Week 2 of the France’s Ligue 1 is upon us with a congested fixture list: PSG visit Toulouse, table-topping Rennes face Lens, Lebo Mothiba’s Strasbourg clash with Monaco and more!
Friday 18 August
Metz 10/3 | Draw 14/5 | Marseille 3/4
Metz were demolished 5-1 at the hands of Rennes in their opening game of the season and are now gearing up to welcome another strong opponent in Marseille this Friday. Marseille had to come back from a goal down against Reims in their opener, with Vitinha netting the winner. I think Aubameyang will start here as he looks to find his feet in Ligue 1, and his capabilities cannot be doubted as long as the right balls find him. A great game to usher us into the second week of Ligue 1, and Marseille are backed to win.
Saturday 19 August
Lyon 7/10 | Draw 3/1 | Montpellier 7/2
Olympic Lyon were simply outclassed by Lebo Mothiba’s Strasbourg last Sunday as they were defeated 2-1 at the Stade de la Meinau. They will aim to bounce back immediately against Montpellier who played well but were held to a 2-2 draw by Le Havre in their opener. They dominated that game but failed to capitalise on their chances – an area they would have worked on during training in the build up to this game.
These sides scored the same number of goals last season (65), and I expect them to cancel each other out on matchday. Lyon are struggling with goals in these early stages of the new season while Montpellier seem to be firing. Montpellier or draw on the Double Chance looks good.
Toulouse 15/4 | Draw 3/1 | Paris Saint-Germain 4/6
After an impressive 2-1 win over Nantes in their opening fixture, Toulouse will feel confident of overcoming PSG who no longer have the likes of Neymar and Lionel Messi. The reigning champions were held to a goalless draw by Lorient on Saturday, but really should have claimed three points with all the match stats in their favour. PSG did the league double over Toulouse last season, with the most recent fixture between them ending in a 2-1 win at the Par des Princes. PSG have to get their season underway and I back them to win here.
Sunday 20 August
Lille 38/100 | Draw 7/2 | Nantes 6/1
Lille take on a wounded Nantes side inside the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Sunday as both teams look to register their first wins of the season. The hosts are slightly favoured here and were 2-1 victors when they last met in May. For Nantes, keeping things tight at the back is still a huge priority – they haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last 13 matches and that should be a concern for Pierre Aristouy. Still, the hosts should win comfortably here.
Reims 17/20 | Draw 5/2 | Clermont Foot 29/10
Reims take on Clermont Foot after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Marseille in their opening game of the season. One may argue that they really should not have lost that encounter, especially after getting on the scoresheet first and managing to frustrate their opponent for the most part of the game. They have had a pretty decent pre-season period where they scored in all their matches, but just lost focus when it mattered most against Marseille. Clermont Foot will fancy a win here after they were unlucky to lose to Monaco in that six-goal thriller. Both sides are evenly matched, and I think they both get on the score sheet.
Lorient 23/10 | Draw 23/10 | Nice 11/10
Lorient and Nice were both held to draws in their opening encounters last week and will meet to do battle inside the Le Moustoir on Sunday afternoon. They last met in March earlier this year where they shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw, with Lorient being reduced to 10 men. Sunday’s encounter comes as both teams are desperate to get off the mark with victories, with the hosts still looking for a goal this season. Go for the draw here.
Le Havre 13/8 | Draw 21/10 | Brest 13/8
Le Havre had a great start to their clash against Montpellier last week – scoring inside the first five minutes and basically going toe-to-toe with them. Luka Elsner certainly has galvanised his troops to go all out and be brave in their return to the top division, and they are playing some exciting football at the moment. They take on Brest who finished in 14th position last season, and also got off to a winning start this season when they overcame 10-man Lens by 3-2. They are at home for this encounter where the noise and support will be buzzing. I tip them for the home win.
Monaco 77/100 | Draw 29/10 | Strasbourg 14/5
Monaco host Strasbourg in what is expected to be a fiery encounter between two sides promising to go all the way this season. The hosts were clinical against Clermont Foot last week – earning them a deserved 4-2 win while Mzansi’s Lebo Mothiba was the hero in Strasbourg’s 2-1 win over Lyon. I think he starts again here and can be trusted to trouble the Monaco defence with his skill, pace and power. A great game in prospect here, and Monaco are favoured to edge the visitors after 90 minutes. Monaco or draw on the Double Chance.
Lens 13/10 | Draw 29/10 | Rennes 14/5
Current league leaders Rennes scored five goals against Metz in their opener and will fancy another win here against a wounded Lens side that went down 3-2 against Brest last week. While they did score two goals in that game, they were far from convincing and could have won the match had it not been for their lack of focus in crucial stages of the game. Playing in front of their own fans, I think they have a chance to rectify last week’s mistakes, but that is easier said than done against Rennes who will also aim for maximum points here. Back Both Teams To Score.
