With five rounds of fixtures already played, we are now starting to see the Ligue 1 table take shape and gain an idea of who might be relegated and who could be crowned as champions of France. While round 5 was certainly not lacking in action, we’re hoping for even more action and excitement in this 6th round of the 2017/18 Ligue 1 campaign.
Firstly, we take a look at Amiens, who were somewhat lucky to beat Strasbourg last weekend, take on Marseille, who have lost their early form with two crippling losses. In the other game, Angers, who are still unbeaten but who’s performance deserved a win against Saint Etienne, host Metz, who were better than their 5:1 losing score-line suggests.
Amiens vs. Marseille
3-Way: 1: Amiens +309; X: +247 Draw; 2: Marseille +114
Spread +0.5: Amiens -114; Marseille +110
Total +2.5: Over +116; Under -119
Amiens
Newly promoted Amiens were fortunate to come away from Strasbourg with their second win in a row, but will be happy with the three points nonetheless. It was Amiens who went one-nil up after thirteen minutes when a slick move saw attacker Moussa Konaté chest down to teammate Gael Kakuta, who volleyed into the corner of the net. Despite the early goal, Strasbourg had the best of chances early on in the game, and throughout the rest of the game, mainly causing problems with crosses into the box. Amien’s opponent’s frustration became obvious when Strasbourg player Kenny Lala was sent off with two unnecessary yellow cards in two minutes. Amiens then cruised to victory in the last twelve minutes, but it was by no means a plain sailing display.
After losing three Ligue 1 games in a row, two wins on the trot is great news for this Amiens side. Saying that, their display was less than scintillating and they shouldn’t let the result pave over the cracks; the clean sheets in their last two games were against a Nice side in dire straits, and a lucky second against Strasbourg. On the bright side, Gael Kakuta looks like an inspired signing judging by recent games, and he seems to have formed a solid partnership with striking teammateKonaté.
Manager Christophe Pélissierwill has a full squad selection for Sunday’s game.
Marseille
Marseille continue to perplex as they continued their bad form with a 3:1 home loss to Stade Rennais. Two early goals from Rennes dampened Marseille’s hopes of a win with two attacks down the right-wing, the first was a cheeky cross and backheel flick and then a counter-attack led to winger Bourigeaud smashing the ball between the keeper and his near post. Rennes added to Marseille’s misery with a third in the second half, another attack from the right with a low free-kick which turned in past keeper Steve Mandanda, who was a similar image to last weekend’s 6:1 defeat to Monaco. At least Marseille got a consolation with an emphatic finish from midfielder Morgan Sanson after he was put through by a clever Dimitri Payet pass. Things could have got worse for Les Olympiens when a penalty was awarded to their opponents after substitute Rolando brought a Rennes player down with a tackle from behind, but Marseille’s blushes were saved as Rennes skied the ball over the bar.
After having a very positive transfer window and a great first two Ligue 1 games, their recent form has been surprising. They’ve now conceded nine goals in two games, perhaps only now they have started letting the goals in as their defensive frailties have not been exposed until now. Furthermore, the goals came down the right wing, which is very puzzling considering that they have an ex-international pairing of Patrice Evra and Adil Rami, at left-back and centre-back respectively, who on paper should be one of the strongest parts of the Marseille defense. If their performances don’t improve it’s difficult to see where Marseille go from here.
Manager Rudi Garcia will be without centre-back Adil Rami (wound) and striker Konstantinos Mitroglou (muscle) through injury, but will otherwise have a full squad.
Amiens vs. Marseille – MATCH PREDICTION
Amiens has a lot to be admired, but Marseille is much better across their eleven and should be capable of winning. Saying that Marseille have been awful in their last two games, but I’m certain that it is just a blip and they will recover.
Therefore, I would suggest going for a Marseille win.
MY PICK: Marseille to WIN (+114)
Angers vs. Metz
3-Way: 1: Angers -154; X: +325 Draw; 2: Metz +650
Spread -1: Angers -105; Metz +102
Total +2.5: Over +104; Under -109
Angers
Angers were unfortunate to come away with just a point away at Saint Etienne with a 1:1 score-line. A terrible start saw a stretched Anger’s defense after just one minute when some pinball football saw a Saint Etienne forward go through and finish past the keeper. Angers managed to pick themselves up quickly when they equalized through a Thomas Mangani penalty, following an odd handball in the box from across. During the first half, Angers were unlucky not to add a second, hitting the crossbar twice. However, there was less active in the second half, except for a red card for each side including for Angers’ forward Enzo Crivelli for a late cynical challenge.
Although Angers drew with their opponents, they were arguably the better side and will be encouraged by their performance. The result also extends their unbeaten run to five games and they have not failed to score in each of those matches. Early signs suggest that Angers are more than capable of another mid-table finish in the Ligue 1.
Manager Stéphane Moulin will have a full squad roster other than Youcef Belaili who is still missing through a doping ban.
Metz
Bottom of the table Metz made a good showing of themselves until a red card turned the game and allowed PSG to expose their talent with a 5:1 win. PSG opened the scoring when Neymar slipped Edinson Cavani through on goal, who went around the keeper and finished. Despite a seemingly impending doom for the home side, Metz found a way back into the game when Mathieu Dossevi chipped in a cross for Emmanuel Riviere who headed in from close-range.
Overall, it was a good first half for Metz, but their first-half work was undone when Benoit Assou-Ekotto was sent off as he brought PSG attacker Kylian Mbappé as he tried to recover from his poor throw in. On second glance it looked as though Ekotto got the ball, despite this he was shown red. It proved impossible to stop the PSG scoring machine with a man-down and they went on to score four further goals and inflict a heavy, but undeserved, defeat on Metz.
It was an extremely frustrating day for Metz, who probably played the best half of football all season in the first 45 minutes. They’ve now lost all five games of their Ligue 1 campaign and are already four points behind 19th place in the bottom. If Metz wants to stay up they will have to start picking up points sooner rather than later.
Manager Philippe Hinschberger will have a full squad for Sunday’s match.
Angers vs.Metz – MATCH PREDICTION
Metz have had a difficult start to the season, while Angers have been excellent. Saying that, I don’t believe Metz can forever be pointless, which would prevent me from predicting the Angers win.
Neither team are particularly free scoring, so the best bet would be a low-scoring game.
MY PICK: Under 2.5 goals (-109)
