The French Football Federation has officially launched the Challenge Espoirs programme, bringing together twelve training centres from professional clubs. The aim is to ‘’give playing time to young players from the U18 to U23 categories, who have been integrated into the professional squads of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs‘’.
Groupe A : AS Saint-Étienne, FC Nantes, Havre AC, Paris Saint-Germain, Montpellier HSC.
Groupe B : AJ Auxerre, l'AS Monaco, Paris FC, Stade Malherbe de Caen, Stade Rennais F.C.
The matches will take place on weekdays between Monday and Wednesday and will not be directly linked to the national championships.
The Rouge et Noir kick off on 11 October with a trip to Monaco.
Fixtures:
Matchday 1, AS Monaco / Stade Rennais F.C., 11 october
Matchday 2, Paris FC / Stade Rennais F.C., 2 décember
Matchday 3, Stade Rennais F.C. / AJ Auxerre, 3 february
Matchday4, Stade Malherbe de Caen / Stade Rennais F.C., 3 march
Matchday 5, Stade Rennais F.C. / AC Ajaccio, 31 march
The top two finishers in each pool qualify for the semi-finals.
