing the majority of clubs to a simple objective of developing young players and helping the few clubs at the top of the pyramid in order to yield a profit for their business. Clearly, it is a very worrying perspective.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Nantes struggled in the opening two rounds of the season, losing to Toulouse and then Lille, however, they have only lost once since, against Rennes in the Breton derby in Round 7. Marcus Coco and Samuel Moutoussamy got the goals for Nantes in a result that provisionally lifts them to eighth in the Ligue 1 Uber Eats table.

Aristouy replaced Antoine Kombouaré in the dugout of the Beaujoire towards the end of last season and guided Les Canaris to safety… just. They had been tipped to be embroiled in another relegation battle, however, their form since matchday three has allayed those fears. 

However, Nantes still needed to show a reaction following their defeat to Rennes, and Aristouy was pleased to see one. “I am pleased with what I saw. I don’t think we nicked the result. We could have even prevented the small fright at the end of the match (caused by Moïse Sahi’s late consolation),” said the Nantes manager, in a post-match press conference, transcribed by L’Équipe. 

The Frenchman added, “I was frustrated last weekend. I’m happy that we’re back on our feet, that we get things ticking again and most of all that we have rediscovered certainties in our game.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle