Having finished the previous campaign in bottom half of the standings, Bordeaux will be hoping to show improvement this term, starting from the opening clash against Saint Etienne.

Les Verts, on the other hand, will be vying for a place in the Europa League group stages on Wednesday, but they can still be trusted to take the game very seriously.

The 11th-place finish did not sit down well with Bordeaux chiefs and they in turn decided to entrust Joselyn Gourvennec with the task of rebuilding the squad.

Les Girondins have seen Mathieu Debuchy, Clement Chantome, Cheick Diabate, Lamine Sane and Andre Poko leave the club, but they did manage to sign some very good footballers.

The captures of Jeremy Menez and Jeremy Toulalan went on to prove Bordeaux are still able to attract high-profile footballers, while talented youngsters Francois Kamano and Youssouf Sabaly completed the summer recruitment.

Judging by the results, les Girondins did not impress in pre-season, but there were plenty of positives as the new coach searched for the right system and strongest starting line-up.

Bordeaux now need to prove their worth in the clash with very good Saint Etienne and they can be backed at 2.50 (3/2) to succeed in their quest.

Jeremy Menez is unavailable as he recovers from an ear surgery, while Jerome Prior will be preferred to Cedric Carrasso.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-2): Prior – Sabaly, Guilbert, Palloid, Poundje – Traore, Plasil, Toulalan, Ounas – Laborde, Malcom.

Saint Etienne have been closing the gap behind top French sides for several years now, and they are becoming regular in European competitions.

Les Verts eventually missed out on a top 3 finish and Champions League qualification last term due to the poor finish of the season, but instead secured their place in the Europa League qualifying stages.

After recording a 1-0 aggregate win over AEK Athens, Saint Etienne will be vying Beitar Jerusalem for a place in the group stages, but they first need to negotiate the Bordeaux clash.

There have been no major changes to the playing squad this term, as Bryan Dabo and Cheikh M’Bengue were the only players to arrive at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, while Neal Maupay left for Caen.

The good news is that Slovenian striker Robert Beric is back in action after missing a large chunk of last season through injury, and he is vying Nolan Roux for a starting place up front.

Summer recruit Bryan Dabo will be out for at least three weeks after suffering a sprained ankle in the return leg against AEK Athens.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Ruffier – Theophile Catherine, Perrin, Pogba, Polomat – Pajot, Selnaes, Lemoine – Hamouma, Beric, Tannane.