Hey /speedrun,
After months of work we're so glad to finally tell you about this! Everything will be detailed in a comment below (and in this ridiculous video) but here is what you need to know:
We are two French youtubers/streamers (Laink and Hugo) and we've been passionate about speedrunning for many years now (we ran Penumbra: Black Plague and Prey 2016 btw!)
Our upcoming speedrun event and the €20,000 cashprize
On February 22th we will be hosting a Speedrun show at the Barrière Casino in Lille, France. 8 speedrunners will compete in 1vs1 races on 4 games (participants run only one of those game): Portal (Glitchless), Sekiro (Shura Ending Unrestricted), Celeste (Any%), Minecraft (Any% Glitchless Set Seed). More than a thousand spectators will be there, no pressure! Thanks to Webedia and Barriere, our partners, the total cashprize for participants is €20,000 (~$22,000)! Winners of races will earn €4000 each and losers €1000 each.
How to participate
Now, how can you be one of these 8 competing speedrunners? Online qualifiers will take place from 01/30/2020 to 02/13/2020. This is opened to everyone for 13 days and what you'll have to do to attend the IRL finals is to get the 1st or 2nd fastest time on one of the four games listed above on our leaderboard. Please note that you can't send one of your old runs, you can only submit runs performed between 01/30/2020 and 02/13/2020. You just have to be FAST.
I know France sounds a bit far for some of you guys but here is a good news: wherever you live, if you win the qualifiers, you won't have to pay anything to come to the finals (travel, hotel, meal). It's on us! (if you are outside of EU, make sure to get a passport as soon as possible if you think you will qualify)
How to watch, restream or attend
This competition will be streamed on twitch.tv/lestream. If you want to restream it and comment races in your own language, a clean feed of the event will be available on demand (contact us [here](mailto:[email protected])). If you want to attend IRL as a spectator, buy a ticket here.
You'll find more details in a comment below. If you have any question (or if you're just excited about this or you want to tell me how French is my English), let us know in the comment section :)
Our intention here is to push Speedrunning competition in France and around the world and to reward hard working runners. We really hope the speedrunning community will enjoy this! Good luck to everyone!

Welcome to this post fellow redditors! With the Euro 2016 less than 6 months away, it is time to introduce the stadiums that will host the fixtures of this tournament. For each city, you will find an in-depth description of the stadium, a photo album and a link to the city guide made by UEFA. Let me know if I made some mistakes or oversights. I hope you enjoy the reading!
Nota Bene:

• All kick-off times of the fixtures are CET.
  
• The names of the stadiums have been standardized for the Euro 2016 if their name is from a naming deal (this is the case for Bordeaux and Nice stadiums). The current names of the stadium can be found in brackets.
  
• All inauguration dates of the renovated stadiums are for the renovation for the Euro 2016 except for the Parc des Princes where the renovations were too minor to consider an inauguration date.
  

BORDEAUX

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade de Bordeaux (Matmut-Atlantique)
Location: Cours Jules-Ladoumègue, 33300 Bordeaux, France
Coordinates: 44° 53′ 49″ N 0° 33′ 48″ W
Status: New stadium
Start of construction: 11/04/12
End of construction: 04/30/15
Cost: € 184m
Architect: Herzog & de Meuron
Owner: City of Bordeaux
Tenants: FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Inauguration: 05/23/15 (Bordeaux - Montpellier, 2-1)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 42,000 (42,115)
Attendance record: 42,115 (ASM Clermont Auvergne - Stade toulousain, 18-14, 06/06/15)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: France – Serbia (2-1), 09/07/15
Other major sporting events: 2015 French Rugby Championship (Top 14) Semi-finals
Major concerts: -
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/11/16, 18.00: Wales v Slovakia
  
• 06/14/16, 18.00: Austria v Hungary
  
• 06/18/16, 15.00: Belgium v Ireland
  
• 06/21/16, 21.00: Croatia v Spain
  

Quarter-finals

• 07/02/16, 21.00: W41 v W43

Trivia: The Stade de Bordeaux is a new stadium build for the Euro 2016 and the replacement of the old stadium of Girondins of Bordeaux, Stade Chaban-Delmas, that hosted the 1938 and 1998 World Cup. This stadium is the cheapest of the 4 new stadiums. It has been designed by Herzog & de Meuron, architects of the famous Allianz Arena, and features a "floating" roof supported by 900 stranchions. In september 2015, the stadium has been named "Matmut-Atlantique" for 10 years and a price of € 2m per year.

LENS

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade Bollaert-Delelis
Location: Avenue Alfred-Maës, 62300 Lens, France
Coordinates: 50° 25′ 58″ N 2° 48′ 54″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: January 2014
End of renovation: July 2015
Cost: € 70m
Architect: Cardete et Huet
Owner: City of Lens
Tenants: Racing Club de Lens
Inauguration: 08/08/15 (Lens – Red Star, 1-1)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 35,000 (33,443)
Attendance record: 48,912 (Lens - Marseille, 2-1, 02/15/92)
Pitch: Natural grass
Major international football events: Euro 1984; 1998 World Cup (Laurent Blanc golden goal leads France to the Quarter-Finals)
Other major sporting events: 1999 Rugby World Cup; 2007 Rugby World Cup
Major concerts: Matt Pokora and Magic System free concert for the RC Lens centenary (07/14/06); Johnny Hallyday (06/06/09)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/11/16, 15.00: Albania v Switzeland
  
• 06/16/16, 15.00: England v Wales
  
• 06/21/16, 21.00: Czech Republic v Turkey
  

Round of 16

• 06/25/16, 21.00: WD v 3B/E/F

Trivia: The stadium was build back in 1932 by unemployed workers that found explosives shells and grenades during the construction. The stadium can accommodate the whole population of Lens and will still have more than 2,000 empty seats. It has the particularity to be the only stadium in France that has its supporters kop in the side stand and not in the curve as usual. It has been the location of a scene in the movie "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis", leader of the all-time French box-office, where you can hear "Les Corons", famous song sung by Lens fans.

LILLE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade Pierre-Mauroy
Location: 261 Boulevard de Tournai, 59650 Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France
Coordinates: 50° 36′ 43″ N 3° 07′ 50″ E
Status: New stadium
Start of construction: 03/29/10
End of construction: 07/15/12
Cost: € 282m
Architect: Valode & Pistre and Pierre Ferret
Owner: Eiffage Lille Stadium Arena
Tenants: LOSC Lille
Inauguration: 08/17/12 (Lille – Nancy, 1-1)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 50,000 (50,157)
Attendance record: 49,626 (France – Jamaica, 8-0, 06/08/14)
Pitch: Natural grass
Major international football events: France – Jamaica (8-0), 06/08/14
Other major sporting events: 2014 French Rugby Championship (Top 14) Semi-finals; 2014 Davis Cup Final (France – Switzerland, 1-3); EuroBasket 2015 knockout stage; 2017 World Men’s Handball Championship
Major concerts: Rihanna concert (07/20/13); Patrick Bruel concert (09/06/14); Johnny Hallyday concert (10/09/15)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/12/16, 21.00: Germany v Ukraine
  
• 06/15/16, 15.00: Russia v Slovakia
  
• 06/19/16, 21.00: Switzerland v France
  
• 06/22/16, 21.00: Italy v Ireland
  

Round of 16

• 06/26/16, 18.00: WC v 3A/B/F

Quarter-finals

• 07/01/16, 21.00: W38 v W42

Trivia: The Stade Pierrre-Mauroy is a new stadium build for the Euro 2016. It is the only stadium in France to have a retractable roof that can be closed or opened in half an hour. It also has a retractable pitch and can be used as a sporting arena. This stadium holds the attendance record for an European basketball game (26,922, Spain - France, 09/17/15) and for a Davis cup game (27,432, France - Switzerland, 11/21/14). The owner of the stadium also own the Millau Viaduct (world's tallest bridge structure and highest bridge in Europe) and the Channel Tunnel.

LYON

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade de Lyon (Parc OL)
Location: Chemin du Montout, 69150 Décines-Charpieu, France
Coordinates: 45° 46′ 01″ N 4° 58′ 52″ E
Status: New stadium
Start of construction: 10/22/12
End of construction: 01/06/16
Cost: € 405m
Architect: Populus
Owner: OL Groupe
Tenants: Olympique Lyonnais
Inauguration: 01/09/16 (Lyon – Troyes, 4-1)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 59,000 (59,500)
Attendance record: 55,169 (Lyon – Troyes, 4-1, 01/09/16)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: 2019 Women’s World Cup
Other major sporting events: 2016 Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals (Rugby)
Major concerts: -
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/13/16, 21.00: Belgium v Italy
  
• 06/16/16, 18.00: Ukraine v Northern Ireland
  
• 06/19/16, 21.00: Romania v Albania
  
• 06/22/16, 18.00: Hungary v Portugal
  

Round of 16

• 06/26/16, 15.00: WA v 3C/D/E

Semi-finals

• 07/06/16, 21.00: W45 v W46

Trivia: The Stade de Lyon is a new stadium build for the Euro 2016 and the replacement of the old stadium of Olympique Lyonnais, Stade de Gerland, that hosted the Euro 1984 and the 1998 World Cup. It is owned by Lyon and the only one of the 10 Euro 2016 stadiums to be owned by the football club that play in it. The stadium will be candidate to host the Europa League final in 2018.

MARSEILLE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade Vélodrome
Location: 3, boulevard Michelet, 13008 Marseille, France
Coordinates: 43° 16′ 11″ N 5° 23′ 45″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: March 2011
End of renovation: June 2014
Cost: € 267m
Architect: SCAU
Owner: City of Marseille
Tenants: Olympique de Marseille
Inauguration: 10/19/14 (Marseille – Toulouse, 2-0)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 67,000 (67,394)
Attendance record: 65,148 (Marseille – PSG, 2-3, 04/05/15)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: 1938 World Cup; 1998 World Cup (Dennis Bergkamp famous last minute goal against Argentina); Euro 1960; Euro 1984 (France vs Portugal epic semi-final)
Other major sporting events: 2007 Rugby World Cup; 2010 Rugby Challenge Cup final; 2011 French Rugby Championship (Top 14) Semi-finals
Major concerts: Johnny Hallyday (4 times); Pink Floyd (07/12/89); U2 (07/14/93); The Rolling Stones (06/20/90 & 07/05/03); The Police (06/03/08); AC/DC (06/09/09); Paul McCartney (06/05/15)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/11/16, 21.00: England v Russia
  
• 06/15/16, 21.00: France v Albania
  
• 06/18/16, 18.00: Iceland v Hungary
  
• 06/21/16, 18.00: Ukraine v Poland
  

Quarter-finals

• 06/30/16, 21.00: W37 v W39

Semi-finals

• 07/07/16, 21.00: W47 v W48

Trivia: The Stade Vélodrome is named after the cycling track surrounding the pitch when it first opened in 1937. The stadium has hosted many sporting events during its history such as tennis, field hockey, boxing, motorsports, handball, boules, greyhound tracks, baseball, US football and cycling. It is the only stadium, beside the Parc des Princes, to have hosted the 5 international football tourmanents in France (1938 and 1998 World Cup, Euro 1960, 1984, 2016). Before the renovation, the stadium was roofless and opened to the elements and to the "Mistral", a famous wind blowing in the southeastern France.

NICE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade de Nice (Allianz Riviera)
Location: Boulevard des Jardiniers, 06200 Nice, France
Coordinates: 43° 42′ 18″ N 7° 11′ 33″ E
Status: New stadium
Start of construction: 08/06/11
End of construction: September 2013
Cost: € 245m
Architect: Jean-Michel Wilmotte
Owner: City of Nice
Tenants: OGC Nice
Inauguration: 09/22/13 (Nice – Valenciennes, 4-0)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 35,000 (35,624)
Attendance record: 35,200 (France – Paraguay, 1-1, 06/01/14)
Pitch: Natural grass
Major international football events: France – Paraguay (1-1), 06/01/14; France – Armenia (4-0), 10/08/15
Other major sporting events: RC Toulon rugby matches (6 in total)
Major concerts: -
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/12/16, 18.00: Poland v Northern Ireland
  
• 06/17/16, 21.00: Spain v Turkey
  
• 06/22/16, 21.00: Sweden v Belgium
  

Round of 16

• 06/27/16, 21.00: RB v RF

Trivia: The Stade de Nice is a new stadium build for the Euro 2016 and the replacement of the old stadium of OGC Nice, Stade du Ray. The National Sports Museum is located in the stadium and was opened in 2014 after being moved out from Paris. The stadium has been named "Allianz Riviera" for 9 years and a price of € 1.8m per year. It is environmentally friendly with more than 4,000 solar panels and its own geothermal installation for heating drawing over three times its own energy requirements. The stadium also uses rain water channelled from the stadium roof into four collection reservoirs for pitch watering.

PARIS

City guide
Photo album
Name: Parc des Princes
Location: 24, rue du Commandant-Guilbaud, 75016 Paris, France
Coordinates: 48° 50′ 29″ N 2° 15′ 11″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: May 2013
End of renovation: 2015
Cost: € 75m
Architect: Tom Sheehan
Owner: City of Paris
Tenants: Paris Saint-Germain
Inauguration: 05/25/72 (France – USSR, 1-3)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 45,000 (48,527)
Attendance record: 50,370 (France – Wales, 31-12, 02/18/89)
Pitch: Hybrid grass DESSO GrassMaster
Major international football events: 1938 World Cup; 1998 World Cup; Euro 1960; Euro 1984 (Luis Arconada famous mistake in the final against France); 3 European Cup finals (Real Madrid – Reims, 4-3, 06/13/1953; Bayern Munich – Leeds United, 2-0, 05/28/1975; Liverpool – Real Madrid, 1-0, 05/27/1981; 2 Cup Winners’ Cup finals (Anderlecht – Austria Vienna, 4-0, 05/03/1978; Arsenal – Real Zaragoza, 1-2, 05/10/1995); 1 UEFA Cup final (Lazio – Internazionale, 0-3, 05/06/1998)
Other major sporting events: 1991 Rugby World Cup; 2007 Rugby World Cup
Major concerts: Johnny Hallyday (7 times); Michael Jackson (4 times); The Rolling Stones (3 times); Red Hot Chili Peppers (06/15/04 & 07/06/07); U2 (09/06/97); David Bowie (06/14/97); Metallica (06/23/04); Iron Maiden (06/25/05); Robbie Williams (06/27/06); Muse (06/23/07); Genesis (06/30/07); Bruce Springsteen (06/27/08); Mika (07/04/08); Coldplay (09/07/09); Green Day (06/26/10)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/12/16, 15.00: Turkey v Croatia
  
• 06/15/16, 18.00: Romania v Switzeland
  
• 06/18/16, 21.00: Portugal v Austria
  
• 06/21/16, 18.00: Northern Ireland v Germany
  

Round of 16

• 06/25/16, 18.00: WB v 3A/C/D

Trivia: The Parc des Princes used to host the national cup finals and be the national team stadium before the construction of the Stade de France. It also hosted 54 Tour de France finish. The stadium of the Stade Français (Parisian rugby team), Stade Jean Bouin, is right next to the Parc des Princes less than 100 meters away. The Paris ring road goes under the Parc des Princes and the Stade Jean Bouin through the Parc des Princes tunnel. The Parc des Princes pitch has been awarded "Best Ligue 1 Natural Pitch" the last 2 years thanks to Jonathan Calderwood, former Aston Villa's groundsmanager. After the Euro 2016, the Parc des Princes will be extented to a 60,000 capacity.

SAINT-DENIS

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade de France
Location: ZAC du Cornillon Nord, 93200 Saint-Denis, France
Coordinates: 48° 55′ 28″ N 2° 21′ 36″ E
Status: Already build
Start of construction: 05/02/95
End of construction: 11/30/97
Cost: € 364m
Architect: Michel Macary, Aymeric Zublena, Michel Regembal, Claude Costantini
Owner: French State
Tenants: The France national football team, The France national rugby team
Inauguration: 01/28/98 (France – Spain, 1-0)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 80,000 (81,338)
Attendance record: 80,430 (South Africa – England, 15-6, 10/20/07)
Pitch: Natural grass
Major international football events: 1998 World Cup (Lilian Thuram 2 only goals in NT career qualify France for the final; Zinedine Zidane brace leads France to their first World Cup trophy); 2003 Confederations Cup; 2 UEFA Champion’s League finals (Real Madrid – Valencia, 3-0, 05/24/00; Barcelona – Arsenal, 2-1, 05/17/06); 2 World Cup qualifiers playoffs (France – Ireland, 1-1, 11/18/09; France – Ukraine, 3-0, 11/19/13)
Other major sporting events: 1999 Rugby World Cup; 2007 Rugby World Cup; 2010 H-Cup final; 2003 World Championships in Athletics
Major concerts: Johnny Hallyday (9 times); The Rolling Stones (5 times); AC/DC (5 times); U2 (5 times); Muse (4 times); Black Eyed Peas (3 times); Madonna (3 times); Beyoncé & Jay-Z (twice); Bruce Springsteen (twice); Paul McCartney (twice); David Guetta (twice); Depeche Mode (twice); The Police (twice); Prince (06/30/11); Céline Dion (twice); Metallica (05/12/12); Red Hot Chili Peppers (06/30/12); Coldplay (09/02/12); Lady Gaga (09/22/12); Rihanna (06/08/13); Eminem (08/22/13); Roger Waters (09/21/13)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/10/16, 21.00: France v Romania
  
• 06/13/16, 18.00: Ireland v Sweden
  
• 06/16/16, 21.00: Germany v Poland
  
• 06/22/16, 18.00: Iceland v Austria
  

Round of 16

• 06/27/16, 18.00: WE v RD

Quarter-finals

• 07/03/16, 21.00: W40 v W44

Final

• 07/10/16, 21.00: W49 v W50

Trivia: The Stadium was build for the 1998 World Cup and is the biggest stadium in France by capacity. It is the only stadium in the world to have ever hosted a World Cup football and a World Cup rugby final. It has movable seating that can be retracted to uncover part of the athletics track. The locker rooms were designed with the help of Michel Platini. The stadium has been used by Lille and Lens to host Ligue 1 games while their stadiums were being renovated or build. The Stade de France can resist winds up to 145 kph and a software simulating crowd dynamics was used during its conception.

SAINT-ETIENNE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard
Location: 14, rue Paul et Pierre Guichard, 42028 Saint-Étienne, France
Coordinates: 45° 27′ 39″ N 4° 23′ 25″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: May 2011
End of renovation: December 2014
Cost: € 58m
Architect: Chaix & Morel et Associés
Owner: City of Saint-Etienne
Tenants: AS Saint-Etienne
Inauguration: 03/08/15 (Saint-Etienne – Lorient, 2-0)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 42,000 (42,000)
Attendance record: 47,747 (Saint-Etienne – Lille, 1-0, 05/11/85)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: Euro 1984 (Michel Platini perfect hat-trick against Yugoslavia); 1998 World Cup (Michael Owen famous goal against Argentina); 2003 Confederations Cup
Other major sporting events: 2007 Rugby World Cup; 2010 French Rugby Championship (Top 14) Semi-finals
Major concerts: Bruce Springsteen (06/25/85); Johnny Hallyday (07/22/03); The Police (06/10/08)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/14/16, 21.00: Portugal v Iceland
  
• 06/17/16, 18.00: Czech Republic v Croatia
  
• 06/20/16, 21.00: Slovakia v England
  

Round of 16

• 06/25/16, 15.00: RA v RC

Trivia: The Stade Geoffroy-Guichard is named after the founder of the Casino retail chain. The nickname of the stadium is "Le Chaudron" (the Cauldron) due its reputation for the atmosphere. The stadium was build on old mine tunnels next to a steel factory and in the early days of the stadium, fumes from the factory's chimneys were known to drif across the pitch. The "Musée des Verts" located in one of the stadium's stand and showing the history of the Saint-Etienne club is the first museum in France dedicated to a football club. The museum exhibits the famous square posts that deny Saint-Etienne 2 goals (Dominique Bathenay long shot; Jacques Santini header) in the 1976 European Cup final against Bayern München in Glasgow.

TOULOUSE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stadium de Toulouse
Location: Île du Ramier, 1, bis allées Gabriel Biénès, 31028 Toulouse, France
Coordinates: 43° 35′ 00″ N 1° 26′ 03″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: April 2013
End of renovation: December 2015
Cost: € 46m
Architect: Cardete et Huet
Owner: City of Toulouse
Tenants: Toulouse FC
Inauguration: 01/16/16 (Toulouse – PSG)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 33,000 (33,300)
Attendance record: 40,000 (Toulouse – Sete, 0-0, 05/20/51)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: 1938 World Cup; 1998 World Cup (Romania beat England 2-1 in the group stage); BONUS: Diego Maradona hits the post in the penalty shootout and qualifies Toulouse for the Second Round of the 1986-1987 UEFA Cup
Other major sporting events: 2007 Rugby World Cup
Major concerts: Michael Jackson (09/16/92)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/13/16, 15.00: Spain v Czech Republic
  
• 06/17/16, 15.00: Italy v Sweden
  
• 06/20/16, 21.00: Russia v Wales
  

Round of 16

• 06/26/16, 21.00: WF v RE

Trivia: The Stadium de Toulouse in located on an island in the center of City on the Garonne river. Since november 2009, the East stand is named "Brice Taton", a Toulouse fan that died in Belgrade in september 2009 from his injuries caused by Partizan hooligans. The stadium is only one kilometer away to the AZF factory, ac hemical plant, that suffered a major explosion in september 2001 damaging the stadium. 6 months of repairs costing nearly € 600K were needed to fix the stadium.

Friday 11/12/2015, 20:30, France Ligue 1, Round 18 Rennes vs Caen Preview Rennes won a single match in more than a month, but were defeated just once, by Marseille a team that is in superb form. They had to settle for one point on many occasions and now that they have home pitch advantage, will go for all three points. Caen is blocking their way and the visitors have proven to be a very stringy team, capable of causing upsets again some of the better teams in Ligue 1. Rennes vs Caen Odds At Coral Rennes 2.20, Draw 4.40, Caen 3.30 Rennes vs Caen Tips Caen lost at home to Lille despite scoring the early goal and somehow the defensive minded visitors managed to find the resources to win. The injury list has shrunk and currently includes only two players, none of them essential for the team. Playing offensive football in the French first division is the exception to the rule, but they managed to pull it off for quite a while and the strategy is unlikely to change. Caen has scored at least one goal in each of the last three games, but you are unable to keep clean sheets and this could be a major problem against Rennes. The head to head record would also suggest a fierce competition, with the teams splitting points, but the home side has a slight advantage. Rennes will need to replace two of its writers which are injured, which is a hard task given the fact that they scored a combined several goals. Ntep has been unfit to play for most of the season but now that Grosiki joins him on the injury list, things are bound to get serious.On the bright side, the home team has the advantage of offensive minded players in the midfield and they are expected to rise to the challenge. They will score many goals this season, but made a significant contribution to the cause and can be very difficult for Caen to guard them for the entire 90 minutes. Key Facts The last time the two teams met Caen steamrolled past their opponents scoring four times and conceding ones. Over the last four years the two teams met on four occasions and Rennes won three times with no match ending undecided. Rennes vs Caen Prediction Risk-averse punters will surely frown upon the idea of backing the host at full stakes given the fact that they miss two of their strikers. That's why the odds are so generous though and as long as they revolve around 2.20 with Coral it's worth taking a leap of faith with Rennes. Unlike other games played in the French first division, this one is unlikely to result in a scoreless draw, so the risks are reduced. Bet: Rennes @ 2.20 with Coral
via www.casinoreviews.casino

The season is finally here and u/Exells took the initiative to start a guide for people who aren't as familiar with Ligue 1 as they are with other leagues. Over the next week or so, we will continue to post team previews in no specific order and I might start doing more than one per day. If you have volunteered to write a review, but haven't sent it in yet, please do, otherwise I might be doing a hatchet job via wikipedia on some of the lesser known teams if i have time.
On a side note: You can't believe how long it took me to find out that I hadn't submitted this one!

AS Saint-Étienne

Write up by: ptexy
Logo
General
ASSE, or L’Association Sportive de Saint Étienne Loire, was founded in 1919 and has since then become the most successful club in the history of French football, with ten Ligue 1 titles, six French cup titles, one League Cup, and five Trophées des Champions. Their trophy cabinet dwarves even that of Paris or Marseille, as ‘Les Verts’ dominated the French football scene throughout the 60s and 70s.
The City
‘Sainté’ play in the Stade Geoffrey-Guichard, and boast one of the most impressive atmospheres in Ligue 1, as the city of Saint-Étienne is truly football-crazy. The team is the crown jewel and pride of their city, the capital of the Loire region, located in eastern France, only 50 kilometres away from their fierce rivals, Lyon. It is the 14th most populous city in France, and it is a beautiful town either to visit or live in.
History
ASSE was founded in 1919 by a group of grocery-story workers, yes, grocery-store workers, who worked for the Supermarket chain ‘Groupe Casino’, hence, the green colour of the club, as it was the colour of the Groupe Casino grocery store. Eight years later, Pierre Guichard took over the club to merge it with a local club, Stade Forézien Universitaire, and renamed the team ‘Association Sportive Stéphanoise’, as ‘Stéphanois(e)’ is the adjective for something from Saint-Étienne. It was only in the early 30’s that the club turned professional and changed its name to its current form. The Stéphanois club comfortably installed itself in the elite of French and European football throughout the 20th Century, even getting to the final of the European Cup in 1976, only to lose against Bayern Munich. Although Sainté dominated the match, they hit the crossbar continually. These infamous crossbars are now exposed in the ASSE museum for all fans to see, curse and cry at. Saint Étienne have produced and developed many notable players, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kurt Zouma, Michel Platini, Laurent Blanc, Blaise Matuidi, Dimitri Payet, Kevin Mirallas, all once wore proudly the green of Saint-Étienne.
Last Season
Last season, Saint-Étienne did neither disappoint nor enthrall their loyal fanbase, finishing in sixth place just below LOSC Lille at 58 points. Manager Christophe Galtier brought the possibility of another Europa League campaign to Les Verts after their knockout last season in the group stage. This season, though the summer transfer window is not over yet, Saint Étienne have lost a couple of key players. Maupay, Tabanou, Cohade, Clerc, Bahebeck, Diomandé, Assou-Ekotto, and Brison have left the club; that’s eight important players. So far, only Cheick Mbengue from Toulouse and Bryan Dabo from Montpellier have joined the club, which is not very reassuring so far. I expect Saint-Étienne to have a season much like the last with a few late arrivals towards the end of transfer window to strengthen their roster, along with Beric and Tannane coming back from injury and Paul Baysse coming back from loan. Now, it’s up to Galtier and the boys in green to prove me wrong.
Expected XI
Sainté could line up as follows next season in a 4-3-3:

 Ruffier Théophile-Catherine, Perrin, Pogba (Paul’s brother!), Polomat– Pajot, Dabo, Lemoine Tannane, Beric, Hamouma 

Their bench could look like this:
Soderlund, Roux, Cohade, Moulin, Baysse, Monnet-Paquet, Clément.
Player to watch
Stéphane Ruffier
Ruffier arrived from Monaco in 2011 and has become one of the best keepers in the league, even being called up to the France squad several times since 2010 and being nominated three times in a row for best keeper of Ligue 1. Now that his worst enemy and serial humiliator, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has left the league, Ruffier should have an even better season in 16/17.
Why you should follow ASSE
If you love teams with a lot of history and an explosive fanbase and you enjoy a crazy atmosphere at your home games, Saint-Étienne is the club for you. If you’re a Liverpool fan, I could see you liking Les Verts, both very successful clubs historically, but not so much recently. Plus, Pogba’s brother plays for them, so they must have something going for them, right? Also, if you really hate Lyon, or know a Lyon fan that gets on your nerves, Saint-Étienne, is definitely the club for you. I hope green brings out your eyes! (Also their jerseys are designed by Le Coq Sportif, and are always really sweet).
Why should Messi go to ASSE
Why should Messi go to Saint-Étienne? Because his favourite colour is red, which is the complimentary colour to green, which is Saint-Étienne’s colour. I’ve already contacted the Sun, they’re running this on their front page next week as ‘Messi to Saint-Étienne: done deal”. You’re welcome.
Why would ASSE be relegated?
Why would the club be relegated to Domino’s™ Ligue 2? Well, realistically, they won’t, unless there is some kind of major disaster á la 15/16 Marseille. The team sheet isn’t Champions League worthy but it still have the potential to be at the foot of the French podium with the right play style and management. With Christophe Galtier as their manager, the club is in good hands.

Soooooo, apologies to all and especially to u/Sandi_flick. I must have overlooked the write-up for AS Monaco and put together a crappy wikipedia preview when there was one already made. I will admit that we used the same Stade Louis II picture, but u/sandi_flick has outdone me with the photo of the ridiculous training facility. And of course, more knowledge than i can get from francefootball and wiki.
So, with full apologies but without further ado .....

AS Monaco

History
AS Monaco was founded in 1919 when local clubs from France and Monaco combined to make a team in the French amateur division. In 1933 they were promoted to a professional league by the FFF, but they were relegated after the first season. In 1948 they made it back to the professional divisions, and in 1953 made it up to Ligue 1.
The first trophy was the Coupe de France, won in 1960 and the next season, 1961, Monaco won their first Ligue 1 championship. In the next season they also won the championship and the Coupe de France. All these trophies were won by manager Lucien Leduc who won again in 1978 and then left the club in 1979. There was a lot of domestic wins in this time period, but there was not much success in Europe and Monaco never made it into the knockout round of any European competitions. In 1985 Ștefan Kovács became manager in hopes he could find European success by using the tactics he used at Ajax in the 70's for a lot of success, but they didn't work and then Arsène Wegner was appointed manager from AS Nancy. He brought in and developed many great players such as Klinsmann, Weah, Henry, and Petit. He won the championship in his debut season. He was released after he negotiated to become the manager of Bayern, but he did not get the job and was then hired by a J-league team. Monaco won Ligue 1 in 1997 and 2000 and was then relegated due to a financial debt, even though they were runner up in the league. After promoted back to Ligue 1, Didier Deschamps was appointed manager but left after more financial issues. The mid-2000's was a dark time with the team being an average Ligue 1 team. In 2008 Jérôme de Bontin became head of the club and bought in young players such as /soccer favorite Freddy Adu but there was no success in these years. The club was relegated in 2011 after an 18th place finish.
In 2012 the team was bought by Dmitry Rybovlev who is a Russian billionaire from chemical companies. He invested a lot of money into the team after Claudio Ranieri led the team to a Ligue 2 championship and promotion in 2013. After the promotion, Rybovlev spend a lot of money to buy Falcao, James Rodriguez, and Joao Moutinho and to push for a league title in the first season back in Ligue 1, however the team finished second to PSG by 9 points.
Today the investment in big name players has dropped and the club focuses on developing young players and selling them at a profit. Rybovlev likes the club to be like a business and self-sustaining in finances. The big rivaly match is "Le Derby de la Côte d'Azur" against Nice, who are just a 20km drive away.
The City
Monaco is located in the south of France on the Côte d'Azur along the Mediterranean and close the the Italian border. It is its own country (technically a principality led by Prince Albert II who is a fan of the club and is frequently at matches) famous for the Grand Prix of Monaco where the drivers race on the city streets and near the yacht harbor. It is also famous for the casino and the tax haven status of the country.
Stadium
Monaco plays their matches in the Stade Louis II located in the Fontvielle district and was renovated in 1985. It also hosts track and field events. It is named for Louis II who was the prince when the stadium was built in 1939. The pitch is not a good quality pitch, as it is built over an underground car park. The stade is usually very empty for Ligue 1 matches, as there isn't a large following from people in the principality and the travel to the city is hard. Champions league matches and important matches such as against PSG, Lyon, and Marseille will fill the stadium.
As a bonus, Monaco also has a spectacular training facility located in La Turbie, in France, north of Monaco.
Last Few Seasons
Since ASM rejoined Ligue 1, the aspiration is to be the champion, but with PSG's current policy, it will take a miracle to win.
After the amazing Champions League run in 2014 and 2015 making it to the quarterfinals beating Arsenal (Video of the goals and commentary, I have never been this happy before I saw this live) in the first knockout round and then losing to Juventus 1-0 on aggregate from a penalty kick. This made a lot of our star players known to the big teams in Europe and the summer afterwards players like Anthony Martial, Yannick Carrasco, Geoffrey Kondogbia, and Aymen Abdennour were bought by big teams for big money. The money was then re-invested in young players, such as Ivan Cavaliero, Bernardo Silva, and Thomas Lemar.
2015-2016 season was marked by a slow start and failure to make it through the CL qualifying rounds and a slow start to the Ligue 1 campaign which ended in a 3rd place finish behind Lyon and the champions, PSG. This summer we have bought Djibril Sidibé (Lille), Benjamin Mendy (Marseille), and Glik (Torino), and De Sanctis (Roma), as well as Falcao and Germain back from loans. We have released Carvalho, Coentrao (loan), Traoré (on loan to CSKA), and Toulalan (to Bordeaux). They are the big signings and losses.
Fully it starting XI

 Subasic Sidibé Glik Jemerson Mendy Bernardo Moutinho Fabinho Lemar Falcao Germain 

Subs: Dirar, Bakayoko, Cavaliero, Echijile, Carillo, Vagner Love, Raggi, Mbappé
Player to watch
Keep an eye on Bernardo Silva this season. He can play many positions (as a winger or as a 10) and is very creative and can make a play out of nothing. He came from Benfica B and has stunned everyone. He connects well with his compatriot Moutinho. He will be a future star and I expect him to leave in the winter or next summer. Here's a video with some highlights (beware of the typical electronic music).
Why should you follow the club?
If you want to see the future stars of European football develop and put on a good show this team is for you. The youth development is a big part of the team and youngsters like Kylian Mbappé, Thomas Lemar, and Loïc Badiashile could become important players in the future.
Why should Messi come here?
He will not have to avoid taxes in the principality and we might need him because maybe he can provide his compatriot Guido Carillo with some service for goals because he really needs it. We did "reportedly" have an interest in Ronaldo a few years ago (but it was a Daily Mail source so it probably was not true).
Why would we be relegated to Ligue 2?
If we lose Falcao and Germain to injury, we only have youth players and Carillo left at strikers and Carillo is about as effective as a one of these at striker. The defense also is having some problems now as they are all new players playing together. I think this season we will fight for 3rd place.