Promoted to the Starligue for the first time in club history last spring following an unforgettable play-off final against Ivry, Caen are still finding their feet at the start of this season. And yet, the Vikings are impressing by showing a certain maturity. With six points from as many matches, Sébastien Quintallet’s men already have a comfortable lead over the relegation zone.
Right from the opening weeks of the season, the Normans spring-loaded one surprise after another, beating Dunkerque (26-24) and Toulouse (31-32) before suffering fairly heavy defeats at the hands of Limoges (38-23) and then Aix (32-25). It was thought at the time that the promoted side had fallen back into the pack after riding the wave of euphoria from the end of last season. But that was for from the case: Caen then resumed their upward trajectory by beating Saint-Raphaël (33-30). Having lost valiantly in Nantes last week (38-31), they are now preparing to welcome our Parisians to their fortress at the Palais des Sports Caen La Mer with great ambition and fervour.
Despite being newcomers to the Starligue, Caen have strengths to boast in every area of the game. In goal, Milos Mocevic has lost none of the excellent form he displayed throughout last season in the Proligue. The man who was voted best goalkeeper in the second tier at the LNH Awards a few months ago wasted no time in settling into this new league. With 16 saves on against Dunkerque on Matchday 1 (26–24), the Bosnian was unsurprisingly named in the Team of the Week.
He wasn’t the only Caen player to feature, as Adam Gnago has also made a phenomenal start to the season. Be it against the northerners on Matchday 1 (eight goals, six assists, two saves) or during the victory in Toulouse a week later (seven goals, four assists, ten saves), the young left-back led the way for the Normans and was rewarded with two consecutive Team of the Week honours.
Added to this is one of the biggest revelations of the last Proligue season. Named MVP whilst also topping the scoring charts (230 goals) and the assists charts (239 assists), Allan Villeminot has high hopes for his return to the Starligue, five years after leaving Cesson-Rennes. So, one shouldn’t be misled by the Vikings’ raw statistics, which show them as having only the 14th-best attack (170 goals scored), the 13th-best defence (193 goals conceded) and the most turnovers so far this season (48).
The reality is quite different. Caen have had at least one player named in the Team of the Week on three occasions during the first six matchdays. The most recent, Hanser Michel Rodriguez, stood out in the victory over Saint-Raphaël on Matchday five, scoring five goals, providing one assist and making one save. The Parisians will therefore need to show the same level of commitment as they have in all their matches so far.
This latest Starligue matchday promises to be a thrilling one, kicking off this Friday evening with three matches on the programme! At 20:00, Nîmes host Tremblay in a clash between European contenders, whilst, at the same time, Toulouse and Saint-Raphaël will both be looking to create some breathing space above the relegation zone - a spot that Cesson-Rennes would like to escape from as quickly as possible. To do so, Les Irréductibles need to beat Sélestat at home.
On Saturday, Chartres travel to face bottom-of-the-table Dunkerque, whilst Nantes will aim to keep the pressure on Paris by taking all three points at Saran. Finally, on Sunday, the highlight of Matchday 7 sees Montpellier take on Limoges, whilst Chambéry play host to Aix at Le Phare, hoping to climb the standings after a mixed start to the season.
This StarLigue Matchday 7 fixture is scheduled to kick off at the Palais des Sports Caen La Mer at 19:00 on Saturday, 18 October. The match will be broadcast live and exclusively on beIN SPORTS 3.
