Evian Thonon Gaillard vs Caen preview

Posted Friday, August 08, 2014 by PA

Caen manager Patrice Garande is aiming for the "least stressful championship possible".

The club is back in Ligue 1 having been relegated in 2012 and begin their campaign with a trip to Evian on Saturday.

Garande said on smcaen.fr: "We are aware that some sides are better armed than us on paper. Now we must give ourselves the means to exist in every game without losing our identity.

"We will try to live the least stressful championship possible. It will be very important to get a good start, even if it is still difficult to do this in terms of points.

"Of course, we know there will be ups and downs, but one of the great strengths of this club is its stability."

Garande believes his side go into the season in good heart after their pre-season.

"It was good to excellent," he said. "I am satisfied with the investment of the players. One of the great satisfactions of this period is that we do not have injuries."

Evian have been tipped for relegation since promotion in 2011 but are poised to begin their fourth straight season in Ligue 1.

Coach Pascal Dupraz said in a press conference: "We cannot wait to start again. We had a long preparation but it went well and the new players have adapted well.

"We are extremely excited to begin our fourth season in Ligue 1.

"What matters most is that we have a good start to the championship. That means winning against Caen. That would make three times more points than before because we never won our first game of the season in Ligue 1."