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| Ligue 1 action resumes with Nice just a point above second-placed Paris Saint-Germain. |
Things are certainly heating up in Ligue 1 with only a solitary point separating first-placed Nice from third-placed PSG. Nice could actually end this week four points behind second and third place as there are both midweek and weekend fixtures taking place. Our focus will be the weekend action, however, which gets underway with a clash between Caen and new boys, Dijon.
Friday 2 December
21/20 Caen | Draw 23/10 | Dijon 26/10 (21:45)
Caen and Dijon will lock horns in the gameweek 15 opener. And with the two sides only separated by two points on the log, this game should be rather tight. The hosts come into this one off the back of an admirable 1-1 home draw against high-flying Guingamp, while the visitors make the trip to the Stade Michel d’Ornano fresh off the back of a 3-2 away defeat to Bordeaux. Both sides have been rather porous at the back with Dijon shipping 21 goals this season and Caen conceding 23. While neither side possess the most potent of attacking units, I feel that their defensive frailties may turn this game into an absolute goal-fest. Get on the Totals Over 2.5 Goals market at 1/1.
Saturday 3 December
17/4 Montpellier | 29/10 | PSG 13/20 (18:00)
Our next game sees Montpellier host the defending champions. Both sides come into this with some solid form attached to their names. PSG have won their last four fixtures while Montpellier are undefeated in four. PSG are on somewhat of a hot streak at the moment and I can’t see Montpellier ending it. Get on an away win at 13/20.
34/10 Metz | 26/10 | Lyon 8/10 (21:00)
Saturday’s second fixture sees overachieving newcomers Metz take on a spirited yet inconsistent Lyon outfit at the Stade Saint-Symphorien. The hosts for this weekend will be somewhat annoyed having only managed to take a point off lowly Lorient last week. Lyon also didn’t fare as well as they would have liked in gameweek 14 going down 2-1 to PSG. I’m a stickler for a punt on Metz and I’m not going to change my tune this week. Lyon haven’t been great away from home and I fancy Metz to claim the honours here. For those looking for a bit more security, back the Double Chance Metz + Draw market at a healthy 19/20.
11/10 Angers | 9/4 | Lorient 26/10 (21:00)
This is one of those games where it feels excessive to compile the actual tip in more than 200 words. As such, I’m going to keep this one short and sweet. Lorient have been shocking this term. They have only managed two wins from their 14 fixtures and really do look set for the drop. Angers should make quick work of Lorient this Saturday.
7/20 Monaco | 39/10 | Bastia 8/1 (21:00)
Monaco managed to make up some crucial ground on leaders Nice by hammering Marseille 4-0. The result is an extremely impressive one when you consider that Marseille had only conceded nine goals in their 13 matches prior to gameweek 14. Bastia also impressed last week holding Nice to a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Riviera. Monaco have been the dominant force in these fixtures winning six of the last seven contests. I fancy them to get the win again here. At 7/20 it may not be the greatest value ever but it certainly will help boost those multiples.
5/4 Guingamp | 43/20 | Nantes 47/20 (21:00)
Saturday’s penultimate fixture sees Guingamp take on Nantes at the Stade de Roudourou. The hosts currently occupy fifth spot on the table and will be keen to further their European aspirations by getting a win here. Nantes, on the other hand, sit a position off the relegation places and will be desperate to start clawing their way up the table. Games between these two sides tend not to see a lot of goals with the last seven fixtures seeing a goal or less. With stats like that, the only way to go is the Totals – Under 2.5 Goals market at a decent 11/20.
11/10 Bordeaux 11/10 | 43/20 | Lille 28/10 (20:00)
Saturday closes out with a tie between Bordeaux and Lille. The hosts are enjoying a solid season and currently sit sixth on the league table. Lille, on the other hand, are struggling and are entrenched in a relegation battle. Things really don’t look good for the visitors. They have only managed three wins this term and have shipped 19 goals while only finding the back of the net 10 times. My money will be on an 11/10 Bordeaux win.
Sunday 4 December
14/10 Rennes | 2/1 | St. Etienne 22/10 (16:00)
We kick Sunday’s action off with a game between fourth-placed Stade Rennes and eighth-placed St Etienne. Games between these two sides tend to be relatively low scoring affairs with three of the last five fixtures ending in 0-0 draws. Both teams have been resolute at the back this term with Rennes only conceding 17 goals and St. Etienne only shipping 12. The stats point to a tight affair, and as such I will be backing the Total Goals – Under 2.5 market at 5/10.
15/20 Marseille | 51/20 | Nancy 39/10 (18:00)
Marseille will be looking to bounce back from their heavy defeat to PSG when they take on struggling Nancy. The hosts were blown out of the water by the defending champions in gameweek 14 going down by a 4-0 score line. Nancy fared a lot better than Marseille as they managed to hold Montpellier to a 0-0 draw. Despite Nancy’s very recent semi-resurgence, I still fancy Marseille to get the win here. At 15/20 it’s not the worst price in the world and should be backed with confidence.
23/20 Nice | 22/10 | Toulouse 51/20 (21:45)
The gameweek closes out with the tie of the round as league leaders Nice will go toe-to-toe with Toulouse. The hosts come into this one off a disappointing 1-1 draw with Bastia while Toulouse come to town having gone down to Rennes in gameweek 14. These games tend to be rather high scoring affairs with three of the last five games seeing combined scorelines in excess of 2.5 goals. As such, I reckon the Totals- over 2.5 market is the way to go!
TREBLE @ 5/1
Bordeaux Win 11/10
PSG Win 13/20
Marseille Win 15/20
Written by Darry Worthington
