The French Ligue 1 goes on this weekend with the 12th round matches, and two great games are set for Sunday, November 5th, 2017, when Nice hosts Dijon at Allianz Riviera, while Marseille welcomes Caen at Orange Velodrome.
Don’t waste your time and check out our betting picks and predictions for these two clashes, like always here on GetMoreSports.
NICE vs. DIJON
3-Way: 1: Nice -118; X: +290 Draw; 2: Dijon +425 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -0.5: Nice -125; Dijon +120
Total +2.5: Over -111; Under +106
NICE
Nothing’s nice in Nice these days, as The Eaglets are on the losing path with six consecutive defeats in all competitions. They’ve lost four games in a row in the French Ligue 1, while they were beaten by Lazio in the UEFA Europa League group stage two times in the last couple of weeks.
After the first 11 rounds of the French Ligue 1, The Eaglets are sitting at the 16th spot of the table with 10 points and a 13:19 goal difference. At home, they’ve earned seven points out of six matches with a 2-1-3 record and a 12:10 goal difference, while they’ve won just one game along with four losses and a 1:9 goal difference. The next match against Dijon at Allianz Riviera is a perfect chance to end up the losing string and get some self-confidence.
The 27-year old striker Mario Balotelli is a club’s leading scorer with five goals in seven Ligue 1 appearances, while his colleague Alassane Plea bagged three goals in 11 apps, adding one assist to his name. The 24-year old winger Pierre Lees Melou, who arrived from Dijon this summer, is the top assistant with three dishes in 11 appearances. The Eaglets created 110 scoring chances so far, and their attacking game is pretty decent, especially at home, but they have serious problems at the back, as they recorded just 31 defensive actions per game.
The manager Lucien Favre has to turn the things around as soon as possible if he wants to stay at the helm. There are no injury worries among the squad, besides Wylan Cyprien who’s sidelined with a cruciate ligament rupture, so Favre can pick up his best eleven for the next game.
DIJON
The Mustards won two games in a row against Metz on the road, 2:1, and Nantes at home, 1:0, to reach the 14th spot of the French Ligue 1 table after the first 11 rounds with 12 points and a 14:20 goal difference. At home, Dijon has a 2-1-3 record with a 6:9 goal difference, while they’ve earned five points on the road with a 1-2-2 record and an 8:11 goal difference.
The 28-year old striker Julio Tavares scored the winning goal with a close-range header against Nantes in the previous round, after Frederic Sammaritano’s perfect cross from the right wing. It was Tavares’ second goal of the season in his fifth app. The 25-year old forward Benjamin Jeannot, who arrived from Lorient this summer, is the team’s leading scorer with three goals in nine appearances, while the 25-year old winger Naim Sliti, who’s loaned from Lille, is a top assistant with two dishes in ten games so far.
Dijon is playing an attacking football and they are creating seven scoring chances per game, while there is a lot of problems at the back, as they’ve conceded 20 goals in 11 Ligue 1 games, seven in the previous five rounds. The manager Olivier Dall’Oglio prefers a 4-3-3 formation, and he’s certainly happy with two consecutive wins after a poor start of the season. There are no injury problems in Dijon’s squad, and the 30-year old centre-back Wesley Lautoa (fractured) is an only unavailable player for the next match.
NICE vs. DIJON – Match Prediction
The visitors will try to maintain their decent form, while the home team desperately needs a positive result to put an end to their losing string. I believe Nice is going to win this one in front of the home fans, and I expect to see some goals at Allianz Riviera.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 Goals (-111)
ADDITIONAL PICK: Nice to Win (-118)
MARSEILLE vs. CAEN
3-Way: 1: Marseille -175; X: +363 Draw; 2: Caen +690 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -1: Marseille -111; Caen +112
Total +2.5: Over -123; Under +120
MARSEILLE
At Orange Velodrome everyone’s talking about Patrice Evra’s red card against Guimaraes in the UEFA Europa League before the game even started when the experienced defender kicked Marseille’s fan into the head with his left foot. It was one of the most disrespectful moments in the recent football history, and we’ll see how it will affect Marseille performance. Their fans are pretty angry from the start of the season, and maybe we are going to see more violence in weeks to come.
The Olympians are at the fourth place of the French Ligue 1 table after the first 11 rounds with 21 points, a 21:17 goal difference and a form of WDDWW. They’ve managed to get a point against Paris SG in the 10th round at home, while they’ve won the previous match against Lille on the road, 1:0. With 10 scoring chances created per game, Marseille is one of the most dangerous teams in the French Ligue 1, while their average passing accuracy (84%) is the third-best in the league.
The 24-year old striker Clinton N’Jie is leading his team with five goals in eight appearances, while the 23-year old winger Lucas Ocampos bagged four goals in seven apps. The midfielder Morgan Sanson and the winger Florian Thauvin both added three goals thus far. The 27-year old striker Valere Germain, who arrived from Monaco this summer, is still goalless after 10 apps this season, and he’s arguably the biggest disappointment in Marseille’s squad.
The manager Rudi Garcia is doing a good job, but he’s constantly under the pressure, and we’ll see how far he can go with this team. For the next match against Caen, Garcia can count on all players, as there are no injury worries in the squad.
CAEN
If you are searching for a “strange” team in the French Ligue 1, don’t look further. Caen didn’t play a draw in the first 11 games of the season, as they won six times and lost five matches with an 8:8 goal difference. Additionally, we saw both teams score in their games just once this year! It was in the fifth round, when Caen got the victory over Dijon at home, 2:1.
After the first 11 rounds, Caen is laying at the seventh place of the Ligue 1 table with 18 points, just three points behind Marseille, and four points behind Lyon at the third spot. They created 93 scoring chances so far, which is a solid record, but their shot accuracy is miserable, just 29% of their shots went on target. The team is averaging 41 defensive actions per game, winning 47% of aerial duels and 37% of tackles.
The 28-year old Croatian striker Ivan Santini is the club’s leading scorer with three goals in 10 appearances, while the 7-year old winger Ronny Rodelin bagged two goals in 11 apps, adding one assist to his name. The centre-back Damien Da Silva is the third man who scored this season for Caen, and two goals came after oppositions put the ball into their own net.
The manager Patrice Garande has some problems with injuries among the squad, and for the next game, he’s without Youssef Ait Bennasser (hamstring injury), Alexander Djiku (Achilles tendon problems), and Jeff Louis (knee injury).
MARSEILLE vs. CAEN – Match Prediction
Marseille is a favorite in this clash, but with players in a bad mood after Patrice Evra’s misconduct. I expect to see a nervous game, so it is a chance for visitors to get a goal here.
MY PICK: Both Teams to Score YES (-110)
