 |
| Things are looking tight at the summit with only 3 points separating Monaco and 3rd-placed Nice. |
Things are as tight as ever at the summit of the Ligue 1 table with only three points separating Monaco and third-placed Nice. We may well see that three-point gap cut this weekend as the leaders face a potential banana peel in their title quest in the form of the resilient Guingamp. There’s also a tricky looking away assignment for PSG, who make the trip the Stade Velodrome to take on Marseille.
Friday 24 February
8/10 Nantes | Draw 24/10 | Dijon 34/10 (20:00)
Nantes managed to claim a point last week, drawing away to plucky Metz. While Dijon, despite putting up a spirited fight, weren’t as lucky as they went down 4-2 to Lyon. These two sides have struggled to keep clean sheets this term with Nantes shipping 34 goals at an average of 1.3 goals per game and Dijon conceding 36 goals at a similar average.With the aforementioned stats in mind, I recommend backing the Totals – Over 2.5 Goals at a healthy 23/20.
9/10 Nice | 5/2 | Montpellier 29/10 (20:00)
Friday night’s action comes to a close with a game between third-placed Nice and 11th-placed Montpellier. Both sides come into this one off the back of hard fought fixtures with Nice edging Lorient 1-0 and Montpellier going down 2-1 against Monaco. The home side will be desperate to stay in touch with Monaco, who are currently three points clear at the top of the standings.This desperation should see them to a win here and at 9/10, they do offer some decent value.
Saturday 25 February
36/10 Guingamp | 28/10 | Monaco 7/10 (18:00)
The league-leaders make the trip to Guingamp in Saturday’s opening fixture. The hosts have struggled for results of late, losing four of their last five fixtures while the visitors last lost a match on gameweek 18. Guingamp may be on a poor run but they could give Monaco a hard time here. They have put in some solid displays and I can see them giving the league leaders a real run. My money is on Monaco edging it by a goal, however. Get on the Monaco win at 7/10.
29/20 Nancy | 2/1 | Toulouse 2/1 (21:00)
Nancy will be looking to bounce back from three consecutive defeats when they host Toulouse this Saturday. The visitors have been in much better form claiming five points from their last three matches – one of which came courtesy of a 0-0 draw with PSG last week. Toulouse really have impressed lately and look a decent bet a 2/1 for a win. My advice, though, is to get on the Double Chance – Toulouse + Draw at a respectable 5/10.
29/20 Lille | 21/10 | Bordeaux 39/20 (21:00)
Lille managed to arrest a run of three consecutive losses when they pipped Caen 1-0 last Saturday. The results has seen them move four points clear of the relegation zone, and they will be looking to further that gap when they take on Bordeaux. The hosts may not have it all their own way, however, as Bordeaux have managed to have been rather impressive of late, racking up some big wins. I think we’re in for goals here. Bordeaux have managed to find the back of the net on seven occasions during their last three fixtures while Lille aren’t the most defensively astute side going. Get on the Totals – Over 2.5 Goals market at a kind 5/4.
8/10 Angers | 23/10 | Bastia 15/4 (21:00)
Saturday’s penultimate game sees Angers and Bastia square off at the Stade Jean-Bouin. The hosts come into this one off the back of a 1-0 win over Nancy while the visitors make the short trip across the Tyrrhenian Sea having secured a morale-boosting 1-1 draw with Monaco. I quite fancy the visitors here. Yes, their away record isn’t the best but they have enough quality to claim three points here.Odds of 15/4 is an outrageously good price for a Bastia win!
19/20 Rennes | 47/20 | Lorient 29/10 (21:00)
Saturday’s proceedings come to a conclusion with Rennes taking on floundering Lorient. This is a game I am not going to delve into greatly as the only result I can see is a Rennes win. The 19/20 price on a home victory is likely to disappear quicker than a hip-high full toss being bowled at AB de Villiers. Get on it ASAP!
Sunday 26 February
7/10 St. Etienne | 5/2 | Caen 4/1 (16:00)
We kick off Sunday’s action with a tie between high-flying St. Etienne and relegation candidates, Caen. The hosts have produced a mixed bag of results over the past three gameweeks, losing twice while winning once. The visitors, on the other hand, have been horribly consistent losing their last three fixtures while shipping a staggering seven goals. I honestly cannot see Caen getting up for this one. Get on the home win with confidence.
3/10 Lyon | 9/2 | Metz 17/2 (18:00)
Lyon and Metz will go head-to-head this Sunday in what should be an enthralling game of football. The hosts were at their enigmatic best last week, managing to score four goals and concede two in last week’s victory over Dijon. The visitors were involved in a much more subdued game being held to a 1-1 draw by Nantes. I quite fancy an upset here. As our regular readers will know, I have a soft spot for Metz. My money is going on the Double Chance – Draw + Metz at 51/20.
17/4 Marseille | 26/10 | PSG 13/20 (22:00)
We conclude gameweek 27 with a tie between historical big guns Marseille and PSG. The hosts come into this one off the back of a solid 2-0 win over Rennes while the visitors were held to a surprise 0-0 draw by Toulouse. PSG have always struggled after midweek European games which somewhat explains last week’s result. They should be a lot better this week and I can see them making a statement by beating Marseille. Get on the away win at 13/20.
TREBLE @ 52/10
Nice Win 9/10
Rennes Win 19/20
St. Etienne Win 7/10
Written by Darry Worthington
