Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st - Mon 3rd

[Aidymac]

[TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 617] [TR] [TH=class: firstColumn]Friday 1 August 2014[/TH] [TH]Home[/TH] [TH]Draw[/TH] [TH]Away[/TH] [TH=class: bppWidth]BPP[/TH] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]AC Arles-Avignon v AC Ajaccio (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.4[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.84[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]110.21 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]AJ Auxerre v Le Havre AC (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.2[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.1[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.3[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]108.02 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]AS Nancy v Dijon FCO (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.9[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.2[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.75[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]110.30 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Gazelec Ajaccio v Valenciennes FC (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.87[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.1[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.37[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]109.15 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Luzenac Ariège Pyrénées v Troyes AC (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.8[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.5[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]109.05 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Nîmes Olympique v Angers SCO (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]110.14 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Sochaux-Montbéliard v Orleans (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.57[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.75[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]5.7[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]107.85 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Stade Brestois 29 v Clermont Foot (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.1[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]107.26 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row0] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Stade Lavallois v Chamois Niortais (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2.4[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]108.33 %[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [/TR] [TR=class: row1] [TD=align: center][/TD] [TD=class: firstColumn]Tours v Créteil (19:00 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]2[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]3.25[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4.1[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]105.16 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[gabrijel5]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st Hi ! Soon starting a new season of one of my favorite leagues for betting! Why? I like to bet on the draw matches, and this league in the last couple of seasons is very balanced, ie full of draw matches. So I wonder where can I find on web information about the squad, which formation the squad play, is the squad oriented to play more defensively or offensively and everything related to this league ....??? I am interested in your forecasts of which teams will at the end of the season have the most draw matches ? Sorry for my english,and thanks for possible reply !

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st As I do every year, I will be posting in depth season previews for each team in a separate thread, so watch this space ;)

[gabrijel5]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st Nice. Meatman Thanks for reply! I know that is almost imposible to predict which teams will be have a most draws at the end of season but do you have some preseason forecasts for how which teams will be played? Strategy of coach, formation (defensevly or attacking style) .... Maybe you can just tell me your opinion, especially if you have long been watching this league? THanks!

[saimon76]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st Hello every body, i have had a brief look to L2 for Tomorrow. Dijion has a depleted defense for Tomorrow against one of the promotion contender Nancy.. however price has already dropped to 1,90/1,85. still good for a double I mean. Dijion will miss Souprayen, Z.Diabate, Paulle, Pape Paye , Diallo and Philippoteaux.Probably Diabate will be not a starter and also Paulle can be not so a key player, but the other 4 sure they are. Philippoteaux in particular, scored 7 goals last term and was a very key player. The team that attracts me a lot is Angers to Nimes, even if Nimes is never an easy place to go if I remember well.However home team has make a bad preparation and has financial problems, while Angers seems to have a very decent squad. At Auxerre and Arles there is smell of draws. For other matches (but also for those one) it is very difficult to find a hot and valued favorite for me. Tours will miss top scorer alain Delort (24 goals last term), I was tempted by them knowing they are a home force, but cannot estimate CReteil, but they seems to be not a so bad outfit to be honest. So I am attracted by a double of Nancy 1 and Angers x2 stake 3

[szczepan]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st Hello Guyzz Today I prefer [TABLE=class: soccer] [TR=class: stage-scheduled] [TD=class: cell_ab team-home, align: center]

Chateauroux

[/TD] [TD=class: cell_sa score, align: center]-[/TD] [TD=class: cell_ac team-away, align: center]

Troyes

[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Draw 3.20 at B365 Why?? Last three opening games Chateauroux was draw: 1. Season 2011/2012 [TABLE=class: result-table league-results, width: 579] [TR=bgcolor: #ECECEC] [TD=class: first-cell tl]Guingamp - Chateauroux[/TD] [TD=class: result, align: center]1:1[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] 2. Season 2012/2013 [TABLE=class: result-table league-results, width: 579] [TR=bgcolor: #ECECEC] [TD=class: first-cell tl]Chateauroux - Laval[/TD] [TD=class: result, align: center]1:1 [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] 3. Season 2013/2014 [TABLE=class: result-table league-results, width: 579] [TR=bgcolor: #ECECEC] [TD=class: first-cell tl]Chateauroux - Brest[/TD] [TD=class: result, align: center]3:3[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Also BTS at 1.9

[szczepan]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st guyzz in season 2010/2011 also was draw in opening game [TABLE=class: result-table league-results, width: 579] [TR=class: strong] [TD=class: first-cell tl]Chateauroux - Istres[/TD] [TD=class: result, align: center]0:0[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st Arles – Ajaccio The most significant absentee on either side is Arles left winger Teji Savanier (susp). They will miss his creativity, but then again Arles are never going to be the most attack minded side anyway. I think this’ll be a very tight game of football containing few goals, don’t watch this one if you want to be entertained. It’ll be interesting to see how Ajaccio adapt back to life in Ligue 2. On paper, they have the stronger team tonight. Arles might need time to gel, they have a lot of new players in their ranks. But such is their good home record, you’d be foolish to bet against them at Le Parc de Sports. Something like a 0-0 or 1-1 draw seems likely, but I’m not interested in betting. Prediction: Arles 1-1 Ajaccio NO BET Auxerre – Le Havre Auxerre have a few players missing for this encounter. Defender, Willy Boly looks set to leave the club, whilst winger Frederic Sammaritano is suspended. New signing Livio Nabab is injured, although fellow striker Cheikh Diarra does make the squad after a recent move from Rennes. Le Havre miss Mickael Le Bihan and Jordan Ikoko, but will probably fancy themselves to get a decent result tonight. I’m not personally sure which way it’ll go and the match doesn’t interest me from a betting perspective. Prediction: Auxerre 1-1 Le Havre NO BET GFCA – Valenciennes The hosts have new man David Ducourtioux suspended, but otherwise have a full squad to choose from. Valenciennes have a sprinkling of injuries but their biggest issue is pre season preparation and a lack of squad depth. This is especially the case in midfield and attack. Apart from Anthony Le Tallec, their strike force is completely unrecognisable and they’ll be relying on youngsters. I just can’t see them threatening goal much, and by the end of this match surely most of the players’ legs will be gone. VA have had such a turbulent pre season that the coach admitted only one of the players is 100% physically ready for the first match (and that’s only because he was training at another club). New players will need time to gel properly and the last thing anyone would’ve wanted is a long trek to Ajaccio for this match. It’s a great time to take on Valenciennes and even though GFCA are nothing special, they should definitely be fired up for this contest on their return to Ligue 2. This is a bet that simply has to be taken because there’s every chance the visitors could be absolutely awful tonight. Prediction: GFCA 1-0 Valenciennes Recommended bet: GFC Ajaccio DNB @ 1.79 6/10 Laval – Niort The big team news ahead of this match is that key Laval striker, Christian Bekamenga is left out of the squad. He’s very close to a transfer away from the club so for precautionary measures he’ll sit this one out. Obviously, it’s a massive blow for Laval to lose their best striker, especially as he was set to start tonight. They have trained with him all week but instead youngster Serhou Guirassy will be given the nod upfront. He’s actually got some potential but Laval don’t look much of a side to me this season. They are clearly very weak all over the field and especially in the final third should be fairly toothless. Niort are likely to operate fairly defensively in this match and its difficult to see them conceding a goal now that Bekamenga is out. They won 5 of their 6 pre season friendlies, only conceding once in the process. The squad is pretty much at full strength and whilst they themselves might have issues finding the net, one goal may well be enough. For me, there is a gulf in class between these two teams right now and Niort need to be backed tonight. On a +0.25 line, this could be a virtual gift for at least a half winning bet. Prediction: Laval 0-2 Niort Recommended bet: Niort +0.25 @ 1.82 5/10 Chateauroux – Troyes Both teams are missing some players here. For the hosts, a couple of attackers are injured (Tait & Kinkela), whilst Troyes again (as usual) have a number of absentees. CB Mathieu Saunier misses out, whilst in midfield new signing Thomas Ayasse is suspended. Right winger Fahid Ben Khalfallah has been left out of the squad because the coach doesn’t think his ‘mind is right’ at the moment (he basically wants to move to a Ligue 1 club). The biggest news however is that key striker Ghislain Gimbert has an ankle complaint and might not be risked. He’s included in the squad. but I’d be surprised if he plays any part, especially on this synthetic surface. Key playmaker Benjamin Nivet might also be benched due to a small niggle, so suddenly Troyes have a few issues. The squad is big though and they still have plenty of quality available to tonight. I do rate Troyes highly but this is the sort of fixture they could struggle in. Coach, Jean Marc Furlan admits he absolutely hates facing Chateauroux away and he especially hates the artificial surface at Le Stade Gaston Petit. I can envisage Troyes having most of the play and creating a number of chances, but somehow losing the game. Overs could be a decent shout here and I have a sneaky feeling Chateauroux get at least one point. Not a match I want to bet in though. Prediction: Chateauroux 2-1 Troyes NO BET Nimes – Angers The hosts have a few player issues here. Lets start with injuries. The midfield duo of Omrani and Hssisane are out until October, neither is massively important but might’ve started here. Off the field, new playmaker Pedro Galvan has yet to be registered and nobody seems to know if he will actually end up signing. Key striker Samir Benmeziane isn’t included in the squad because of a potential transfer out of the club, whilst new defender Kevin Renaut is supposedly not registered in time. Oh, and on loan striker Alexandre Mendy is suspended for 6 games too. Nimes just seem a bit of a mess off the field right now and some players such as Ousmane Cissokho are rumoured to have a potential transfer on their minds as well. It looks like a good chance for Angers to pounce, although as always, they have a few injuries of their own. In all fairness, they actually have relatively little compared to normal, and most are long term casualties. The most notable is striker Khaled Ayari, but he’s not that vital. Angers will approach this match in an attacking way and the pace of their attack force could cause some issues. Ironically, when Jose Pasqualetti was in charge of Istres this was a fixture on the opening day last season. In that match, Angers demolished his awful tactics and came away with a 4-2 road win. I could see something similar happening again and Angers +0.25 looks like a steal to me. I think there’s a very good chance they’ll win, but at the very least a draw should be obtainable. Prediction: Nimes 1-3 Angers Recommended bet: Angers +0.25 @ 2.04 5/10 Nancy – Dijon Both teams have major selection problems. For Nancy, their midfield is really weakened by the absences of Lossemy Karaboue and Remy Walter. They aren’t particularly strong here anyway and look set to start a couple of youngsters. Key playmaker Jeff Louis is in the squad but might not end up playing because of a potential transfer out of the club. His status is certainly questionable anyway. Dijon have 3 defenders injured, with another couple suspended just for good measure! 3 of their first choice back 4 won’t be starting this match, although they at least have some ok depth at the back. Playmaker Romain Philippoteaux is suspended as well which doesn’t help matters. I’m not going to bet on this game but I think Nancy will probably win it, based on the fact they’ll likely keep a clean sheet. Their defence is still at full strength and 1-0 or 2-0 is perhaps the most likely outcome. Prediction: Nancy 1-0 Dijon NO BET Tours – Creteil Both teams have no real squad issues and will hope to start the season well. Of course, a lot is being made of Tours losing key striker Andy Delort, but they’ve been preparing for his departure for ages now. Despite their lack of new transfers, tonight’s squad looks reasonable enough and they might even win. Creteil are also capable though and I can’t call this one. Maybe a draw is the most probable outcome and I have no intention of betting on the fixture. Prediction: Tours 1-1 Creteil NO BET

[west64]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st A pleasure to read your insights as always meatman. Good luck and thak you! Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk

[dougles badder]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st Thanks again for your yearly preview Meatman first class as usual a minefield league but look forward to it every year.

[FCWolgastr]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st Big thanks for your time!

[Turkish]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st All the best for the new season meatman!

[Smurf]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st Meatman returns for the new season :) always great insightful posts from you and very enjoyable to read each week. Good luck this season.

[Halav]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st Angers ROFL

[Moog]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st Dijon with probably one of the goals of the season. No shame in losing money like that.

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st GFCA 2-0 Valenciennes Laval 1-1 Niort Nimes 3-2 Angers The GFCA match went exactly how I thought it would, the home side battling out a hard fought 3 points. Niort led 1-0 and at that point I thought victory was be in the bag. Laval scored with one of their few chances in the match, although it must be added they rattled the bar in the first half and nearly won it at the death but for a good save from the Niort keeper. I can accept a half win here, although over the course of the 90 mins Niort had enough chances to win outright. The Nimes match was a bit of a freak. They went 3-0 up inside 30 mins! Literally they had 3 chances and scored with them all! At 2-0 Angers had one cleared off the line and seconds later it was 3-0, probably the key moment in the match. I had said that Nimes winger Cissokho might have his head elsewhere, but this was a terrible call by me. He was head and shoulders above anyone else on the field, clearly wanting to put himself in the shop window for a sale. He supplied 2 of the goals, Angers couldn't deal with him in the first half. But seriously Angers should never have lost this one. They arguably had more of the game over the course of the 90 mins, just left themselves with too much to do. They missed an open goal around the 65th minute which would've made it 3-2, again another moment which was crucial. Eventually another was scored, but it was too little too late. I actually feel like I made the right call in the game, just Cissoko was the difference in the first 30 mins, something I didn't expect. Nevertheless, a small profit on the opening night, which can never be a bad thing right? Btw to anyone who backed Nancy, I feel for you! They dominated that game so much yet somehow failed to win. Unbelievable own goal to cost them 3 points!

[senk]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st Skipped the first round but looking forward with some great confidence this year! Hope we make the best out of it and Ligue 1 ofcourse! ;-) good to have you back meatman.

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st - Mon 3rd Sochaux - Orleans (17:00 cet) The hosts were heading into this match with goalkeeping issues. Yohann Pele wanted to move away to Lens, but the management have managed to keep him satisfied……for now. He will start, and at the back a couple of new signings could make their debuts. JP Mignot and Matheus Vivian both struggled for game time in Ligue 1 last year at their respective clubs, but could be given the nod. Sunzu is ruled out whilst Zouma isn’t projected to start for whatever reason. In midfield, Lopy and Ilhaimaharita are expected to both feature – hardly the most formidable duo, whilst the attack will be mostly formed of young, but fairly talented players. Teddy Butin, Romain Habra plus new men Diedhiou & Toko Ekambi are in the mixer to start, so at least they should have some pace. It’s very difficult to assess this Sochaux team because three are a lot of new faces. My personal feeling is that they could be a little vulnerable at the back (especially in terms of slowness), lack toughness in midfield, but should carry a goal threat. Orleans only have one injury to worry about. Left winger JP Mendy is ruled out and new signing Robert Maah isn’t deemed fit enough to play. This should be a fairly similar team that ended their National division campaign, so at least everyone will know each other. I don’t know an awful lot about Orleans, so I’ve no real idea what sort of tactics they’ll employ. An interesting thing to note about this game is Sochaux tried to get it postponed. A week ago there was still a chance they might compete in Ligue 1 this season, but once Lens won their appeal then that opportunity was lost. The Sochaux claim is that it’s unfair of them in terms of preparation. But more realistically, I think they’d just enjoy another couple of weeks to assemble their squad. Orleans definitely have a chance to catch them cold today, it’s never easy to immediately adjust to life in Ligue 2. I’m not going to bet on the contest but it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Orleans got something. Prediction: Sochaux 1-2 Orleans NO BET

[22pzzl]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st - Mon 3rd hello, meatman. do you have any suggestion abour psg's game in china?

[saimon76]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st - Mon 3rd I can see that home win odds going up for brest.guests aee missing a bunch of key players and i am wondering why market is going opposite direction.but i am happy for that because the idea i have ia to charge brest .will study better later and waitin eventually meatman and or senk insigjt preview!!!

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st - Mon 3rd For this first match of the season, Brest are at full strength. Alex Dupont looks like springing a surprise by starting Brendan Chardonnet at right back though. I think they have at least two players who are better options, but he must be doing something right in training for Dupont to trust him on the opening day. Elsewhere in the XI, there shouldn’t be many surprises. New signing Alexandre Cuvillier might even be relegated to the bench such is the wealth of options available to them tonight. Key men Bruno Grougi and Nicolas Verdier will be looking to hit the ground running straight away. For Clermont, the situation is less clear. It looks like youngster Adrien Pagerie is going to start at left back. He’s completely unknown and I have no idea why Corinne Diacre is going to risk such a move in this match. Likewise, central man Yoann Betch hasn’t even been included in the squad which is a surprise. Clermont look likely to employ a 4-3-3 formation with just one defensive midfielder – Eugene Ekobo. I said in my pre season preview that I had a gut feeling that Corinne Diacre might be a pleasant surprise as boss of Clermont. But the way she’s approaching this match doesn’t fill me with much confidence. It seems like she thinks she can go to Brest and actually attack them head on. This is completely the wrong move because Brest are one of the most solid teams in Ligue 2. Their strong physical ability, doubled with great organisation is a major weapon. Clermont will be overpowered in midfield tonight and Eugene Ekobo is going to be left on his own to fight certain players. Capelle and Moulin are nice playmakers, but aren’t very good at tackling and winning the ball. Then of course I have my concerns about the left back Pagerie, whom I previously mentioned. Clermont have played a whopping 8 pre season friendlies and yet I’ve heard they’ve still not really found a proper identity in terms of formation and tactics. Brest are one of the favourites for promotion this season and they should have the edge here. There’s a gulf in class and experience and the hosts should really get the job done in this one. Prediction: Brest 2-0 Clermont Recommended bet: Brest -0.5 @ 2.06 4/10

[senk]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st - Mon 3rd Most important info for me is that Clermont still has key missings in their squad for tonight. Their best midfielder of last season Salibur 33 games 7 goals is still out along with regular midfielder Videmont 30 games 2 goals, regular midfielder Hamdi 25 games 0 goals and Betsch like meatman mentioned. Also forward Bettiol is still out 20 games 4 goals and defender Lippini. Even worse cause one of their best defenders Imorou left the club this summer same for their regular goalie Farnolle. Huge changes in their squad and if you take a quick look at their friendlies you can't have much confidence in a good result away at brest. These odds around evens are great. 5/10 brest to win! Goodluck

[saimon76]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st - Mon 3rd Some bad luck for now and maybe some tactical mistakes by Brest. Belghouzani the forward has injured at 18', some errors near net, and it seems that Grougi is playing to defensive (according to brest fans). Let'shope they start aggressive and score some goals!

[senk]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st - Mon 3rd Great second half sealed the win for Brest. Deserved overall imo! Good start of the week. Nice call !

[meatman]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st - Mon 3rd At HT, the game looked done. The chances of a team turning around a HT deficit (to win) in French football is seriously low (roughly 10-15%). So I consider this a fortunate winner. The penalty Brest got given was incredibly lucky, although they played well after that. At the end of the day its debatable if they deserved the win overall but I'm not going to complain too much. A winner is a winner!

[saimon76]

Re: Ligue 2 > Friday August 1st - Mon 3rd Great tip mates!!!Finally Ldy Luck has turnd her eyes in hte right direction!