The French Ligue 1 goes on this weekend with Round 16 matches, and in this preview, we’ll take a closer look at two exciting games set for Saturday, December 2nd, 2017, when Strasbourg meets Paris SG at Stade de la Meinau, while Lille hosts Toulouse at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Down below you will find some interesting picks for these two matches along with our betting predictions, so don’t waste your time and join the action here on GetMoreSports.
STRASBOURG vs. PARIS SG
3-Way: 1: Strasbourg +1700; X: +792 Draw; 2: Paris SG -400 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread +2: Strasbourg +120; Paris SG -123
Total +3.5: Over -105; Under +106
STRASBOURG
After a poor start of the season, Le Racing is slowly building up the form, and they suffered just one defeat in the last eight Ligue 1 matches, along with five draws and two victories. In the previous round of the French Ligue 1, Strasbourg played a nil-nil draw with Caen in front of the home fans, and they were pretty lucky as the visitors missed a couple of massive chances to earn three points at Stade de la Meinau.
After the first 15 rounds of the French Ligue 1 Strasbourg is in the 17th spot of the table with 15 points, a 17:26 goal difference, and a 3-6-6 record. They have earned nine points on the home soil with 11:9 goal difference and a 2-3-2 record, while on the road they’ve recorded one victory, three draws, and four losses with an awful 6:17 goal difference. Strasbourg is having serious problems at the back, as their defense is the second-worst in the French Ligue 1.
The 26-year old striker Nuno Da Costa is the team’s leading scorer with three goals in 13 appearances, while midfielders Jonas Martin, Jean-Eudes Aholou, Dimitri Lienard, and Martin Terrier bagged two goals each thus far. Dimitri Lienard and the right-back Kenny Lala are Le Racing’s top assist-makers this season with three dishes each.
The manager Thierry Laurey is still without left-back Abdallah Ndour (fractured leg), while all other players are ready for the next clash with Paris SG.
PARIS SG
The Parisians are simply unstoppable this season, torturing their opponents in the French Ligue 1, and in the UEFA Champions League, but in the previous round of the Ligue 1 against Troyes they put on the worst performance in the last couple of weeks, even they won the game, 2:0. Edinson Cavani missed the penalty kick late in the first half, and Paris SG’s fans had to wait until the 73rd minute to see the first goal in Mamadou Samassa’s net when Neymar took a brilliant left-foot shot from the edge of the box.
Paris SG is topping the Ligue 1 table after the first 15 rounds with 41 points, a 47:10 goal difference, and a 13-2-0 record, ten points ahead of Marseille in the second spot. They were perfect at Parc des Princes with eight victories in eight matches, and a 28:5 goal difference. On the road, The Parisians have recorded five wins and two draws with a 19:5 goal difference. Since a 2:2 draw with Marseille in the 10th round of the Ligue 1, Paris SG has won seven matches in a row in all competitions.
The Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani is the team’s leading scorer with 17 goals in 14 Ligue 1 appearances, and he’s also topping the Ligue 1 scoring chart. The Brazilian star Neymar bagged nine goals in 11 appearances, adding seven dishes to his name, and he is the team’s best assist-maker thus far. The 18-year old striker Kylian Mbappe scored four goals along with three dishes in 10 Ligue matches this season.
The manager Unai Emery is still without the experienced midfielder Thiago Motta (meniscus injury), while all other players are ready to go.
STRASBOURG vs. PARIS SG – Match Prediction
The Parisians are huge favorites in this one, and with all problems at Strasbourg’s defense, I think the visitors will win with the bigger margin.
MY PICK: Paris SG AH -2 (-123)
LILLE vs. TOULOUSE
3-Way: 1: Lille +118; X: +245 Draw; 2: Toulouse +319 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -0.5: Lille +110; Toulouse -114
Total +2: Over -139; Under +137
LILLE
Lille made a huge upset in the previous round of the French Ligue 1, beating Lyon on the road, 2:1. They have scored two beautiful goals, while on the other end, they’ve managed to stop Lyon’s lethal attack, deservedly earning three points at the end of the game. It was their fourth victory of the season, and third in the previous five Ligue 1 matches, along with two defeats on the road against Montpellier and Amiens.
The Great Danes are sitting at the 18th spot of the French Ligue 1 after the first 15 rounds with 15 points, a 14:23 goal difference and a 4-3-8 goal difference. They have recorded two victories, two draws, and three losses in front of the home fans with an 8:10 goal difference, while on the road they’ve recorded two victories, one draw and five defeats with a 6:13 goal difference. Lille has conceded eight goals in the previous four matches, and a better defensive work is a must if they want to improve in the following weeks.
The winger Nicolas Pepe and the midfielder Thiago Mendes are the team’s leading scorers with three goals apiece, while the striker Ezequiel Ponce, who’s loaned from AS Roma, bagged two goals in 13 appearances this season. The winger Anwar El Ghazi is the team’s best assist-maker with three dishes in 14 matches, while the right-back Kevin Malcuit made two assists in 10 games this season.
The manager Marcelo Bielsa doesn’t have any injury problems among the squad, so he can field his best eleven in the next match against Toulouse.
TOULOUSE
Toulouse is playing in an awful form recently, as they are without a win for five games in a row, recording two goalless draws (against Metz and Saint Etienne) and three defeats (against Nice, Dijon, and Nantes) in the process. In the previous round of the French Ligue 1, they were beaten by Nice, 2:1, in front of the home fans, even they had a lead since the third minute of the match. In the 50th minute, they had a great chance to double the lead, but Jimmy Durmaz penalty kick was well saved by Nice’s goalkeeper. In the last ten minutes of the clash, they conceded two goals, upsetting their fans once again.
After the first 15 rounds of the French Ligue 1 Toulouse is in the 15th place of the table with 16 points, a 14:22 goal difference, and a 4-4-7 record, just one point above the danger zone. At home, they are winless for three games in a row, recording three victories, two draws, and two defeats with a 6:5 goal difference. On the road, they were pretty poor, recording one win, two draws, and five losses with an 8:17 goal difference, losing their previous two encounters away from home.
The 26-year old striker Andy Delort is Toulouse’s best player this season with four goals and three dishes in 15 appearances. The 28-year old winger Jimmy Durmaz had a lot of problems with injuries, but he managed to score three goals in nine matches, adding one assist to his name. The 21-year old midfielder Alexis Blin bagged one goal along with three dishes in 13 appearances this season.
The manager Pascal Dupraz is still missing the centre-back Steven Fortes (knee problems), while all other players are ready for the next game against Lille.
LILLE vs. TOULOUSE – Match Prediction
Lille is a favorite in this clash, as they are in a much better form than Toulouse. The visitors’ self-confidence is certainly shaken after a shocking defeat against Nice, so I will go with the home side in this one.
MY PICK: Lille to Win (+118)
