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Rodez v Paris
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Kick Off: Tuesday 21st May at 19:30
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Competition: Ligue 2
The Ligue 1 play-offs begin on Tuesday, featuring Rodez and Paris, the clubs that finished fourth and fifth respectively in the second tier.
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This is a one-legged affair, with the winner having the honour of playing Saint-Etienne, the club that finished third, away from home on Friday. The winner of that tie will then face Lorient, who finished 16th in Ligue 1 over two legs next week.
Rodez are a club that is seen as having little right to be playing on such a stage. Hailing from a town of 24,000, their crowds are typically around the 3,000 mark. RAF, though, have been exceptionally well managed during their five years in Ligue 2. They have a well-balanced squad that fights for one another, with substitutes able to come into the team with little quality loss.
Paris FC, on the other hand, have been well funded and are aiming to provide a rival to PSG in the capital. Struggling to make an impression, they made their home games free to spectators this season. While the level of support they receive is volatile on a match-by-match basis, promotion could be the break they need to get a foothold in what is currently a one-club city.
Rodez v Paris Best Bets
📂 Rodez v Paris Cheat Sheet
*Cheat Sheet pending…
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⚔️ Rodez v Paris Head-to-Head
The long-term balance in this rivalry is even. In the last 10 meetings, each club has won three times, with four draws.
This term, both matches have been by the team playing at home.
The latest encounter was two months ago. Rodez secured a 1-0 playing at home thanks to an own goal from Timothee Kolodziejczak 10 minutes before half-time. Paris FC, though, had the better of the match, fashioning 1.2xG in comparison to their opponents’ 0.7.
In that last meeting, the capital club dominated in all regards. They had nearly two-thirds of the ball, had 21 shots in comparison to eight from the hosts, and led the corner count nine to three.
Each team had a clearly defined threat in that match. Andreas Hountondji, Rodez’s top scorer, had three of their four shots on target and five of their eight efforts overall. For Paris. Ayoub Jabbari was the main man, with the forward having six shots, three of which were on target.
The other meeting between these clubs this season came on December 5. Although Paris FC won it 2-0, Rodez were much the stronger side, leading 2.2xG to 0.8. The hosts scored both their shots on target through Pierre-Yves Hamel, who is likely missing here.
Only three players have committed fouls in both games: Rodez central midfielders Giovanni Haag (4 total fouls) and Wilitty Younoussa (3) as well as PFC’s Kouadio-Yves Dabila (3).
📊 Rodez Form and Stats
Rodez have been in strong form lately. Across their last 15 games, they have suffered only two defeats, while at home this term they have won 10 of 19 in Ligue 2, including just three losses.
At the weekend, they leapfrogged Paris in the league thanks to a comfortable win over Ajaccio. Goals in the first six minutes from Giovanni Haag and Hountondji set the stage for an easy win that allowed them to make early changes to preserve their players by making early changes ahead of Tuesday.
RAF’s form had seemed to be wobbling after three successive wins. In previous matches, they had endured a rare home loss against Annecy, conceding 2.6xG in the process, while they snatched a 1-1 draw in front of nearly 36,000 in Saint-Etienne a week later.
Rodez’s threats are clear. Starting strikers Hountondji and Killian Corredor have scored 26 of their 59 goals, with another six coming from backup forward Tairyk Arconte, who has only netted once in the second half of the season.
Hountondji has had shots on target in three of his last five matches, managing three in two of these. In this regard, he is had of Corredor, who has also had 11 total shots but only four on target.
Centre-back Bradley Danger has five goals, four of which were penalties, and has supplied four assists from set pieces, including the opener at the weekend. Indeed, the defence is key for creating chances, with a strong bias down the right, where right-sided wing-backs Dembo Sylla and Lucas Buades have 0.38 and 0.33 assists per 90.
Giovanni Haag, meanwhile, is the man for fouls. He has been fouled three times in each of his last three outings but has equally committed three fouls in two of his last four games. With 10 yellow cards this season at a rate of 0.33 per 90, he is also the player likeliest to trouble the referee.
📊 Paris Form and Stats
Paris FC’s results have been dominated by draws since the beginning of February. Seven of their last 16 games have ended all square, though they have lost only two of these other games.
Playing away from home has been a weakness. They have won only two of their last 11 on the road in all competitions.
Meanwhile, their xG figures do not make for encouraging reading. In each of their last three matches, their opponents have got the better of them in this regard, including Friday’s draw in Bastia, when their opponents fashioned 2.4xG compared to their 0.4. Better is required here.
It is notable that they are on a run of nine games since keeping a clean sheet. Their opponents have managed to score more than once in only two of these matches, though.
Although Paris won nine corners on their last trip to Rodez, across their last nine Ligue 2 matches, they have had more than three corners only on two occasions. Stephane Gilli’s side have conceded more than three on five occasions.
There has been little remarkable about their discipline in recent games but this is a team with a long-term trend of conceding more than 12 fouls during games. They have done this seven times in their last 11, although only two of their last five. Despite this, they have seen only 63 cards this season – two fewer than Rodez.
Unfortunately for Paris, their chief creative force, Ilan Kebbal (six goals, 11 assists), is ruled out because of an ankle injury. He has been habitually winning multiple free kicks in recent weeks but is out due to an ankle injury while captain Cyril Mandouki only has a slim chance of playing after a weekend injury.
Additional responsibility will be on winger Alimani Gory because Nouha Dicko and Ayoub Jabbari have been relatively unproductive in attack. Gory, benched in the last four, has shots on target in nine of his last 13 Ligue 2 appearances.
💰 Rodez v Paris Best Bets
This is likely to be a tight match, following the pattern of the previous fixtures between the clubs.
Injury problems, though, weigh heavily on the Parisians, which could have a decisive bearing on the outcome of the match.
Rodez at 1.4 with a +1 handicap looks a strong option, as does backing the hosts at 1.73 on a Draw No Bet basis.
* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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