Football Season Guide

Strasbourg narrowly missed out on European football last season, with their fate confirmed on the final day of the campaign. It was a roller coaster ride for the Alsace side, who progressed well in the Conference League but were ultimately left destabilised by the loss of manager Liam Rosenior to Chelsea in the middle part of the season, when they were going along nicely. Flux seems to be a default status for BlueCo-owned clubs, and Strasbourg are no different. Hugo Oliveira has replaced Gary O’Neill to become Racing’s third head coach since the beginning of 2026. Similarly, the turnover of players has been significant. Valentin Barco’s departure hurts most, with Emmanuel Emegha having played precious little role last season. A string of prospects have arrived, with Gio Reyna undoubtedly the highest profile. Meanwhile, the link with Chelsea is exploited again, with Filip Jorgensen and Genesis Antwi arriving on loan. There is bubbling tension between the fans and the ownership of the club, and pre-season results have done little to help. Strasbourg have lost all 6 friendly matches at the time of writing, including an embarrassing 7-0 loss to Sporting. With speculation over key players Diego Moreira and Samir El Mourabet, the atmosphere is a powder keg. Racing’s greatest asset is liable to be their attacking qualities from the midfield. They have several strong options in this area, including Diego Moreira, who was arguably the pick of their players last season. If Reyna can get going, they also have the likely for Martial Godo, Sebastian Nanasi and Gessime Yassine who can contribute in an exciting manner. The organisation and running of the club is arguably the biggest impediment to Strasbourg’s progress, with a constant chopping and changing of the manager. This has brought disquiet among the club’s supporters who are ready to turn against the owners. Strasbourg fans do not like their status as a feeder team, with BlueCo having left them with a very young squad that brings inconsistency and a lack of experience. They only have 1 player aged over 25 (Ben Chilwell).