Another weekend and another round of Ligue 1 fixtures, with this weekend’s offering having a lot to live up to after the last round of games provided many closely-fought spectacles. The talk of the weekend will be the highly-entertaining clash in French football most famous and historic match, and we will be surely satisfied to get just some of that drama for the coming games in the 2017/18 Ligue 1 season.
In this double matchup we take a look at one fixture with two teams towards the upper end of the table, and the other with sides lower down the table. Firstly, Bordeaux, who has been in poor form of recent, will host Monaco, who were also in a bad patch of form until their last win over Caen. The other match will see Caen invite Troyes to their ground, two teams off the back of losses but have otherwise had a strong start to their league campaign.
Bordeaux vs Monaco
3-Way: 1: Bordeaux +171; X: +266 Draw; 2: Monaco +181 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread 0: Bordeaux -105; Monaco +108
Total +3: Over +123; Under -128
Bordeaux
Bordeaux couldn’t get past a resilient Amiens defense as they finished the match as 1:0 losers away from home. Despite the loss, Bordeaux was very much on the front foot, with the Amiens goalkeeper making some great saves and Bordeaux forward Alexandre Mendy squandering a number of golden opportunities. The away side came out strongly in the second half again, but their ship was sunk as Amiens got the only goal of the match, squeezing the ball through the keeper’s legs from a tight angle, and Bordeaux failed to break down their opponent’s defense.
Bordeaux, who just under a month ago were unbeaten, have now not only failed to win in their last two Ligue 1 matches, but they have failed to score more than once in those games. This will be of particular concern to manager Jocelyn Gourvennecwho has some tricky fixtures coming up to contend with, Monaco, Rennes and Marseille. One big possible reason for their lack of goals, at least in their last match, could be the absence of midfield maestro Malcom who has been far and away Bordeaux’s star player this season, scoring five times and assisting four.
Jocelyn Gourvennec will be without forward Gaetan Laborde (foot) and right-back Youssouf Sabaly (abductor muscle tear) through injury.
Monaco
The defending Ligue 1 champions were desperate for a win after not having won since 22nd September, and their desperation bore its fruits with a solid 2:0 win over Caen. Monaco opened the scoring after twenty minutes as Thomas Lemar played in Keita Baldé, who sprinted through the opposition defense and slid the ball into the corner of the net. The team in the lead should have at least doubled their lead with a couple of great chances, including hitting the crossbar, but it took until the 59th minute to do so through a Falcao penalty and his thirteenth goal of the season.
The improvement on their previous match was clear, and there are two huge standouts, the two goal scorers. In their previous game, Keita Baldé was started upfront and had a fruitless match, while Falcao was out entirely. This time, Baldé was in his correct position on the left wing, and his performance was far stronger as he was able to utilize his pace to greater effect, while Falcao’s clinical edge was clearly missing. Now Monaco can and will have to keep pace with PSG by winning all of their next Ligue 1 matches, at least until their crunch game between the two sides in under a month.
Manager Leonardo Jardim will be without striker Stefan Jovetic due to a wound, but will otherwise have a full squad.
Bordeaux vs. Monaco – MATCH PREDICTION
Despite a poor last result, Bordeaux was without star player Malcom who will add that missing ingredient in their attack. However, Monaco looked like they were close to being back to their best, and if they are at the best I would back Monaco to edge the match. Overall, it should be a very close match, but Bordeaux is not in good form and I would, therefore, Monaco to just win.
MY PICK: Monaco to WIN (+181)
Caen vs. Troyes
3-Way: 1: Caen -122; X: +276 Draw; 2: Troyes +572
Spread -1: Caen +135; Troyes -137
Total +2.5: Over +125; Under -128
Caen
Despite being in good form a stale performance at Monaco saw Caen threaten rarely as they lost 2:0. Monaco were on top of the Caen defense all game, as the away side were fortunate not to concede more than once in the first half. The second half began at 1:0, and ended at 2:0 after a Monaco attacker was fouled just outside the box, but the referee controversially awarded a penalty which was converted. Caen did have one bright moment, with substitute Christian Kouakou forcing the opposition keeper to push his shot onto the crossbar, but in the end, they deservedly lost 2:0.
Just like in their last loss, Caen’s performance was by no means disastrous and they were simply matched up against a better side. There’s no point on the team dwelling too much, and they can still be proud of their performance in the league so far as they sit in ninth position after ten matches.
Manager Patrice Garande will be without winger Jeff Louis (knee), defender Alexander Djiku (Achilles) and centre-back Florian Le Joncour (abductor muscle tear)through injury.
Troyes
Troyes’ run of not winning at home against Lyon since 2007 was extended as they were hammered 5:0. There was just the one goal in the first half, as Troyes goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa fumbled his lines in front of goal. The second half saw the Troyes defense being twisted, turned and torn as they conceded four more, including from a penalty as Christophe Herelle was rightly sent off for saving the ball off of the line with his hands. Troyes had one late chance, hitting the crossbar with a wicked effort, but they were rightly well-beaten.
Like Caen, Troyes simply came up against a better side and a loss was always on the cards. That being said they may have hoped for a slightly kinder score-line, but the blow would have been softened by their recent form of two wins and a draw. Troyes now have four matches against four of Ligue 1 lesser sides, so they have plenty of time to recover from their loss and put some points on the table.
Manager Jean Louis-Garcia will be without attacking midfielder Benjamin Nivet and left-back Johann Obiang through injury, but will otherwise have a full squad selection.
Caen vs.Troyes – MATCH PREDICTION
Considering their expectations, each side has had a very good season so far, but with both teams looking to recover from recent respective losses, and having already obtained a decent point total at this stage of the season, I could see them each being satisfied with a point. In addition, both teams are about of equal quality so I could see each team capable of getting a draw.
MY PICK: DRAW (+276)
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