Underdogs Angers rely on goalkeepers to stop 'best team in the world'

Luis Enrique's men also won 0-1 in their first match against Nantes and are now aiming to offer a better image at the Parc des Princes against Angers SCO, an opponent that is supposedly far inferior.

The team from north-western France has the distinction of having, for the moment, four African goalkeepers. Among the most notable, Herve Koffi and Yahia Fofana, have a total of 88 international caps.

Koffi is expected to be the starter this season. He already has 63 caps for Burkina Faso. The 28-year-old, who has played for Lille, Belenenses, Mouscron and Charleroi, arrived at the club this summer after a 2024-25 season where he only played six matches for Lens.

He was the starter on the first day, as Yahia Fofana, with 25 caps for Ivory Coast, is training away from his team-mates while finalising his departure from the club.

Fofana, considered one of the most promising goalkeepers in France and a former international in the youth categories for Les Bleus, was Angers SCO's first-choice goalkeeper in 2024-25. Unless there is a last-minute change, he will not be part of the squad this season.

The other two Angers SCO goalkeepers also have a close connection with Africa. Oumar Pona, 19 years old, is already a Malian Under-20 international after representing France Under-19s. As for Melvin Zinga, 23 years old and also a French international in the youth categories, he was called up by Congo in August 2024, but has not yet made his debut and can still change his mind.