Rosenior Leads Strasbourg’s European Charge

Strasbourg are enjoying an excellent run of form with Liam Rosenior at the helm. The former Hull boss has them sitting in a European place and Champions League qualification is not out of the question.

Performances have continued to improve under Rosenior and they are now just a point behind Lyon, who currently occupy 4th place in Ligue 1. Our expert examines why they are the value bet for a top-four finish. 

Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

An Exceptional Defence in 2025

Strasbourg are unbeaten in their last nine league matches. During that impressive run, they have won seven, scoring an average of 1.78 goals per game and conceding just 0.67. However, the seeds for their positive run were sown far earlier than February.

The club appointed Liam Rosenior as boss in the summer. He was sacked by Hull after narrowly missing out on the playoffs in the previous campaign but he has quickly made an impact in France. Rosenior likes his teams to complete lots of passes in deeper areas to draw out their opponents. His players also have to pick their moments to press in order to force mistakes.

Knowing when to aggressively press the opposition has been a key part of Strasbourg’s play. Their PPDA (passes allowed per defensive action) of 14.44 is the 4th highest in the division, meaning they allow their opponents to pass the ball around in less dangerous areas. However, Rosenoir’s men have been able to restrict the number of chances the opposing teams can create when they have the ball. Since the start of 2025, Strasbourg have conceded an average of 0.79 goals per game in Ligue 1, 0.21 fewer than PSG.

Performances have improved as the season has gone on. This is the youngest starting 11 in the top tier of French football and they were making mistakes in the early stages of Rosenior’s tenure. Nowadays, they look far more assured on the ball and are accomplished at playing through the opposition press. This has helped them score an average of 1.71 goals per game since the turn of the year.

Strasbourg are continuing on their upward trajectory.  The players are now comfortable with the 3-4-3 shape they adopt under Rosenoir and look to be the value pick to finish inside the top four at odds of 6.50. BETSiE projects that they will finish 6th in a congested table but recent displays indicate they could outperform that prediction. 

Standout Players

Rosenoir’s young squad is brimming with talent. Andrey Santos, the all-action midfielder, is one of those players who has been crucial to their success. The Brazilian has the engine to cover a lot of ground and his athleticism makes him a huge asset when Strasbourg don’t have the ball. Andrey averages 3.33 tackles per 90 minutes in the past year, meaning he ranks in the top 4% compared with all midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues.  

Emanuel Emegha is Strasbourg’s main weapon in attack. Like Santos, he is a powerful, imposing figure but he has also show a keen eye for goal. The striker also possesses great pace, which makes him a huge threat on the counter. He has scored 13 goals thus far, the sixth most in Ligue 1.

There are several other players that deserve a mention but Strasbourg’s main strength is in just how cohesive they are. The team has ranked highly for distance covered all season. They will need everyone to be at their best if they are to continue 

Monaco Clash Presents Opportunity

Strasbourg were moments away from beating Nice last weekend. A 94th-minute goal from Franck Haise’s side meant they had to settle for a draw. Liam Rosenior needs his players to bounce back with a difficult clash against Monaco on the horizon. Le Racing haven’t beaten Les Monegasques since 2022 so they could suffer a setback if they aren’t at their very best here.

Rosenoir’s side’s next home game looks far more winnable. They face St. Etienne, a side who are currently 17th in the league, on April 26th. Strasbourg have lost just one of their 14 home matches all season. That impressive run of form in front of their own fans has seen them score an average of 1.93 goals per game, which bodes well against the leakiest defence in the French league. 

St. Etienne have failed to win any of their 14 away matches so far and have conceded just under three goals per game in those matches. This is the perfect opportunity for Strasbourg to return to winning ways if they are unable to upset the odds in Monaco. The odds could change drastically if Rosemoir’s men do manage to get a positive result against Adi Hütter’s men this weekend.

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