RC Kouba vs ASM Oran - Ligue 2

Few would have predicted the narrative arc that brings RC Kouba and ASM Oran together at the home ground on October 18, 2026, and the underdog storyline only adds to the Ligue 2 occasion. Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai remains a doubt for Wednesday’s Champions League encounter against LASK.

The two sides arrive with plenty to prove, and the Ligue 2 contest at the home ground offers a chance to lay down a marker. The hosts will be looking to find their rhythm and put a run of results together. The visitors will travel in the hope that a change of scene can spark a turnaround, whatever the form book says. Newcastle had agreed a deal worth £49m for the Switzerland international, who was a breakout star at the World Cup as he scored three goals in their run to the quarter-finals.

Wing play is likely to be central to the contest. RC Kouba will look to stretch the pitch and isolate their wide attackers, while ASM Oran must find a way to compress the space and choke the supply lines. Speaking on his YouTube Ferdinand said: "If I’m Manchester United right now I say press the green button and buy him, take him, right now.

The fixture is likely to be shaped by its key performers, with creative midfielders and clinical finishers on both sides capable of turning the game in an instant. Set-piece specialists and aerial threats on both sides mean dead-ball situations could carry outsized importance. Their 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup featured breakout performances by 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo striker on debut and 19-year-old winger George Hemmings.

Predicting an outright winner is no easy task given how little separates the two sides on paper. With the sides so closely matched, a 1-1 stalemate looks the most likely way this one ends. With the standings tight and form on the line, this is a fixture neither side will want to lose. The team currently most likely to win the 2026 WNBA Finals according to Opta.