Ligue 2 - 23rd & 24th August

[Aidymac]

[TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 617] [TR] [TH=class: firstColumn]Friday 23 August 2013[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Draw[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]AC Arles-Avignon v Clermont Foot (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.35[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.85[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]110.97 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]AJ Auxerre v LB Châteauroux (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.8[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.9[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4.85[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]110.66 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]CA Bastia v Angers SCO (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.12[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.12[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.25[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]108.44 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Créteil v Istres (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.8[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4.8[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]106.69 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]FC Metz v Chamois Niortais (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.9[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4.33[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]108.79 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Le Havre AC v AS Nancy (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.62[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.12[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.62[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]108.19 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Tours v Nîmes Olympique (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.05[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.12[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.6[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]108.56 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Troyes AC v SM Caen (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.2[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.5[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]107.36 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [TH] [/TH] [TH=class: firstColumn]Saturday 24 August 2013[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Draw[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Stade Brestois 29 v Dijon FCO (13:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.83[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4.5[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]107.07 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Stade Lavallois v RC Lens (14:30 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.62[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.87[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.8[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]108.59 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 - 23rd & 24th August Arles – Clermont Arles welcome back attacker Maurice Dale from injury, but fellow striker Raphael Caceres is an injury doubt and will probably be benched. Apart from this they have no new problems and should stay fairly consistent in terms of team selection.The big news for Clermont is that their star striker Mana Dembele is suspended and his loss is a huge blow. He’s by far their biggest threat and Regis Brouard’s men will definitely miss him. Winger, Bilel Hamdi who might’ve taken Dembele’s place in the team is injured and also misses out. At the back, Jacques Salze is included in the squad, but he’s one of the most injury prone players in the division so may yet pull out at the last minute. New signing Damien Da Silva could start for them in defence, but he hasn’t played Ligue 2 level for 3 years and he’s never been rated that highly. Arles are usually an underestimated side anyway, but thats even more the case here due to recent results. But what must be remembered is that they’ve only gone down to 1-0s defeats at Troyes and Metz, both difficult locations. Also Arles had a lot of travelling to do recently so will be relieved to be back at home. Clermont have started the season well, there’s no doubt about that but they will really feel the loss of Mana Dembele here. Suddenly because they have maximum points after 3 games everyone is presuming they are world beaters, which definitely isn’t the case. I’m staggered that Arles’ price is so big here and that 1.87 is available on them DNB. This line is way out and has to be taken. This isn’t going to be an exciting match but Arles will be very tough to beat and I see them sneaking it by the odd goal. Prediction: Arles 1-0 Clermont Recommended bet: Arles 0 AH @ 1.87 5/10 Auxerre -Chateauroux AJA are going to have to reshuffle their midfield a bit here because Ait Ben Idir is suspended and Monconduit injured. The former is an important loss, not least because he’s lethal from set pieces. The visitors have the defensive trio of Neves, Nestor and Obiang all injured for this game. The former two played horrendously badly last week, so this might not be a bad thing, but they are still better options than whom Chateauroux are going to have to play at the back in their absence. They don’t have a natural option at either left or right back, so Auxerre could kill them on the wings. Youngster, Emeric Dudouit will likely start at RB and George’s Ntep could have a field day facing him. Chateauroux will probably employ a 4-4-2 formation here, although they lined up 5-3-2 in their previous away match, a tactic which backfired. At the moment I just don’t see how Chateauroux avoid defeat here. They clearly aren’t playing as a team and there is massive pressure on their coach Didier Tholot. Its been reported that unless the team produces a respectable performance at the very least, then he’ll get sacked. There is discontent in the dressing room and quite frankly they seem a shambles right now. Auxerre should be able to claim an easy victory as long as they take their chances. This didn’t happen last week at Lens where they missed a huge amount of opportunities, so they need to be more clinical. Winger Georges N’Tep is on fire right now which has prompted teams like West Ham to become interested in him. I think he could go mental against this defence and cause Chateauroux loads of problems. I see this ending in a comfortable home win, maybe even a big blowout win if the visitors collapse. They are usually terrible on the road and I have no hesitation in backing Auxerre -0.75 with 7/10 stakes, which is my biggest bet of the season so far. Prediction: Auxerre 3-0 Chateauroux Recommended bet: Auxerre -0.75 @ 2.09 7/10 CA Bastia – Angers CA Bastia have defender Monfray suspended but apart from this loss they have no new absentees. Angers technically don’t have any injured players now, but they still miss 6 guys here who will play for the reserves instead. Angers are taking it slowly regarding these players returning to fitness, and who can blame them because the team has been playing well in their absence. Right back, Gael Angoula is in the squad for this match and he’ll be the eventual primary starter for them in this position, but I’d expect Angers to keep the same XI which beat Dijon last week. This means that their star playmaker Alharbi El Jadeyaoui will be benched again, but he’s a great option to bring on the field if needed. Angers are really smoking hot at the moment and have a lot of confidence. They’ve done very well to cope without key players so far this season and their youngsters have stepped up brilliantly. Tougher tests will come for them but this is yet another easy match on their schedule which comes at a good time for them. CA Bastia aren’t good enough at this level, I think its already pretty clear. Yes, they will fight hard and they won’t be a complete disaster, but truth be told they just don’t have the quality. As long as Angers can handle the trip to Corsica, they should be able to win this match. CA Bastia were great at home last season but now they are being forced to play their home fixtures at Le Stade Furiani, which is SC Bastia’s ground. It’s just not the same and reportedly the atmosphere vs Nancy a couple of weeks ago just wasn’t intimidating. Angers can maintain their good form by picking up another 3 points, and the odds look generous on a -0.25 line, definitely worth backing. Prediction: CA Bastia 1-2 Angers Recommended bet: Angers -0.25 @ 2.02 4/10 Creteil – Istres Creteil have the luxury yet again of having no new injuries or suspensions. The coach will however have to decide if Jordan Ikoko, on loan from PSG gets a starting spot or not. Both fullbacks looked poor last week and I suspect Augusto at LB might pay the price. Upfront, its possible Essombe might get the nod over Belvito as well, but the majority of this Creteil side will remain the same and they’ll operate in an attacking way. Istres have right back Chafik suspended and this might actually be a blessing in disguise because he’s been terrible so far this season. They also miss midfielder Ibrahima Ba to injury, whilst key striker Guy Niangbo remains sidelined. This game is all about how Creteil recover from being thrashed at Caen, and how they cope with being strong favourites. Some bookies have them an odds on shot here but typically they are priced around the 2.0 mark. Basically, there is an expectation that they’ll win which isn’t always the greatest of things for a newly promoted club. Istres are there for the taking but I’ve known them sometimes play fairly well when their backs are against the wall. They will fight hard here and are capable of picking up a point if they apply themselves. All In all, I fancy a draw or a home win, but I won’t be betting on this contest. I think the bookies have this match priced up pretty fair, albeit maybe they do have Creteil slightly too short. Some people might fancy the overs here, but I think there’s a risk Istres could come here and try to operate defensively. Prediction: Creteil 1-1 Istres Recommended bet: None Le Havre – Nancy Le Havre continue to have problems in midfield because Jean Pascal Fontaine is injured and Romain Saiss is doubtful here. This means new signing Sebastien Flochon will likely make his debut for them in the middle of the park, and he’s an unknown quantity. HAC are at full strength in all other areas though except for a couple of injuries to less important players. Key striker Yohann Riviere was benched last Friday night, but I’d expect him to return to the starting XI here. Nancy welcome back key midfielder Lossemy Karaboue from injury but I’m not sure if he’ll be fit enough to start. Another doubt is Benjamin Moukandjo, but he should be in the XI after bashing his head in on Monday night. There’s no Yohan Mollo, Romain Grange is suspended and Jeff Louis isn’t included in the squad. Le Havre haven’t started the season well and they have just 1 point and 1 goal to their name after 3 ligue matches. But I still believe them to be a good team and they could still become an eventual promotion contender. They’ll find a way to turn things around sooner or later and it might well happen in this match. Nancy looked pretty poor on Monday night as soon as they fell behind against Brest and they have little creativity in their side now that Mollo is leaving. They’ve also only had 4 days to recover for this game, and they have to travel all the way across to the west of France to get here which isn’t ideal. Le Havre meanwhile, have had a full week to prepare for this fixture and considering they’re at home this makes things easier as well. The dodgy area for HAC is in midfield, but it might help them out if they have to employ a more attacking middle. I really like Le Havre on this -0.25 line and I think bookies are underestimating them for their slow start. I’d be happy to take them anything 1.85+ here, but a decent price of 2.04 is available. Prediction: Le Havre 2-0 Nancy Recommended bet: Le Havre -0.25 @ 2.04 6/10 Metz – Niort Albert Cartier has named an unchanged Metz squad for this match and he’ll likely keep the same XI too. No1 GK Carrasso is still injured so M’Fa will once again operate in between the sticks. He’s a downgrade, but not a massive one. I’d expect Thibault Bourgeois to retain his place in the team on the right hand side of midfield. It’s not his natural position but he performed surprisingly well there last week and was noted for his high energy levels & willingness to track back a lot. This means that the highly rated Yeni Ngbakoto could be benched again, but he’ll be a good option to bring on if needed. There’s some good news for Niort because one of their best defenders Quentin Bernard is back from injury and he’ll start at LB. This means Nicolas Pallois returns to his favoured CB role and overall the backline will be more balanced again. New signing on loan from St Etienne Kevin Mayi is in the squad, but he’ll probably sit on the bench. I don’t think this is going to be a particularly open or exciting game. Niort are one of the most negative sides in the division and will likely come here trying to park the bus and frustrate their hosts. Metz have won both their home matches 1-0 this season and on both of these occasions their odds pre match were around the 1.95 mark. Again, this is the case here but they are going to have to work hard to break down Niort. The visitors might not register enough wins, but they are extremely hard to beat and masters of picking up draws. Overall I see a really tightly contested match and one goal either way is likely to be enough for someone to win it. I have a feeling we could see a 0-0 draw here, but 1-0 Metz certainly can’t be ruled out. If I had some bollocks then I’d back Niort +0.5 here, but generally I don’t like backing away sides in Ligue 2 unless they are really quality outfits or unless the value is immense. Neither of these factors apply here so I’ll swerve and no bet. Prediction: Metz 0-0 Niort Recommended bet: None Tours – Nimes Tours welcome back two key players here. The first is midfielder Pascal Berenguer and the second is attacker Bryan Bergougnoux. I’m not sure if either will be quite back at 100% but each is so important to the team that they’ll probably both start. They have no other injuries except to less important players. New striker, Youssef Adnane is included in the squad and could start, although is more likely to be benched. Coach, Olivier Pantaloni has plenty of options available to him here, he’s just got to make sure he picks the right XI for this match. Nimes have problems in defence. Their best man at the back Benoit Poulain has a knee problem again and will miss several weeks. In addition, fellow CB Romain Sartre is ruled out so Pierre Bouby will fill in at the back even though its far from his natural position. Finally, GK Cyrille Merville is suspended which is a massive blow because he was the best Ligue 2 GK in the previous round and a huge reason why they beat Troyes. It must be said that Nimes were very fortunate to claim that victory vs Troyes last week. If it wasn’t for Merville’s heroics then they’d have likely drawn or lost, but he’s not going to be available to save them this week because of suspension. Taking over in between the sticks is youngster Mathieu Michel who had a good game against Laval in the cup two weeks ago, but can he perform well again? The injuries in defence are also a massive concern. Nimes have looked poor at the back this season even without these problems, so could really struggle here. Tours are going to be bubbling with confidence after hammering Chateauroux 4-0 last week and this is a really good chance for them to win again. I think this is going to be an open game with the potential for a few goals to be scored. Nimes are going to have to attack to get anything here because I can’t see them keeping a clean sheet. The bookies are too generous on Tours -0.25 @ 1.96. This price is far too big and has to be taken, I’d be happy with anything 1.85+ really. I’ll have also a nibble of the overs with smaller stakes. Prediction: Tours 3-1 Nimes Recommended bets: Tours -0.25 @ 1.96 6/10 & Over 2.25 goals @ 2.11 3/10 Troyes – Caen As usual, Troyes have a few injury concerns but the news is better this week. Centre back Florian Jarjat returns to the squad, but its 50/50 if he’ll start or not. He might be forced into the XI because Rincon is definitely injured and I’m not sure the coach will want to risk youngster Wilfried Rother for this game. The attacking duo of Corentin Jean and Marcos dos Santos also return, but may well be benched too. Troyes are far from full strength though and a number of players always seem to be carrying some sort of niggle. Caen remain unchanged and will remarkably start with the exactly same XI for the 4th consecutive ligue game! Well so far, this formula has been a winning one for them so I can’t blame the coach too much. This side seems to know each other really well now and the visitors will also have a strong bench at their disposal if they need to freshen things up. Caen are flying at the moment and although Angers and Clermont also both have maximum points, no team is hotter than Stade Malherbe, They’ve been playing some excellent attacking football, although didn’t look that brilliant in their only away match so far which was at Laval. This is the question mark, can they replicate their home form on the road? The good news for them here is that the pitch will be in excellent condition and will suit them nicely. But on the road it’s never easy and we must remember that Troyes are quite a good side themselves. Were it not for the heroics of Nimes keeper Cyrille Merville last week, then at the very worst they’d now have 5 points and remain unbeaten. The physical state of the players concerns me a little bit, but there’s no way Troyes should be so big on a DNB line here. These odds are just too generous, and whilst I don’t really want to bet against Caen at the moment, this price has forced my hand because there’s definite value. Prediction: Caen 2-1 Troyes Recommended bet: Troyes 0 AH @ 2.0 4/10

[Empiric]

Re: Ligue 2 - 23rd & 24th August Meatman, based on your advice, my bets: Troyes-Caen. BTTS 1,95( Bet city ) Bastia-Anger Anger(+0) 1,7 ( Bet city ) Tours-Nimes BTTS 1,91 ( Bet city ) Good choose?

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 - 23rd & 24th August yeh good choice I think, best of luck!

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 - 23rd & 24th August Brest – Dijon Brest include new left back Wilfried Moimbe in their squad for this match. He could start instead of the terrible Tripy Makonda but might not be fit enough, its touch and go if he’ll be in the XI or not. Brest are still weakened in defence with Martial and Mendy out and this is their worst area right now. But at least they are at full strength in all other parts of the field. Dijon sold their no1 GK Baptiste Reynet to Lorient in midweek so Florent Perraud will take over. He’s actually quite good and will be a strong starter for them. They miss attacker Berenguer to injury whilst midfielder Johan Gastien remains out too. The coach is going to have to decide if Sekou Baradji is fit enough to start at DMID, and also if key striker Julio Tavares should be dropped to the bench. Something isn’t ‘right’ with Tavares at the moment and it may well be that the coach prefers to use him as a sub option. Dijon have had a really tough schedule so far this season. They’ve already faced Caen, Angers and Lens and now they have another difficult fixture. I do believe that DFCO will find some form soon, but confidence within this team isn’t very high. Their defence has especially been pretty poor this year and looks like it could regularly concede. Brest’s achilles heel has been at the back too, and although they looked more solid in the 2nd half against Nancy on Mon night, it wasn’t pressured enough to give a full analysis. The main strength of both of these two teams is in attack, and I think we’ll see a really open match here. My gut feeling is that someone is going to take all 3 points, neither of these sides is going to be satisfied with a draw. I like over 2.5 and and I’m going to have a very small punt on the visitors outright. I don’t trust them enough to stake moderately on an asian line, but it’s conceivable they could win. Prediction: Brest 1-2 Dijon Recommended bets: Over 2.5 goals @ 2.20 3/10 & Dijon straight win @ 3.80 1/10 Laval – Lens Laval have CB Miodrag Stosic suspended but thats not a particularly important factor because he’s not that good. They welcome back Guillaume Rippert from injury and he could start on the left hand side of defence if deemed fit enough. Laval also have Amara Baby in their squad, a recent signing from Chateauroux. But I’m not sure what sort of physical shape he’s in so overall I’d say he’s more likely to be benched. Laval usually like to play 4-4-2 at home, but with Lens coming to town I think they’ll be forced to switch to a less aggressive 4-5-1 formation. The visitors welcome back Loic Landre which is good news because he can play at right back. This is the main problem area that Lens have at the moment because even Landre isn’t actually that good there. Nevertheless, he is at least an upgrade on the likes of Fradj, Cavare or Gbamin. Pierrick Valdivia is still absent from their midfield but they have no other injuries or suspensions to worry about. If football matches lasted 85 minutes then Laval would still be unbeaten this season and have 3 draws to their name. They have continually succumbed to late goals which shows a lack of mental and physical strength. Come the crunch time of a game, something always seems to go wrong and it doesn’t help that their coach makes some strange decisions in the last 10-20 mins either. Laval haven’t actually played all that badly this season but its results that matter and the fact is that they are losers. Lens on the other hand are winners and will find a way to get a victory. Their DNA is now changed with Antoine Koubouare in charge and there’s no way he’ll accept anything less than 3 points here. I can see Lens only playing moderately well or even poorly here, but still managing to get the 3 points. I’m quite happy to back them on a -0.25 line because I just don’t see Laval as a threat. Don’t be surprised if Lens win this match thanks to a late goal either. Prediction: Laval 0-1 Lens Recommended bet: Lens -0.25 @ 1.99 4/10