Opponent

SCO under spotlight

Three weeks after the draw against Bordeaux (Matchday 13, 1-1), Les Aiglons return to the Allianz Riviera on Saturday as they host Angers (kick-off at 8pm). A focus on Les Rouge et Noir's opponent.

Best start to a campaign in the 21st century 

After 14 matches, SCO are in third place in L1 with 24 points. Angers have never had so many points at this stage of the season in the 21st century (previous record, fifth place with 23 points in 2015/16, the season of their promotion to the top-flight).

Tenacious in Nice 

Since their return to L1, Stéphane Moulin's side (on the bench since 2011, a record in the top five European leagues) have become accustomed to standing strong during their trips to Nice. In four encounters, Les Scoïstes have only lost on one occasion (two draws and one victory).

A watertight defence 

Angers' successes tend to be built upon a solid defensive base - except for the accident in Lyon (6-0 in Matchday 2). Ludovic Butelle and co. are among the sides who have conceded the least number of shots on target (45). Only Nantes (44), Lille (44) and Reims (39) have done better.

The consequence, the goalkeeper has had the longest period without conceding a goal this season. He hasn't had to collect the ball from the back of his net for 383 minutes, a record that is still standing.

Since Matchday 10, Romain Thomas and his teammates have the tightest defence with only one goal conceded (two less than Montpellier and Reims).

An athletic side 

SCO's reputation also relies on the team's athletic abilities. They are the team that has run the furthest (1506.2 km) this season.

Two of the Noir et Blanc midfielders are the perfect reflection of the team's physical efforts. Baptiste Santamaria is the player with the highest average kilometres covered per match this season (12.3). That's better than Brest's Belkebla (11.9) and Dijon's Ndong (11.7).

Mathias Pereira Lage, who arrived from Clermont this summer, has made 215 sprints (runs of over 25 km/h), only Marseille's Bouna Sarr boasts a better record (235).

Stats: LFP
Photos: IconSport