Following an exciting fourth round of Ligue 1 fixtures, and then the international break, teams will come back refreshed and raring to go in their plight for domestic success. Furthermore, we have also seen the end of the transfer window with plenty of late transfer activity before the window shut, so we will get to see many players in action for the first time in what should be an interesting weekend of football.
Today we firstly take a look at Angers vs. Lyon, two Ligue 1 sides which will have some regrets this season, especially in each of their last games. In the other fixture Troyes will play Saint Etienne in a reasonably unbalanced fixture, but perhaps Troyes can surprise pundits and fans by bringing their luck from their last match.
Angers vs. Lyon
3-Way: 1: Angers +240; X: +254 Draw; 2: Lyon +142
Spread +0.5: Angers -141; Lyon +131
Total +2.5: Over -111; Under +108
Angers
Draw-specialists Angers drew yet again away at Nice when they could have just as easily came away with all three points. Angers started well, opening the scoring after 12 minutes as Mateo Pavlocic arrowed a header into the corner of the goal from a crossed free-kick. The away side then added a second with another cross volleyed in by Karl Toko Ekambi. Angers were well in control, although they let their two-goal lead slip when a penalty was awarded to Nice after the ball hit Thomas Mangani’s flailing arms in the box. The penalty was well finished and Angers lead was halved going into half-time.
Angers seemed shaken by the Nice goal and had a poor second half as a result. Nice eventually got the equalizer when Ismael Traoré inexplicably headed into his own net from a corner, with a huge fail of communication between himself and his goalkeeper and losing his side two points as the game ended 2:2.
Angers have drawn five times in the Ligue 1 from seven games, the most draw in the league. One may look to their defense and the fact that they have only kept one clean sheet this season, which seems to be suffering from small lapses in concentration causing them to drop points. In addition, the oldest player in their squad is just 31, so perhaps the manager will be looking to bring another experienced veteran into the squad to help the younger members.
Manager Stéphane Moulin will have a full squad selection for Sunday’s game.
Lyon
A highly-entertaining game at the Groupama stadium saw Lyon leave the more disappointed side after they drew 3:3 with Dijon. Lyon struck first after Ferland Mendy’s run down the wing and effort at goal bounced off the post, and teammate Nabil Fekir simply finished the rebound into the empty net. For all of Mendy’s good work for the first goal, it was undone when he fouled a Dijon player in the box and gave away a penalty, which was converted to make it 1:1 going into half-time.
Dijon came out of blocks in the second half with gusto as they took the lead after some awful marking allowed a cross to be headed in. However, Lyon didn’t take long to respond and then score a third, with the second scored from another cross and volley and Mariano Diaz then adding his fifth goal of the season to make it 3:2. By this point, it seemed as though Lyon would go on to win the game, but they couldn’t hold on to their lead for more than two minutes through another cross, from a free-kick, with another unmarked attacker scoring a header. After that Lyon struggled to find a fourth and the game ended with a point apiece.
Les Gones have just hit some worrying form, having won just once in their last five Ligue 1 games. You can definitely put part of that down to their poor defense of late, who seem incapable of defending from a free-kick. Lyon has it right going forward, with attackers Mariano Diaz and Nabil Fekir on song, scoring ten league goals between them so far, but they will have to correct themselves in defense if they wish to reach Europe this season.
Manager Bruno Génésio will be without any injury or suspension woes.
Angers vs. Lyon – MATCH PREDICTION
With Angers it seems like they only ever draw, but Lyon’s attack will be among the strongest they’ve faced and they will pick at Angers’ defensive frailties. Angers will score, but Lyon should score more on the day.
MY PICK: Lyon to WIN (+142)
Additional Pick: Both teams to score (-141)
Troyes vs. Saint Etienne
3-Way: 1: Troyes +252; X: +229 Draw; 2: Saint Etienne +142
Spread +0.5: Troyes -143; Saint Etienne +134
Total +2: Over -119; Under +114
Troyes
Troyes may have turned their fortunes around following a 1:0 away win at Metz last weekend. The away side was extremely lucky to come away from the game with three points, with the home side laying siege to Troyes’ goal throughout the game. A victory was made even less likely when Mathieu Deplagne was shown a second yellow after an out-of-control foul. Despite deserving to lose, a last-gasp winner for Troyes came after attacker Samuel Grandsir slid the ball past the keeper following a mazy run and pass from substitute Bryan Pelé.
There is no denying that Troyes were lucky to even stay competitive in the game, let alone walk away with the three points. Furthermore, the winner seemed even unlikelier when you consider that it was their first goal in 308 minutes of football. All things said, that was a must-win game for Troyes, who now have three tricky ties against Saint Etienne, Lille and Lyon, Ligue 1 fixtures which they could all conceivably lose.
Manager Jean-Louis Garcia will have a full squad selection.
Saint Etienne
A closely-fought battle against Rennes ended in a 2:2 draw in Saint-Etienne’s last fixture. Early in the game, Saint-Etienne came closest with a Jonathan Bamba attempt at goal that was deflected just wide of the post, but it was Rennes who opened the scoring with a fantastic chip over the keeper following some dangerous defending near the goal. It didn’t take long for the home side to equalize with a pass across goal and simple finish for Gabriel Silva to score his first goal for Les Verts. The second half also saw a goal for each team with two penalties, although Saint Etienne came very close to winning when substitute Kévin Monnet-Paquet hit the woodwork with a looping header. Despite a decent point, Saint Etienne’s day ended on a downer when goal-scorer Gabriel Silva was shown a straight red for a rash studs-up challenge.
Despite dropping down a spot after the draw, Saint-Etienne will be happy with their fourth-place position in the Ligue 1 table, especially when looking at their next four fixtures in which they should all be looking to win and consolidate their place in a European spot. Another big positive has been the continuously impressive performances from 21-year-old forward Jonathan Bamba, who scored again in their last game making it four for the season; he only managed three last season.
Manager Oscar Garcia will have a full squad selection for his side’s upcoming match.
Troyes vs. Saint Etienne – MATCH PREDICTION
Troyes was extremely fortunate in their last game, but it should be noted that it was against a side much poorer than Saint Etienne. Troyes simply isn’t a very strong Ligue 1 side, and this Saint-Etienne side should have no problem in winning, and probably will win by a few goals too.
MY PICK: Saint Etienne +0.5 AH (+134)
