Monaco v Reims
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Sunday 27th February – 12:00PM KO
Reims’ present run of form has been impressive given the context it has been achieved in. Oscar Garcia’s side have lost only one of their last three matches, despite injury problems that by rights should have left them crippled.
These were added to last weekend as they drew 1-1 with Brest as leading attacker Hugo Ekitike picked up a problem that is set to see him pinned to the sidelines for the next six weeks.
Monaco, meanwhile, are seeking to bounce back after successive draws against Lorient and Bordeaux. Their home record suggests that they should do. After failing to win any of their first three at Stade Louis II this season, they have bounced back with seven victories in 10.
Although Aurelien Tchouameni is banned after being sent off in Bordeaux last weekend, Monaco will have a strong squad available. Indeed, the loss of their star midfielder should not hurt them significantly against an opponent that will look to spend its time defending.
On paper, this should be a home banker, yet Monaco do not have a good historical record against Reims, winning only two of their last nine.
Better value can be found in backing against both teams to score. Six of Monaco’s last nine in the league have been winners in this circumstance, while five of Reims’ last six have ended in this outcome.
After the teams played out a scoreless draw earlier this season, Reims would be delighted with a similar outcome on the Mediterranean coast and the most realistic way they will find the net is front a set piece.
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Prediction: BTTS- No, 1.67 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Brest v Lorient
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Sunday 27th February – 2:00PM KO
Brest could effectively seal their place in Ligue 1 next season with a victory over local rivals Lorient on Sunday. With 32 points on the board, another three would surely mean the hosts are too far from trouble to be sucked into any difficulties.
Brest, too, have shown some excellent home form of late. Wins have come against Bordeaux, Lille and Troyes in their last four, with their sole defeat coming against a Nice outfit that travels excellently.
The addition of Martin Satriano to the starting XI has brought a new dimension to the hosts. The young Uruguayan has scored three times in his last two starts, having now integrated into the squad since a January loan move from Inter.
Meanwhile, Brest picked up a 2-1 win in Lorient during November, albeit they played against 10 men for more than half of the game.
Lorient, meanwhile, are notoriously poor away from home. They have clocked up just a single away win in two years, while their last success on the road came in October 2020.
Christophe Pelissier’s side have been more competitive in recent weeks and ground out a draw away to Monaco, but they also conceded seven goals in two trips to Lille and Nantes, which are more representative of their way form in recent months. Indeed, they had lost seven straight on the road before taking a shock point in the principality.
Brest have won this fixture on five successive occasions, scoring three goals in four of these, and more of the same should be expected.
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Prediction: Brest to Win, 2.0 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Angers v Lens
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Sunday 27th February – 2:00PM KO
Angers are a side in grave danger of being sucked into the relegation issue if their form does not improve soon. In their last 11 matches in all competitions, they have suffered eight defeats, while their only victories have come against teams lower than them in the league standings. Indeed, the last time Angers even drew against a team in a better position than them was when they held Sunday’s opponents Lens 2-2 back in late November.
Angers’ offensive inspiration has dried up in recent weeks, losing back-to-back games 1-0, but they should have Mohamed-Ali Cho, Sofiane Boufal and Angelo Fulgini working in tandem for the first time in 2022, representing a sizeable offensive boost.
Lens, meanwhile, have blown far hotter and colder in recent weeks than they have been accustomed to under Franck Haise. On their travels, particularly, they have struggled. After winning three of their first four road matches of the season, they have subsequently won only one of eight.
Although both teams have had their problems going forward lately, the signs are that both attacks are in the midst of an upward trend. Lens, for example, have scored four goals in their last couple of matches, with an adjustment to Florian Sotoca’s position apparently the tweak that was needed to get back towards their best.
With Angers’ attack back at its full strength, and Boufal especially looking lively, it seems unlikely that they will continue their two-game scoreless streak. Those shutouts, meanwhile, came against clubs with far better defensive records than Lens.
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Prediction: Both Teams to Score, 1.83 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Metz v Nantes
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Sunday 27th February – 2:00PM KO
Metz host Nantes on Sunday, one of the sides embroiled in a relegation battle that saw four clubs rooted to the foot of the standings on 21 points at the start of the weekend.
If Metz could play away from home every week, they would likely be fine. Their problems, however, lie at home. No Ligue 1 club has a poorer record in front of its own fans this season, with Metz having picked up just seven points from 12 games, including just a single win.
Indeed, Metz have lost their last three home matches, albeit against difficult opposition in the form of Strasbourg, Nice and Marseille.
Nantes will also fall into that category as they are enjoying a surprisingly strong campaign. Having flirted with relegation last season, Antoine Kombouare’s side are seventh and approach this match off the back of three successive wins. Last weekend, they picked up their best victory in recent months, outplaying PSG 3-1 at home. The confidence they will have taken from that match will be immense.
On the road, Kombouare’s side are notably weaker. Indeed, they have lost half of their away games and are scoring at approximately half the rate they do at home.
However, with a strong and immensely confident squad available, they will expect to have too much for Metz – an opponent they beat comfortable 2-0 earlier this season thanks to goals from Randal Kolo Muani and Ludovic Blas, both of whom are expected to start again on Sunday.
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Prediction: Nantes Draw no Bet, 1.73 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Clermont v Bordeaux
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Sunday 27th February – 2:00PM KO
Bordeaux travel to Clermont doubtless targeting three points that could lift them out of the relegation zone.
One of French football’s most historical clubs finds itself in a complete mess on and off the field at present. No club in Europe’s Big 5 leagues has conceded more goals this season, and it came as little surprise when Vladimir Petkovic was sacked following a 5-0 loss against Reims earlier this month.
David Guion took charge for the first time against Monaco last weekend and saw an immediate improvement in terms of the defensive stability of the team. Nevertheless, they were unable to hold out and secure a win, despite playing 10 men for more than half of the match.
With games running out, Bordeaux need to become more ruthless. Unfortunately, they will be without some key figures for this trip, including goalkeeper Benoit Costil and exciting attacker Alberth Elis.
Clermont, meanwhile, have won three of their last four. These scalps are impressive, too. Rennes, Nice and Marseille are all chasing European football next season. Curiously, the game they lost in this sequence was the one they might have been most expected to win: a home fixture with struggling Saint-Etienne.
This encounter arrives in a similar context to that 2-1 defeat, which was a result that shows the unpredictable nature of Clermont right now.
Given how slick they looked last weekend, and given that Bordeaux’s strength remains in their attack, it would be surprising if both teams did not find the net here.
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Prediction: Both Teams to Score, 1.73 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Troyes v Marseille
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Sunday 27th February – 4:05PM KO
Marseille’s away form has been excellent all season, with the Stade Velodrome club winning eight of their 12 Ligue 1 matches on their travels so far this term. On Thursday, they made the gruelling journey to Qarabag and continued that trend in Europe with a 3-0 success.
Somewhat surprisingly, OM fielded a virtual full-strength team for the midweek encounter, despite a turnaround time of less than three days before their trip to Troyes in Ligue 1. As such, this promises to be a major test of their fitness levels.
There is pressure on OM to win, too. After losing 2-0 to Clermont at home last weekend, the race for the top three has opened up unexpectedly.
Expect OM head coach Jorge Sampaoli to approach this with a pragmatic manner as Marseille chase a fifth successive away match. Four of these have been achieved with a cleansheet in games producing fewer than three goals.
Troyes, meanwhile, have struggled under new head coach Bruno Irles and over the past couple of weeks have been defeated 5-1 and 4-1 by Brest and Rennes respectively. These results reflected the nature of the games.
At home, however, Irles’ two matches in charge have produced just a single goal in a 1-0 reverse against Lyon. A similar encounter to that should be forecast.
Marseille are the better side and should win this game, but their midweek European trip means that it will likely be competitive. Backing either OM to win or Under 2.5 goals both make sense, with the better value on the goals.
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Prediction: Under 2.5 Goals, 1.85 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Lyon v Lille
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Sunday 27th February – 7:45PM KO
Lyon host Lille have won their last three home matches. These have not been straightforward matches either, with Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille the visitors to the Rhone giants.
OL’s overall form, though, remains in question despite largely positive results of late. Indeed, the only truly convincing display they have had in the league since beating Monaco 2-0 at home in October was their recent victory over Nice, in which they claimed victory by a similar margin.
Furthermore, their record against Lille is positively dreadful. They have failed to win any of their last 11 matches against the defending Ligue 1 champions in 90 minutes. At home, they have lost four of their last five in the league and have won only one of nine. When the sides met earlier this season, Lille were resounding 3-1 winners.
LOSC travel following a midweek match against Chelsea, though five days recovery should mean they have little trouble bouncing back. The absence of Benjamin Andre because of a ban could be problematic in the midfield, but that is an area they have strong depth.
Jocelyn Gourvennec’s side have lost only one of their last six on their travels in Ligue 1 and a fortnight ago beat Montpellier 1-0.
Lyon, meanwhile, have not been especially reliable at home, despite losing only once this season in front of their home support. Indeed, they have only won seven of 13 in the league.
Backing Lille via a handicap is good value.
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Prediction: Lille Double Chance, 2.00 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
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