Clermont v Strasbourg
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Wednesday 19th January – 6PM KO
Strasbourg should enhance their challenge for European football on Wednesday, when they make the journey to struggling Clermont.
The home team were outclassed 4-0 against Monaco on Sunday and have failed to score in either of their Ligue 1 matches during which leading marksman Mohamed Bayo has been away on international duty. Although key midfielder Johan Gastien returns to the fold after a ban at the weekend, Clermont are on a negative spiral at present, having lost eight of their last 12 matches in all competitions.
Strasbourg, meanwhile, come into this match after scoring three times in the last 13 minutes to beat Montpellier on Sunday. Julien Stephan’s side profited from a soft red card to their opponents in that match but continued their trend of turning in impressive displays in recent weeks.
Racing have won five of their last seven matches in total and have won four of their last five in Ligue 1 by at least two goals.
Crucially, the visiting side will welcome back striker Ludovic Ajorque, who has 10 goals and six assists for the season, after he was banned at the weekend.
Strasbourg have everything in their favour prior to this match, with two of their three away wins this season coming in their previous two league road trips.
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Prediction: Strasbourg Draw No Bet, 1.6 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Lille v Lorient
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Wednesday 19th January – 6PM KO
Defending champions Lille showed their mettle at the weekend to secure a 1-1 draw in Marseille, despite playing around an hour due to 10 men after Benjamin Andre was sent off. It was clearly an exhausting experience for Jocelyn Gourvennec’s side, but in winning all three of their previous midweek Ligue 1 matches this season, they have shown a capacity to deal with such issues.
Meanwhile, Lorient travel to France’s north east with all sorts of problems to juggle. Firstly, they are notoriously bad away from home. Their last away victory in the league came in October 2020, while they are presently on their longest run without a win in the top flight ever.
On Saturday, the Breton side showcased their toothless nature. Against an Angers side that played 75 minutes down to 10 men, they were only able to earn a single point and barely created opportunities of note, with last season’s goalscoring hero Terem Moffi looking badly out of sorts.
Furthermore, Julien Laporte, one of their outstanding players, will be absent from the defence after testing positive for Covid-19.
Nevertheless, this is unlikely to be a walkover. Lille have only won one previous league fixture this season by a margin of more than a single goal.
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Prediction: Under 2.5 Goals, 1.95 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Montpellier v Troyes
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Wednesday 19th January – 6PM KO
Montpellier and Troyes meet at Stade de la Mosson in an encounter that pits two sides seeking to recover from weekend defeats against each other. But while Montpellier’s loss against Strasbourg came out of character with regards to recent results, for their guests it was a continuation of a poor recent trend.
Troyes had a new coach in the dugout for Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Lyon, with the scoreline giving a flattering reflection of the match given how comprehensively they were outplayed. ESTAC are a side that may need time to adjust to a new system. On the evidence of the weekend, they are set to disband their possession-based strategy in favour of one that will see them lie deep and hit on the counter.
Just how effective Troyes are with this new strategy may take weeks to become evident given that they are without many attacking options due to a combination of international duty and injuries.
Meanwhile, Montpellier have been boosted by the news that the red card that Elye Wahi received at the weekend, which played a key role in their late collapse to a 3-1 loss, has been rescinded. The young forward, who is his team’s most prolific striker in terms of minutes-per-goal, could come into the starting XI.
Against Troyes, the hosts will expect to get back to the sort of form that had seen them win six games in succession before the weekend’s setback.
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Prediction: Montpellier to Win, 1.73 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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