Rodez B host Anglet this Saturday in a National 2 fixture where the visitors are desperate for their first points of the season. Anglet travel to the Stade de Vabre in Onet-le-Château sitting bottom of Group B with zero points from two matches.
The Basque side began their campaign with a 0-1 loss to Toulouse's reserve team, followed by a 2-3 defeat against Pau FC's reserves. A 5-1 victory over Aturin in the Coupe de France provided a much-needed morale boost ahead of this trip.
Anglet's head coach, Manu Bafcop, acknowledged the specific challenge of facing reserve sides early in the season. "We're not going to give the same speech every time, but it's true that playing these reserve teams at the start of the season is always complicated," he said. He praised his team's serious approach in the cup, where an early goal made things easier. "It's pleasing because there's never an easy match in the cup." Bafcop added.
Opponents Rodez B are seventh in the table with three points. The match, officiated by M. More, kicks off at 5:30 PM. For Rodez's first team, the context in Ligue 2 is also tough. The club is 14th with just seven points from seven games, currently on a run of three straight defeats. The most recent was a 3-4 home loss to Nancy on Wednesday.
The senior side's next fixture is a trip to league leaders Saint-Étienne on October 10th. Meanwhile, the reserve team will look to players like Bixente Mendiburu to make an impact. Fans can check the first team's upcoming schedule on our fixtures page and review the full roster on the squad page. Saturday's National 2 clash offers the Ruthénois youngsters a chance to climb the table before the international break.
Background and full detail: Sud Ouest
