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Pau Orthez look much better at the start of the season

Le Havre have brought in some late acquisitions. Their starting point guard only played the last preseason match. During preseason, they were mostly losing by a double digit margin. Pau had a great a great preseason, they beat Caja Laboral and are looking much better than Le Havre

Apart from the few interesting matchups between teams who should fight for the top, the first round will feature a match between two teams whose primary goal is staying in the league. According to analysts, Le Havre and Pau Orthez are among the main candidates for relegation and they will both want to come out on top in this fixture.

Le Havre lost a few players who formed the backbone of the squad last season. Replacements will have a hard time fitting those shoes and establishing themselves as team leaders. The new players were added to the team rather late, so team chemistry could me a major problem for Le Havre. This is especially true for William Hatcher, the new point guard. He only played the last preseason match and despite his 16 points, Le Havre were beaten heavily by Cholet. Hugo Invernizzi is the future of French basketball, but it remains to be seen if the 20-year-old can assert himself as a leader. Le Havre have still got a lot of questions to answer.

The preseason exposed many problems in Le Havre. They lost most of the matches by a huge margin. Even worse, excluding Gravelines, the rest of the opponents weren't really top sides. Their opening three losses were against second division teams.

Another problem could be the lack of fan support. Their arena was seldom full last season. This didn't really reflect on their results, since they won nine out of 15 home matches, and the defeats came in the final moments of the game. Still, teams with inferior player quality could use a good home atmosphere, as is the case for Pau's home fixtures. Last year in the second division they were undefeated, and this season they will try to secure their stay in the first division with a good win ration at home.

It's only the start of the season and Pau have already got their first chance for an away win. Le Havre are a team of similar abilities and facing many problems from the preseason. Pau couldn't wish for a better way to open the season. Unlike the home team, Orthez had a great preseason. They recorded close defeats at the hands of Bilbao and Gravelines, and their most prominent win was against Caja Laboral. Pau are going through a building process; in two to three years they will aim for the top. But right now, their main goal is to stay in the league and, if possible, join the fight for the playoffs.

The new acquisitions have fit into the squad well, which is especially true for center Nivins (man of the match several times) and point guard Thompson, who proved himself last season in ASVEL. Thompson's performance will have a great effect on Pau's results. The same can be said for this match. Guard Denace and forward Sy had some problems, but they were able to play against Gravelines. Center Sylla had some serious knee troubles, but he too should be fit for the season opener, which is great news for the coaching staff. Sylla was very good in the first half of the preseason (16 points and 11 rebounds against Boulazac, 10 points against Paris).

- This is going to be our first game with a complete roster - said coach Bergeaud, and added:

- The preseason went well, and on Saturday we will see if our opponents are ready as well. The match is a must-win.

The home court advantage is looking like the only thing Le Havre have going for them. Pau are more ambitious, in better form and eager to to prove themselves at the highest level. Great roster depth is definitely another plus; during preseason matches, a different player was the top performer each time, so the good results aren't surprising, despite the injuries.

- It is always hard to start the season with an away match. However, we've had lots of time to prepare and are eagerly awaiting the big day - said Driss, the team captain.

Le Havre is far from their top form. In the preparation matches they would lose with a two-digit difference against the opponents who aren't from the top ranks. Behind Pau Orthez is a much better preparation period. Amongst others, they've won against Caja Laboral, and in the last match, without Thompson, they've eliminated Gravelines on only 65 points. The ones and the others had a couple of efficient games during preparations, but this is an entirely different thing. Both coaches are aware that these are the teams who will fight to stay in the league, and mutual games here have a true value. It is only the start of the season, and both teams have great expectations and we can expect maximum effort from both of them. Le Havre didn't impress me with anything. Hatcher confirmed in one of the preparation matches that he will be a solid back-up, but he will surely need time to get the hang of the game. Pau is the host team and the bad rate at away matches is the only thing driving me away from playing on a clean win from them. However, I expect a firm game and I have a hard time imagining Le Havre at 80 points or more.