Last weekend’s round of fixtures had it all, massive shocks, great spectacles and even greater goals, as well as some pure comedy moments. This weekend we’re back for the tenth round of fixtures and we’re hoping for more Ligue 1 magic, and we’re also yearning for a team to genuinely compete for top of the table Paris Saint Germain as they start to pull away from the rest of the pack. In addition, towards the bottom of the table, a section is seemingly starting to appear as is a fascinating battle between six teams stuck on six points or less.
This preview will take a look at two teams aiming for a European spot face off against two newly-promoted teams that will be vying for survival. The first of which will see Nice host Strasbourg, with the home side the team expecting to take all three points, with the other seeing Troyes play Lyon, where Troyes would do well to get a result.
Nice vs. Strasbourg
3-Way: 1: Nice -143; X: +330 Draw; 2: Strasbourg +540
Spread -1: Nice +112; Strasbourg -115
Total +2.5: Over -116; Under +108
Nice
Nice suffered their fifth defeat of the season as they lost away against Montpellier 2:0 despite having the best of the chances over the duration of the game. Nice were almost even gifted the lead as Alessandre Plea capitalized on defensive confusion, stole the ball inside the box and forced a parry from the opposition keeper with talisman Mario Balotelli pouncing on the rebound to bring another great save from the keeper, although in hindsight the Nice attackers should have finished the chance. Last year’s 3rd place finishers continued in a similar fashion, forcing further top-draw saves but were unable to find the appropriate finish. The second half saw Montpellier get two goals as they found the finishes that their opponents could not. Between the goals, Plea had another great chance to score and equalize but again, the finishing was way off with his attempt going way wide.
Nice’s fifth defeat of the season signified more defeats than in their entire season in their last Ligue 1 campaign. Their loss also meant that they are now in 14th position, seven points behind 3rd spot, which is by no mean unrecoverable, but they will have to start being more clinical to win their matches. That being said, they’ve only conceded two more goals than Monaco, but Nice also only scored half the amount of their goals.
Manager Lucien Favre will be without central-midfielder Wylian Cyprien (cruciate ligament rupture) and centre-forward Mickael Le Bihan (broken tibia and fibula).
Strasbourg
The Ligue 1 Relegation candidates achieved an impressive point in a thrilling 3:3 draw to Marseille in their home stadium. In what was an end-to-end match, Marseille opened the scoring with a neat move after six minutes, with Strasbourg later equalizing through Jean Aholou as his shot from a rebound took a heavy deflection on its way into the back of the net. The exciting first half was topped by an action-heavy second half with Marseille regaining the lead three minutes after the whistle with a mistake from Bakary Koné, who quickly made up for his error as he headed in the equalizer. Strasbourg took the lead for the first time in the 74th minute with another deflected strike and they looked like they may have been on the way to their second victory of the season, while they should have put some daylight between themselves and Marseille as substitute Stephane Bahoken hit the post as he slid in on a gaping goalmouth. Bahoken’s miss was punished as Marseille scored a late to level the score after goalkeeper Bingourou Kamara spilled a shot with Marseille’s Mitroglou converting the rebound.
There will be a sense of regret and disappointment around the Strasbourg camp, as they were just moments away from a famous win and three points. Still, a draw to Marseille can only be considered a good result and manager Thierry Laurey will be encouraged by his sides’ performance which has shown that they are able to bang in the goals.
Thierry Laurey will be without left-back Abdallah Ndour due to a fractured leg but will otherwise have a full squad.
Nice vs. Strasbourg – MATCH PREDICTION
Although Nice should be capable of victory with their attacking talent and home advantage, players like Balotelli and Plea were not firing in their last match and also their form this season has been wild. That being said, I’d still back the home side to overcome a struggling Strasbourg team, but I could still see Nice capitulating.
MY PICK: Nice to WIN (-143)
Troyes vs. Lyon
3-Way: 1: Troyes +479; X: +323 Draw; 2: Lyon -135
Spread +1: Troyes -112; Lyon +117
Total +3: Over +104; Under -110
Troyes
Troyes gained a lucky point away at Lille as they scored a last-gasp equalizer in a 2:2 draw. Although it was a fortunate draw, Troyes fired in first as they capitalized on some dodgy defending to score through winger Stephane Darbion. The goal was about the only time that Troyes got a sniff at goal as Lille kept knocking at their door and got two goals in the process. With the away side struggling to keep pace, the impossible became possible as they were given a penalty, converted by last year’s Ligue 2 top scorer Adama Niane to give Troyes an unlikely point.
Troyes’ point now puts them six points away from Ligue 1 relegation in twelfth position, which is better than any team that qualified for Ligue 1 from Ligue 2 in third place could hope for. Another positive will be that they started the season struggling to score goals, but two in each of their last two matches suggests that they are starting to adapt to the league and may have enough to ensure safety, contrasting greatly with pundit predictions before round 1.
Manager Jean-Louis Garcia will be missing Benjamin Nivet and Johann Obiang through injury.
Lyon
A dramatic and thrilling 3:2 win over Monaco signified Lyon’s first win in four Ligue 1 matches. Mariano Diaz imposed himself on the match right away as he pressured the opposition keeper on the ball and managed to tackle the ball onto the post. The Dominican Republican then got the goal he deserved earned solid in Nabil Fekir’s cross for a 1:0 lead. Although, Monaco equalized just six minutes later, and then six minutes later again, Lyon regained the lead with Fekir finishing teammate Ferland Mendy’s pass into the box. Unfortunately for Lyon, a great strike gave Monaco another goal to make the score 2:2 going into the second half. The second half was fairly balanced again, although attacking midfielder and Lyon talisman Nabil Fekir was the difference yet again with a 95th-minute free-kick perfectly placed at the keepers near post to steal the three points.
After failing to win in their previous matches, Lyon will be very pleased to have finally won, especially since the win came against the current defending champions. Lyon has also scored three goals in their last three league games, but have also conceded three in two of those matches and two in their last. The pros and cons of this Lyon side are obvious to see, with an exciting attacking double of Mariano Diaz and Nabil Fekir who could easily help any team towards a European spot position, permitting that they both stayed fit and had a good defense behind them, which evidently, they do not.
Manager Bruno Genesio will be without centre-back Marcelo as he is still suspended from a previous red card, while central midfielder Pape Cheikh will be out with a sprained ankle.
Troyes vs. Lyon – MATCH PREDICTION
There is no denying that Troyes has had a great Ligue 1 season so far, but they will struggle to deal with an impressive Lyon attack which is capable of penetrating any defense. Even at home, Troyes will pick up their fourth loss of the season, but I fancy there being a few goals in this one too.
MY PICK: Lyon to WIN (-135)
Additional Pick: Over 3 goals (+104)
