Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th

[Aidymac]

[TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 617] [TR] [TH=class: firstColumn]Friday 17 January 2014[/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]AS Nancy v CA Bastia (19:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.5[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]8[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]104.17 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Chamois Niortais v Tours (19:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.2[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.12[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.7[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]104.48 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Clermont Foot v Le Havre AC (19:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.75[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.1[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.87[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]103.40 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Istres v Stade Brestois 29 (19:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.12[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.5[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]104.05 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]LB Châteauroux v Angers SCO (19:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.12[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.45[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]103.12 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Nîmes Olympique v AJ Auxerre (19:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.25[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.1[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.5[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]105.27 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]SM Caen v Stade Lavallois (19:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.65[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.6[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]6.25[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]104.38 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [TH] [/TH] [TH=class: firstColumn]Saturday 18 January 2014[/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 Troyes AC (13:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.4[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.1[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.25[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]104.69 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]RC Lens v Dijon FCO (13:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.15[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.2[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.7[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]104.79 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR] [TH] [/TH] [TH=class: firstColumn]Monday 20 January 2014[/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]FC Metz v Créteil (19:30 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.66[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.5[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]5.6[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]106.43 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[deadeye]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th I'm taking Nancy to win at bet365, (1.44). I'm no expert on this league, not even close, but it's a last place club with only 1 win against a club who played in Ligue 1 last year and could put themselves in a promotion position this weekend, it's one of those must-win type games for Nancy.

[deadeye]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th

I'm taking Nancy to win at bet365' date=' (1.44). I'm no expert on this league, not even close, but it's a last place club with only 1 win against a club who played in Ligue 1 last year and could put themselves in a promotion position this weekend, it's one of those must-win type games for Nancy.[/quote'] I forgot to mention Nancy have won their last 5 home games.

[saimon76]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th I have feeling on Nimes 1 against Auxerre. Guest terrible away (0-3-6 3/16) and so you can say well'it is perfect timing for reverse this statistic. However the have just sold Ntep to QPR , i think he is one of their best player, i have seen him playing he is very powerful upfront and very skilled also with the ball on the foot, not only a pure forward striker. He has 17/7 this year (even if away Auxerre just score 3 goal) but how can we imagine this statistic is goint to go better from this round with this missing. Moreover Nimes is playing better lately, more attack minded, and in general this is not the best place to go in ligue2. Auxerre, if i am not wrong, has also out Ramos def 9/0, Djellabi mid 12/0 and Boa-kane mid 14/0for technical reason . Moreover,NImes will have quite an hell of scedule ahead, and this is probably the most winnable game on paper for them,so i expect them very full of confidence and motivation in front of home fans. Will wait for Meatman advise, but at 2,15 for 1 sign still there is a litlle value for (odd already gone down a bit). Othere thoughts are regarding Istres at home...

[arsenalfh]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Ntep is an Auxerre player as far as I know although closing in on a move to Roma, not QPR. He may very well start tomorrow.

[saimon76]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th

Ntep is an Auxerre player as far as I know although closing in on a move to Roma' date=' not QPR. He may very well start tomorrow.[/quote'] Yes you are absolutely right regarding Ntep going Roma, even if tonight have read this article saying completely other things!! http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Rennes-renonce-a-ntep/432567 i was mixing some names moves and teams, very hard day at work yesterday! The mixing i am making is regarding Mana Dembele that has been sold to Guingamp (and he is however suspended!). However i think that Ntep is also injured and i suppose he is neither convocated for tonight, so the odd are explicated in favour of Nimes, otherwise i am 100% sure with Ntep on field, we should have find a 2,40 for home win... It is an hard match, but every match it is; Casoni, coach of auxerre has also make some strange selection for this match and released a strange interview that i am trying to analyse, however not so confident for the future, do not know why!

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Nancy – CA Bastia The hosts still have one of their better creative player Benjamin Moukandjo injured for this game, but he’s been out of action for a while now so should be used to life without him. A fresh concern is to right back Jeffrey Cuffaut who had to go off last week after just 9 mins. He has failed to pass a fitness test and isn’t included in the squad here. Thomas Ayasse, a midfielder by trade will take over his spot, although he has played RB before, including the remaining 81 mins of last week’s match. Nancy are otherwise at full strength. The status of certain CA Bastia players is unknown, officially only 3 injuries have been reported but a few names have been surprisingly left out. Their most notable absentee is defender Adrien Monfray. It doesn’t surprise me that the coach has decided to shuffle his pack a bit following their awful display last week. This is a pretty simple match to weigh up. Nancy are one of the better team in Ligue 2, I would personally rank them about 3rd best behind Metz and Lens. CA Bastia meanwhile, are obviously an awful side and are expected to struggle greatly here tonight. The Corsicans have added four new players to their squad during this transfer window. Three of them started last week, including highly rated Nigeria Sunday Mba. But neither of them did anything to help inspire the team towards a new upward trend, if anything they seemed to get worse. Bear in mind this was at home to Niort who are just an average Ligue 2 side. How on earth can they possibly upset the odds and avoid defeat away against a team like Nancy? The only hope for CA Bastia is if Nancy don’t take them seriously enough and are ‘off’ their game. This is possible, but because they are well coached by Pablo Correa I don’t think it’s likely. He’ll make sure his players are fully motivated and ready to win this match. Nancy haven’t been the most prolific scorers under him though and the astute tactician prefers to adopt a more methodical and patient approach to match. Just once have they managed to win a match by more than a one goal margin under his management. Nevertheless, that tally may well double following this fixture tonight. I like backing Nancy -1.25. At the very least they should win by one goal which would mean a half refund. But because their chances of keeping a clean sheet are so high then it gives this bet a greater % opportunity of winning. Something like a 2-0 or 3-0 win is the most likely outcome. CA Bastia have only scored 8 goals this season and it’ll be very difficult for them to penetrate Nancy at Le Stade Marcel Picot. Prediction: Nancy 2-0 CA Bastia Recommended bet: Nancy -1.25 @ 2.0 6/10 Niort – Tours Niort welcome back key midfielder and captain Mouhamadou Diaw for this match. He’ll come straight back into the side, whilst the rest of the XI could remain the same. There is however a doubt surrounding striker Emiliano Sala (head). He’s their top goalscorer this season, although not necessarily a massive player for them. The problem for Tours is in midfield where the key duo of Julien Cetout and Pascal Berenguer are both injured. This will be the 5th straight match that Cetout misses so at least they should’ve adapted to life without him by now. But Berenguer went off after just 9 mins last week and is a strong presence for them in the middle of the park. On the positive side, young starlet Baptiste Santamaria has been in great form recently, and Xavier Chavalerin will come into the side fresh full of confidence after firing home an unstoppable strike last week. Tours are downgraded in the middle of the park, but if both of those guys keep playing well then the loss of their two injured players will be felt less. This is an interesting contest, and also a derby match. Less than 2 hours travelling time separates these two towns and Tours are expected to bring a decent following with them tonight which should boost their players. Typically, Niort home matches are very tight unless other factors intervene. I don’t think this’ll be much of a classic and both sides will likely nullify themselves in a close tense battle. Niort should in theory should have an edge in midfield here, but Tours still have a strong defence and will be difficult to penetrate. Also, dont underestimate the visitors’ ability on the counter attack at pace. Tours actually have the 3rd best away record in Ligue 2, despite having lost 5 times on their travels. Niort meanwhile, rarely lose at home but do have a tendency to draw too many. Niort have actually now gone 5 games without a draw which is very unusual for them. Their style and tactics usually generates a higher % of them ending in all sqaure matches. They are priced up a bit short here in all honesty, for those who are thinking of backing the home side then there’s very little value on them. If I was to take anything here it’d be Tours +0.25 but I’m not a man who likes to back away teams very often. The typical rule in France is not to bet on an away team unless its a real quality outfit, the value is immense or the handicap is +1 or bigger. Neither of those factors apply here, the price on Tours is decent, but it’s nothing humongous yet. Nevertheless I do think they’ll cover here and I strongly smell a potential draw, neither team will want to lose. Prediction: Niort 1-1 Tours Recommended bet: None Pre match analysis for tonight’s other L2 games will be posted continually throughout the day…..

[Smurf]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Great write ups as always Meatman and I look forward to your further thoughts in this league. Always a pleasure to read this thread on Ligue 2 match days.

[apogey]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Meatman, help me please, I want to put there totolizator matches: St Etienne - Lille Istres - Stade Brestois Clermont Foot - Le Havre Nimes - Auxerre Niort - Tours Chateauroux - Angers Give your vision outcomes can with backup. Thanks in advance!

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Clermont – Le Havre Clermont are in exactly the same position as last week and name the same squad that drew 2-2 away at Troyes. Right back Anthony Lippini is still suspended and their only injury is to the long term Pierrick Cappelle. They have finally sold striker Mana Dembele to Guingamp for about £500k which in many ways will be a relief to everyone at the club. Dembele has just been a distraction all season and his recent long suspension didn’t help matters either. Le Havre miss DM Distel Zola to suspension, although JP Fontaine won’t be the worst of replacements. Upfront, Yohann Riviere remains injured, and he’s joined on the sidelines by Moussa Sao. Le Havre do lack offensive depth because they’ve also now sold Riyad Mahrez to Leicester City. Mickael Le Bihan will continue to lead the line upfront. He’s been good form of late but he’s not a natural striker and more suited to the right wing. They key thing to work out about this game is to decide exactly what sort of level Le Havre are at right now. For the most part of the season they’ve been a major disappointment and not played very well. But then something clicked just before the winter break and they went on a 3 game winning streak. However, one of those wins was against Creteil, who are awful and another facing Auxerre just a couple of days after an intense cup match. Their win at Troyes was a good well fought result, but on recent form Troyes are nothing special. Clermont themselves could’ve easily walked away with 3 points against them last week and can take plenty of confidence out of the fact that they created loads of chances. Clermont are unbeaten at home this season, in total they won 5 and drawn 5 at Le Stade Gabriel Montpied. The Auvergne side have the 3rd best home defensive record and there’s no doubt they are a tough nut to crack in front of their own fans. I’m certainly not saying that Clermont will win this match easily, but I think they have to be backed @ this sort of price. An asian line of 0 DNB is pretty generous and at the very least they should be able to keep their unbeaten home run going. Plus, they looked pretty good to me last week so should be full of confidence even if they did concede late and fail to win. There’s no doubt Le Havre have improved of late but I need to see more of them in less favourable situation before I’m confident that they are a force to be reckoned with again. So yeh, I’m going to have a 5 unit play on the hosts and it should be a fairly safe bet. Havre have only won once on their travels this season and the chances of this bet losing outright aren’t very high. Prediction: Clermont 1-0 Le Havre Recommended bet: Clermont 0AH @ 1.86 5/10

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th

Meatman, help me please, I want to put there totolizator matches: St Etienne - Lille Istres - Stade Brestois Clermont Foot - Le Havre Nimes - Auxerre Niort - Tours Chateauroux - Angers Give your vision outcomes can with backup. Thanks in advance!

you mean over/under totals?

[apogey]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th victory of one team or draw, if serious doubts can insure victory 1x or 2x

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Chateauroux – Angers In terms of players officially ruled out, the most notable Chateauroux absentees remain CB Sambou and DM Guerreiro. Fellow DM Luis Ramis still isn’t included in the squad and will play in the reserves, its unclear if this is because of fitness or genuine tactical reasons. Right winger Christian Kinkela falls into the same category here. Angers have named the exact same squad that drew with Nancy last week, the exception is that RB Gael Angoula isn’t included. I’m not sure if this is because he’s injured or because he played poorly in that game against Nancy and is simply dropped. They still have DM Ryan Frikeche suspended, this will be the 5th game in a row he misses. Chateauroux have a 100% home record under the management of Jean Louis Garcia. Since taking over he’s won all 3 games at Le Stade Gaston Petit, which isn’t that much of a surprise because Chateauroux always play their best football on their own artificial surface. They beat Dijon here last time out which is quite a good barometer from which to judge, because DFCO are one of the stronger sides in the division. Surely if they can beat Dijon at home then they could beat Angers too right? Well, I think they have every chance but it’ll be a bit harder. Angers have statistically the best away record in Ligue 2 and have proved they are comfortable on the road. Angers’ playing style could suit this artificial surface too. They like to counter attack at pace and the ball should zip off nicely playing to their strengths. So this is a difficult one because Angers probably deserve some respect in this fixture. However, I think the bookies are perhaps giving them a bit too much respect on this occasion. They shouldn’t be outright favourites and a pick em’ line on a 0AH would be a fairer handicap. With that in mind then I’m willing to stake a small 3 units on the hosts. But this wont be a big bet because there is a risk Angers could win knowing how they operate on the road. Until Chateauroux lose at home under Garcia though, I’ll keep backing them. Prediction: Chateauroux 2-1 Angers Recommended bet: Chateauroux 0AH @ 2.20 3/10

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th

victory of one team or draw' date=' if serious doubts can insure victory 1x or 2x[/quote'] I'll let you know when I've looked at all games in detail

[UnitedForever]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th

Clermont – Le Havre Clermont are in exactly the same position as last week and name the same squad that drew 2-2 away at Troyes. Right back Anthony Lippini is still suspended and their only injury is to the long term Pierrick Cappelle. They have finally sold striker Mana Dembele to Guingamp for about £500k which in many ways will be a relief to everyone at the club. Dembele has just been a distraction all season and his recent long suspension didn’t help matters either. Le Havre miss DM Distel Zola to suspension, although JP Fontaine won’t be the worst of replacements. Upfront, Yohann Riviere remains injured, and he’s joined on the sidelines by Moussa Sao. Le Havre do lack offensive depth because they’ve also now sold Riyad Mahrez to Leicester City. Mickael Le Bihan will continue to lead the line upfront. He’s been good form of late but he’s not a natural striker and more suited to the right wing. They key thing to work out about this game is to decide exactly what sort of level Le Havre are at right now. For the most part of the season they’ve been a major disappointment and not played very well. But then something clicked just before the winter break and they went on a 3 game winning streak. However, one of those wins was against Creteil, who are awful and another facing Auxerre just a couple of days after an intense cup match. Their win at Troyes was a good well fought result, but on recent form Troyes are nothing special. Clermont themselves could’ve easily walked away with 3 points against them last week and can take plenty of confidence out of the fact that they created loads of chances. Clermont are unbeaten at home this season, in total they won 5 and drawn 5 at Le Stade Gabriel Montpied. The Auvergne side have the 3rd best home defensive record and there’s no doubt they are a tough nut to crack in front of their own fans. I’m certainly not saying that Clermont will win this match easily, but I think they have to be backed @ this sort of price. An asian line of 0 DNB is pretty generous and at the very least they should be able to keep their unbeaten home run going. Plus, they looked pretty good to me last week so should be full of confidence even if they did concede late and fail to win. There’s no doubt Le Havre have improved of late but I need to see more of them in less favourable situation before I’m confident that they are a force to be reckoned with again. So yeh, I’m going to have a 5 unit play on the hosts and it should be a fairly safe bet. Havre have only won once on their travels this season and the chances of this bet losing outright aren’t very high. Prediction: Clermont 1-0 Le Havre Recommended bet: Clermont 0AH @ 1.86 5/10

I think this is quite a good bet. In the last 5 matches between them Le Havre managed to take just point.

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Nimes – Auxerre Nimes have a slightly better defensive situation this week. CB Aurelien Boche is still injured but Romain Sartre is now fit which means they won’t have to play someone in central defence who isn’t used to the position. Their primary left back J A Fanchone remains on the sidelines though which means Mathieu Robail is going to have to fill in there again. He’s a winger by nature so will likely bomb up the field at times leaving potential gaps to exploit. Nimes will otherwise remain unchanged in their new 4-3-3 attacking formation. The big news surrounding this fixture is that Auxerre’s star stud attacker PG Ntep is officially ‘injured’ Of course the real reason he’s not included tonight is because of an impending transfer away from the club. Auxerre’s only other issue is at left back where Marco Ramos and Karim Djellabi are both ruled out. Nevertheless, youngster Castelletto has been doing a fairly decent job as a replacement recently. Nimes are possibly the most popular outright pick today in Ligue 2. Everyone seems to think they will win this match for various reasons. The first is because of Nimes themselves. Suddenly they looked much better under the management of Rene Marsiglia last week. The players actually seemed motivated and tried harder, something they hadn’t been under previous coach Victor Zvunka. The return from injury of key playmaker Vincent Gragnic also came at a good time and he had a really good game facing Laval. All the public love the idea of ‘new manager syndrome’ although admittedly in many cases it does actually have a massive impact. I’m guessing the main reason everyone loves Nimes though is because they strongly fancy taking on Auxerre. With PG Ntep ruled out surely they have no chance right? He’s basically been their whole attack force this season and they could be toothless without him. Also Auxerre have a poor away record losing 6 out of 9 times and only scoring 3 goals in the process. It must however be noted that they’ve faced some fairly good teams on their travels. Auxerre could easily just fade and collapse here, especially as Nimes have been revitalised under Marsiglia. But sometimes a team plays much harder for each other when the chips are down and everyone writes them off. Nobody is giving them a prayer here which could anger and motivate Auxerre quite a lot. With Ntep out of the team then it gives some other players a chance to shine, maybe they will take it? AJA will operate in a 4-4-2 so there will be opportunities. In conclusion, I’m not sure about this fixture. Nimes are priced up too short but you’d have to be a brave man to back Auxerre. Overall this looks like a good match to swerve because of the unpredictable factors involved. Prediction: Nimes 1-1 Auxerre Recommended bet: None

[apogey]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th if it is possible to 20-00

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Istres – Brest Istres have a couple of defenders out who have been playing fairly regularly recently. Bosqui is injured and Kehiha suspended. Neither is whom I’d class as a brilliant player, but the coach has clearly preferred them over others in recent weeks. Istres are otherwise at full strength in midfield and attack though. Brest have CB Ismael Traore injured again, the bloke just can’t seem to stay fit for a sustained period of games. But Traore isn’t that important to them anyway, it’s not as if he’s a shutdown defender or anything. Key midfield playmaker Bruno Grougi returns from injury which is a big boost and he should immediately make Brest more threatening in the final third of the field. DM Diallo Guidileye remains sidelined because of a hamstring problem. This is a crunch match between 19th and 15th in the table, only a couple of points separates the two teams. Istres were absolutely awful last week and got hammered 4-1 by Dijon. Truth be told they could’ve lost that fixture about 6-0 such was their defensive ineptitude. Istres are such a bizarre team because they looked so good against Lens just prior to the winter break and then followed it up with a display like that! They just don’t make any sense to me and are one of the most unpredictable sides I know. Brest are another strange team who actually prefer playing on the road this season. They were unlucky to lose to Lens on Monday night but couldn’t convert their chances. They usually aim to operate defensively away, but I don’t see how this match isn’t open. Istres simply don’t know how to defend whilst Brest could get easily sucked into a potential shootout. The price on over 2.25 is really high IMO considering that this should be an end to end contest. So I’ll have a bet on this line, but all 3 results are quite possible here! Prediction: Istres 2-2 Brest Recommended bet: Over 2.25 goals @ 2.09 4/10

[nicko]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Mainly based on Meatman's write up plus some stats and having watched some teams, bet 365 odds, singles with medium stakes and Yankee with small stakes: Nimes Over 2 Goals Caen Over 2,5 Goals Chateauroux Over 2 Goals Nancy - 1 AH Playing a bit safe this time with Over 2 Goals, although I am pretty much sure the game in Nimes will go Over, just like the one in Chateauroux... GL all

[NoFear]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th dont care if the bets win or not. Appreciate the effort as always and those writeups are brilliant.

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Caen – Laval Caen still have their best CB Molla Wague injured, they seemed to miss him last week away against Tours. In midfield, experienced legend Nicolas Seube is another casualty, although the hosts do welcome new signing Jose Saez into their squad. He arrives from Valenciennes and is a good enough player at Ligue 1 level, he could be a really valuable asset for them in the 2nd tier of French football. Laval are at complete full strength for this match and have no injuries or suspensions to worry about. They welcome back the midfield duo of Goncalves and Adeoti, both of whom were missed badly last week in their defeat to Nimes. After starting the season with 6 out of 7 away losses, Laval have actually improved in recent weeks and seem to have found a formula which works for them on the road. They beat Niort and Troyes both on their own patches, something which is difficult to achieve. They then pushed an in-form Nancy and only lost 2-1, but they might easily have drawn or even won that match. Laval will employ a 4-5-1 system tonight and make themselves really difficult to break down. This was very effective in those matches I mentioned, but they also proved that they do have a plan B because they responded well when falling behind against Nancy. Caen meanwhile, are the sort of side who can either blow somebody away or just inexplicably play poorly and struggle. If they can get an early goal here then they could potentially run riot, but it’s always a bit of a gamble taking them against a defensive minded side because frustration can creep in. They are also such a popular pick with the public. For some reason a lot of people rate them really really highly, probably because they can play extremely attractive football at times. But if you analyse them in detail they don’t really have a backbone and can really struggle in this type of fixture. I’m not going to back Laval but if I had to side with anyone then I’d go with the +1 handicap. It’d be a risky play though because if Caen do happen to be on song and playing at their best, they could run out blowout winners. Prediction: Caen 1-1 Laval Recommended bet: None

[senk]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Im also on nancy and clermont tonight. I think nancy is even more a public bet than Nimes is but like you already stated, Nancy is top quality in this ligue 2. We can't say that about Nimes. Teams like that can easily end up drawing or losing a game when they are big favorites. Seen it so many times! Let's hope there will be a early goal for Nancy, things will open up and Bastai already lost big a couple of times. Enough said medium stakes on that one. About Clermont, odds are really generous considering the fact the hosts are pretty good at their own ground and are rank 7 in this league. They play against a struggeling side this season rank 14th. Although Le havre didnt loose a game in the last 5 and had some good results they are constantly struggeling on the road, drawing a lot of games yes. But normally the odds would never be so high if rank 7 hosts rank 14 in any league. The odds are mainly based on Le havre's normal form and club name? Can't think of anything else. Anyways, I expect it to be tight and the draw no bet is a wise choice. This could easily end in a draw but given the fact that Clermont is a hard nut to crack at home Ill give them the advantage and I'll back them with medium stakes. Most of the time such a prediction end in a home win but our minds say take it the safe way. :D Goodluck guys, great previews again.

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th

Meatman, help me please, I want to put there totolizator matches: St Etienne - Lille Istres - Stade Brestois Clermont Foot - Le Havre Nimes - Auxerre Niort - Tours Chateauroux - Angers Give your vision outcomes can with backup. Thanks in advance!

St Etienne - Lille X2 Istres - Stade Brestois X Clermont Foot - Le Havre 1X Nimes - Auxerre 1X Niort - Tours X Chateauroux - Angers 1X

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th

Im also on nancy and clermont tonight. I think nancy is even more a public bet than Nimes is but like you already stated, Nancy is top quality in this ligue 2. We can't say that about Nimes. Teams like that can easily end up drawing or losing a game when they are big favorites. Seen it so many times! Let's hope there will be a early goal for Nancy, things will open up and Bastai already lost big a couple of times. Enough said medium stakes on that one. .

Yeh you're right, Nancy is now the bigger public play and the Nimes price has remained stable for a few hours. It's no surprise Nancy are being hammered, their line should be about -1.5 here

[differ]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th

Chateauroux – Angers In terms of players officially ruled out, the most notable Chateauroux absentees remain CB Sambou and DM Guerreiro. Fellow DM Luis Ramis still isn’t included in the squad and will play in the reserves, its unclear if this is because of fitness or genuine tactical reasons. Right winger Christian Kinkela falls into the same category here. Angers have named the exact same squad that drew with Nancy last week, the exception is that RB Gael Angoula isn’t included. I’m not sure if this is because he’s injured or because he played poorly in that game against Nancy and is simply dropped. They still have DM Ryan Frikeche suspended, this will be the 5th game in a row he misses. Chateauroux have a 100% home record under the management of Jean Louis Garcia. Since taking over he’s won all 3 games at Le Stade Gaston Petit, which isn’t that much of a surprise because Chateauroux always play their best football on their own artificial surface. They beat Dijon here last time out which is quite a good barometer from which to judge, because DFCO are one of the stronger sides in the division. Surely if they can beat Dijon at home then they could beat Angers too right? Well, I think they have every chance but it’ll be a bit harder. Angers have statistically the best away record in Ligue 2 and have proved they are comfortable on the road. Angers’ playing style could suit this artificial surface too. They like to counter attack at pace and the ball should zip off nicely playing to their strengths. So this is a difficult one because Angers probably deserve some respect in this fixture. However, I think the bookies are perhaps giving them a bit too much respect on this occasion. They shouldn’t be outright favourites and a pick em’ line on a 0AH would be a fairer handicap. With that in mind then I’m willing to stake a small 3 units on the hosts. But this wont be a big bet because there is a risk Angers could win knowing how they operate on the road. Until Chateauroux lose at home under Garcia though, I’ll keep backing them. Prediction: Chateauroux 2-1 Angers Recommended bet: Chateauroux 0AH @ 2.20 3/10

Thats a very nice Value bet! BetVictor 3,2 7/10

[KavkaZ]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th France » Ligue 2 » Nancy - CA Bastia Consider the match of 20th round of the French Ligue 2 , in which Nancy will take on CA Bastia. Nancy last season off from League 1 , so no wonder that the team this season, the task of returning to the high life of the French football. The club is pretty strong funding and composition of one of the best in League 2 as the backbone of the team , who last year played in Ligue 1 preserved. At the start team faltered a little , but closer to the finish Nancy begins to gain much. Before this meeting, the team located on the 6th , but only 2 points behind 3rd place , giving the right to increase hopes. Home game pretty strong: 6 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses , with 6 wins of the last 7 home games. Out today defender Cuffaut (18/0) and forward Moukandjo (13/3) Plus, the team dropped out of the French Cup , so the only tournament where Nancy involved - it's Ligue 2. Why are we talking about the Cup ? Now, understand ... CA Bastia is the main outsider tournament and few prospects for the team this season, do not see. 7 points after 19 rounds last place , by the way -8 points of the penultimate team , no comment .. Now back to our conversation about the Cup. Head coach Bastia Stephane Rossi realizes that to save the team will not succeed , so the main focus will be on the Coupe de France , where most of teams play second composition , so chances are , not far to seek , remember sensation Quevilly two seasons ago , when the team reached finals, where lost to PSG. In the middle of the next week to play for the Cup 1/8 finals with Niort (21.01), so for this meeting did not go whole group of players CA Bastia , in order to approach the cup meeting in good composition. In Bastia remained: defenders Monfray (15/0), Salis (15/0) , Romey (13/0), Moretti (13/0) ; midfielders Vincent (12/0), Assana (10/0), Di Fraya (7/0) , Arnoux (5/0), Lamberti (4/0) ; forwards Cropanese (13/2) , Le Mat (13/2), Mandrichi (8/0), Naby (3/0), Traore (1/0). Lineup the weakest in the league, by the way, was in the last round home defeat of Niort 0-3 , Niort from that no problems for the season ahead. Waiting for the defeat , but still if you put a large percentage of the pot , then (-1) make the most it! Simply we put on Nancy -1.5 at 2.2 Pinnacle , a very good price.

[senk]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Wow, Nancy totally dominated the game, Unbelievable they did not even score a goal. 1 counter attack and it's a hit. Fck me, bookies had a great night. Oh well, heads up guys. Bad streaks will end for sure. Meatman, no worries! We will ROCK this weekend ligue 1.

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Lost 3/4 bets for a -10 unit loss Nancy 0-1 CA Bastia. Actually I thought CA Bastia played quite well, you could even argue they deserved to win. The most Nancy deserved was a draw anyway, they were pretty awful tonight. Really stunning outcome, even mystic meg couldn't have predicted this result. Clermont 0-1 Havre - Maybe could've got a draw out of this but I think Le Havre ARE legitimately back now and have to be respected again. Chateauroux 0-1 Angers - Chateauroux hit the crossbar in the last minute, on another day this would've ended a draw too. Istres - Brest overs comfortably won. I can't really criticise myself for the 3 losing bets. All were at good prices and I'd take them again. Just sometimes the matches don't go as you expect. Life goes on, I will likely be backing all 3 remaining home teams in this round, so all isn't lost.

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Arles – Troyes The hosts have just one injury to contend with as once again key right back Sebastien Cantini is ruled out. Steven Fortes did a good job replacing him last week, but he’s still quite a downgrade because Cantini is one of the best right backs in Ligue 2, maybe even the best. Coach Franck Dumas has no other problems to contend with though. Troyes on the other hand have massive issues in midfield. The DM duo of Lacour and Othon are both ruled out, whilst more creative option Stephane Darbion is another casualty. Even old legend Benjamin Nivet is rated doubtful for the contest. They are seriously lacking options in the middle of the park and its likely they’ll end up fielding someone out of position there, or they’ll have to completely change formation. Another problem for Troyes is that they played just 3 days ago in the CLD QFs against Evian. Only some very small squad rotation occurred and most players who started that fixture will once again have to play today, less than 72 hours after the cup match finished. Arles are well known for being constantly involved in low scoring games. They’ve played a total of 21 competitive matches this season and 19 of them have ended under 2.5. Arles have the best defence in Ligue 2, the 2nd best home defence, but at the same time have the 2nd worst overall offence in the division too. They just don’t tend to end up in many exciting matches. In some ways its a surprise because Franck Dumas used to be one of the most offensive coaches in France, they also have a few decent players in attack. But this is how things have gone for them this season, and its almost become a habit that they slog games out. Maybe this match will be different though because it’ll be one of the few times that at team travels to Arles and attacks. Troyes just don’t know how to defend and will refuse to operate tight and tactical. The last time that happened here was when Caen came to town and Arles won 3-2. If they are forced to open up and play, then this could be a completely different ball game. I love Arles here for a number of reasons. Firstly, its well know how hard they are to beat at home. It’s a difficult place to come and its also a long way for Troyes to travel, especially less than 3 days after an emotional cup victory. Speaking of that victory, surely it has to be a negative factor against Troyes here. They will be on a high after making the semi finals but perhaps cup fever has been playing on their minds too much recently. Their ligue form has actually been pretty crap, losing 4 of their last 6. With less than 72 hours to recover both physically and mentally there’s no way they are going to be at their best here. Finally, Arles have a huge advantage by playing at home in a 14:00 kick off. I’ve said numerous times how helpful this is to home sides in France. Each week this trend continues to churn out home wins and draws, away sides are hardly victorious. I’m backing Arles for quite a few units on a -0.25 line, I’m pretty confident they can deliver the goods today. I’,m also going to have a nibble of over 2 goals. Many of you stats gurus will call me mad, but Troyes will definitely have a go in this fixture and space could open up at both ends. This is one of the few occasions where an Arles match might (for once) contain a few goals in it. Prediction: Arles 2-1 Troyes Recommended bets: Arles -0.25 @ 2.20 7/10 & Over 2 goals @ 1.95 4/10 Lens – Dijon Lens have two main injury concerns ahead of this game. The first is to Pierrick Valdivia, a central midfielder who is quite an important player. The only real positive for Lens is that he’s missed a few games this season and they have coped fairly well without him. Jerome Lemoigne is probably their most vital man in the middle and he’ll be starting today. On the left wing, Edgar Salli is injured, but this is no problem because Lens have a number of ready made replacements who are just as good. Replacing Valdivia will either be Wylan Cyprien or Benjamin Bourigeaud. Both are more attack minded options and not as good at ball winning. Lens aren’t the only team without problems here though. Dijon still miss two central defenders to injury. Captain Cedric Varrault and young starlet William Remy remain on the treatment table. To make matters worse, midfielder Ousseynou Cisse who had been filling in at the back is suspended. This presents coach Olivier Dall’ Oglio with a major problem. He could easily just start Steven Paulle at CB, but he can be a liability at times. The alternative is to switch Souprayen to CB but that would then leave issues at LB, something he won’t want to do with Pablo Chavarria operating on Lens’ right wing. Dijon are at full strength in midfield and attack but these defensive absences will have given the manager some sleepless nights. I’m not sure which exact back 4 he’ll pick for this match. This is a crunch match between 3rd and 5th in the table. If Lens win today then they’ll have a 6 point gap to 4th placed Tours and thats a cushion they’d dearly love to obtain. Lens are a top class side who are well coached and are usually brilliant in the clutch. They dont always play that well but find a way to grind out results – the sign of a good team overall. Dijon aren’t an easy side to beat and have only lost 4 times this season, but I just feel they aren’t in the top category this season. They will probably finish about 5th or 6th and they lack that key X factor that teams like Metz and Lens have. I think this’ll be a fairly open game with chances in it, once again I fancy the overs. Neither defence is likely to be that solid today, especially Dijon’s which misses key personnel from it. Lens are my main pick though. They have an awesome record in these Saturday 14:00 kick offs at home and are properly suited to this type of fixture. Lens also usually raise the level of their performance against the better sides in Ligue 2 which increases my confidence in them. I don’t think it’ll be plain sailing because Dijon will create chances, and will probably end up scoring at some point. But in those key moments, especially towards the end of the game Lens always seem to pull through in the clutch when it really matters. They have the best coach in Ligue 2 on the sidelines too and he’ll make important tactical changes if and when they are required. I’m willing to write off Lens’ shocking home loss to Istres just before the winter break as a one off. Every team has a bad game every now and then, I think they’ll respond here. So it’s Lens -0.5 for me and also a small nibble on the over 2.25 line. Prediction: Lens 2-1 Dijon Recommended bets: Lens -0.5 @ 2.12 5/10 & Over 2.25 goals @ 1.98 3/10

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > January 17th - 20th Metz – Creteil Both teams have to deal with relatively few injuries. For Metz, CM Romain Rocchi is still suspended, but he’s their only major absentee. At least they welcome back fellow midfielder Ahmed Kashi who was also suspended at Le Havre last week. The only real question mark is who will actually partner Kashi in midfield. The rest of the team should be pretty much unchanged in a 4-4-2 attacking formation. Creteil miss CB Danielson Da Cruz to injury, but have no other worries. Creteil might opt to match up to Metz in a 4-4-2 as well, although the coach could have a few other plans up his sleeve. Both of these teams obtained promotion last season but it’s Metz who’ve made far more of an impact on Ligue 2. They currently sit 4 points clear at the top of the table and if they win tonight then Les Grenats could open up a whopping 11 point gap to 4th placed Tours. Many would argue that victory tonight would almost effectively secure promotion, after all it’s rare you’d see a team blow an 11 point cushion in terms of outright promotion. Metz have a superb 8-2-0 home record and tend to play pretty well in these bigger TV matches, especially at home. In terms of class difference, there is quite a gap between these two sides. Creteil just have major problems in defence all too often. You can never be confident in their back four and it seems to regularly leak chances. Last week the Parisian outfit were very lucky to even beat Chateauroux at home. Somehow they managed to pull out a 3-2 victory but it was an exceptionally lucky win and a worrying display. I just don’t see how they keep close to Metz tonight, unless they either change tactics or are mega clinical with their chances The coach did employ 5 men at the back earlier in the season, maybe he could switch to that again? Another option is a 4-3-3 and opt for a stronger midfield. But if they go 4-4-2 again then Metz will rip them apart IMO. Whatever happens the hosts should win fairly comfortably anyway and they seem an attractive option on the -1 asian line. If Creteil go for it then maybe they could score a goal themselves but this’ll be a very tough trip for Jean Luc Vasseur’s men. Prediction: Metz 3-0 Creteil Recommended bet: Metz -1 (asian) @ 2.0 7/10