Djiku: Ghana and Strasbourg defender sets out ambitions for Ligue 1 start

Strasbourg defender Alexander Djiku is eyeing a winning start to the Ligue 1 season which gets underway on Friday.

At Stade de la Meinau, the Racers are set to open their campaign with a home clash against Angers on Sunday.

It is one of three home matches in waiting for Julien Stephan's outfit in August, their only away fixture set against Paris Saint Germain on matchday two.

"These last two years, we have not started the season very well. We will play three home games during the month of August. It's up to us to take as many points as possible," Djiku said at the pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of Sunday's fixture.

"The coach wants us to establish our forward play and counter-pressing. He arrived with his playing plans. We have to have fun and keep going.

"Angers are a rough team that makes few mistakes. They have a solid and experienced central defence with [Romain] Thomas and [Ismael] Traore."

With the last meeting between the two sides ending in a 0-0 draw at Stade de la Meinau, Strasbourg will be hoping the return of their fans, following a coronavirus-forced absence, spurs them to victory this time around.

Last term, the Racers won only four of 19 home matches, drawing five other games and losing 10.

"It's a pleasure to be able to have the fans back again. We can't wait to play in a full stadium. We saw last year, without them we were in trouble," Djiku remarked.

Ahead of the new season, the Ghanaian has been heavily linked with a possible move away from Strasbourg, with fellow Ligue 1 outfit Stade Rennes and La Liga fold Cadiz mentioned as possible destinations.

The transfer speculation has been fuelled by his fine performances last term, where he made 30 league appearances, involving 29 starts.

"I want to be as consistent as possible. I want to perform well throughout the season by helping the team to be as strong as possible," the 26-year-old added.

In September, Djiku is expected to join Ghana's squad for their 2022 World Cup qualifying matches against Ethiopia and South Africa.