Angers v Rennes

Rennes will look to take advantage of a rare week with no midweek game to claim the points against Angers in Sunday’s early kick off. The Bretons are one of France’s form teams at present, having won each of their last five games, and even if they have not shown the sensational offensive form that was a trademark last season, they are starting to push towards that level once more.

Last Sunday, for instance, they overcame Lyon 3-2 at home, with the increasingly in-form Martin Terrier grabbing a double. Indeed, Rennes have now scored at least three goals in each of their last three league fixtures.

Meanwhile, the visitors may be playing in this slot for the first time this season, but they were excellent at this time last term. They beat PSG (2-0), Saint-Etienne (5-0), Bordeaux (6-0) and Lorient (5-0) when assigned this kick off. 

Angers, meanwhile, are in no such form, having lost their last three matches by conceding three goals in each. In addition, they are set to be depleted defensively for this game, with goalkeeper Yahia Fofana described as a heavy doubt along with wing-back Souleyman Diarra. Paul Bernardoni is primed to start in goal, having lost the starting duties in September after conceding 17 times in the first six games of the season. 

The home side won this fixture 2-0 last season, but it will take a huge reversal in fortunes for them to repeat that achievement.

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Clermont v Brest

Clermont have picked up a good bit of form in Ligue 1 lately and should be favoured to be too strong for Brest in their Sunday meeting. The hosts have lost only one of their last six league games to climb into the top half of the standings, winning two of their last three at home, overcoming Toulouse and Auxerre in the process. Off the back of these results, they must fancy their chances against Brest.

The home side drew 1-1 with Monaco last weekend, although their opponents on that occasion did play much of the game with 10 men. Nevertheless, Clermont were without one of their key figures in Johan Gastien because of suspension, with the midfielder to return for this game. They will carry a strong team into this match.

Brest, meanwhile, are a club in disarray at present. They are bottom of the league, without a full-time coach and were hammered 4-1 away from home against Nantes last weekend. During that match, the tactical decisions of the interim management team were extremely questionable and offer little confidence in their level before this trip to central France. 

Their only win may have come away from home this season, but that was against Angers, who are the team directly above them in the standings. Since then, they have lost six of eight matches, including a home fixture against an Ajaccio side that was previously winless. 

A conservative bet would be to go with Clermont draw-no-bet at 1.57, but the odds on a straight victory are just too tempting.

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Troyes v Lorient

Lorient have flown up to second in Ligue 1 this season off the back of a brilliant start to the season that has seen them win eight of their first 11 matches. There was, however, a suggestion that their bubble could be about to burst last weekend as they were held 0-0 at home by Reims last weekend, despite the visitors playing much of the game with 10 men.

Lorient simply did not look the same offensive force without Terem Moffi, their leading scorer. The Nigeria international limped off in tears during that game with an ankle injury, and while it is a problem that is not as serious as was first feared, he will miss this trip. It is a blow that is likely to blunt the attack of Regis Le Bris’ side significantly. Moffi, after all, came into the weekend tied with Kylian Mbappe at the top of the scoring charts with eight goals.

Troyes, meanwhile, can be more than content with their form. After losing their first three matches of the campaign, they have climbed into a steady mid-table position. Recent matches have become harder fought than their early games of the campaign. In Troyes’ first five matches, there were 23 goals. In their last six, there have been 18, with their highest-scoring matches coming on the road. 

Indeed, ESTAC have drawn their last three at home, including a 1-1 against bottom side Ajaccio last weekend, when they conceded a late goal. It is a blow that may have dented confidence.

In the circumstances, both teams could slip into a more defensive mindset for this game, which has been historically dominant in this fixture. Only one of the last six matches between these clubs has produced more than 2.5 goals and attractive odds well above evens for this happening again look good value.

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Lille v Monaco

Lille host Monaco in Sunday night’s showpiece match having won back-to-back games for the first time this season. Paulo Fonseca’s side may have been excellent to watch this season, but they have been anything but consistent, winning one week and losing the next with great regularity. Are their victories over Lens and Strasbourg a sign of things to come? That’s not clear, but what is probable is that their Sunday match against Monaco should be an entertaining one.

That was certainly what was predicted by visiting head coach Philippe Clement in his press conference on Friday as he said he anticipates a “spectacular” match. It should certainly be one in which there are goals.

Lille’s headaches coming into this game are defensive. They will be without lynchpin centre-back Jose Fonte, whose experience alone is tremendously valuable. Additionally, key holding midfielder Benjamin Andre is also suspended. A side better at scoring goals than keeping their opponents out, it is improbable that Lille build on their back-to-back cleansheets in this match. Meanwhile, they will expect to keep up their record of having scored in every game of the season, with Jonathan David in particularly good form.

Monaco are no defensive titans themselves, although they have kept three successive cleansheets in Ligue 1 away matches this season. Of these opponents, only Montpellier are a capable offensive side. Meanwhile, they may need to do without key defender Benoit Badiashile, who is doubtful but did train Thursday and Friday. They have conceded five times in their two matches without him, while holding midfielder Mohamed Camara is also banned.

Four of the last five between these clubs have seen both teams score, and that pattern should continue.

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