The Ligue 1 season kicks off with an intriguing clash at the Stade Océane, where Le Havre host a Monaco side decimated by injuries. Luis Filipe's men are without Minamino, Balogun, Fati and Salisu, leaving their attacking threat squarely on the shoulders of Golovin and the…
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Sign inLe Havre begin the 2026-27 Ligue 1 season by welcoming Monaco to Stade Océane on Sunday afternoon, with the hosts aiming to upset a Principality side that has seen a summer of significant change. The visitors arrive under new management and with a major question mark hanging over the immediate future of former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.
Le Havre will be without young defender Stephan Zagadou, who has been ruled out of the opening weeks of the season after suffering a serious knee injury back in April. Beyond that confirmed absence, manager Didier Digard has seen a significant overhaul of his squad during the transfer window and must decide how many of the new arrivals go straight into the starting eleven on Matchday 1.
The spine of last season’s side has been dismantled. Issa Soumaré has joined Rennes, Arouna Sangante moved to Sevilla, while experienced figures Gautier Lloris and Loic Nego have also departed — all without Le Havre receiving a transfer fee. In response, the club has recruited Junior Mwanga from Bordeaux, Amir Richardson, Timothée Pembélé, and the former Monaco prospect Joan Tincres, alongside Japanese duo Kaito Mizuta and Sota Nakamura.
For Monaco, the biggest story surrounds Paul Pogba. The 33-year-old made only six appearances totalling 115 minutes following his return from a doping ban, and reports this week claim the club are in talks to terminate his contract after he sustained a fresh injury during pre-season. New head coach Filipe Luís is unlikely to be able to call upon the Frenchman as he takes charge of his first competitive match.
The biggest change at Monaco is in the dugout. Filipe Luís took over during the summer and pre-season evidence suggests he is not wedded to a single tactical system. Monaco set up in a 4-2-3-1 in some warm-up matches, while a meeting with Getafe saw them shift into a shape closer to 4-4-2, giving the Brazilian head coach flexibility in how he approaches Le Havre’s build-up play.
Despite the uncertainty around Pogba, the squad still boasts considerable international pedigree. Eric Dier, Jordan Teze, Thilo Kehrer, and Vanderson provide defensive options, while Denis Zakaria, Aleksandr Golovin, and Lamine Camara add quality in midfield. Folarin Balogun, Mika Biereth, Ansu Fati, and Matthis Abline are among the attacking weapons at Luís’s disposal.
Last season’s head-to-head meetings will give Le Havre a certain amount of belief. Although Monaco ran out 3-1 winners at the Stade Louis-II in August 2025, the return fixture at Stade Océane in January 2026 finished goalless. That result made it two consecutive league visits to Le Havre without a win for Monaco, who were also held to a 1-1 draw at the same venue in April 2025.
Le Havre’s survival last term owed much to home results against sides expected to finish above them, and Digard will lean on that resilience again. Midfielder Junior Mwanga offers physical presence and driving runs through the middle, while the creativity of Richardson could be key if Le Havre succeed in bypassing Monaco’s first press and releasing forwards like Samatta or Maja into the spaces behind the visiting full-backs.
Le Havre enter the new campaign with the familiar objective of maintaining their top-flight status, but there is ambition in their recruitment that has generated cautious optimism. The departures of Yassine Kechta, Abdoulaye Touré, and Étienne Youté Kinkoué — all key contributors in recent years — forced a rebuild, and the arrival of Tincres on a free transfer from Monaco’s academy represents a low-risk gamble with potential.
The pre-season focus was on integrating new players into Digard’s framework, and the opening day represents an early test of how quickly those connections have formed. For Monaco, the focus is on starting the post-Pogba chapter cleanly under a coach who has already demonstrated he has the tactical range to adapt to different opponents.
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