PSG v Bordeaux

The big question for PSG heading into the weekend will be how they deal with the disappointment of being knocked out of the Champions League in an embarrassing style by Real Madrid. For 150 of the 180 minutes of the tie, they dominated the Spanish league leaders, yet in the remaining half hour they crumbled in an all-too-familiar style.

Even head coach Mauricio Pochettino has said it will be hard to motivate a group in such circumstances.In usual circumstances, everything points to a healthy home win, but this is a unique situation.

Bordeaux have a wretched record against PSG, winless in their last 13 Ligue 1 matches against their hosts, who have only twice failed to win at home in all competitions this season.

Although Bordeaux games have typically guaranteed goals this season, that has not been the case since David Guion took command three matches ago. Indeed, the trio of games he has overseen have all produced exactly two goals. This is testimony to a shift in approach to a more defensive mindset, which will surely be magnified for this encounter.

Nevertheless, a 2-0 home defeat against Troyes last weekend spells trouble for the league’s bottom side.If Bordeaux cannot take anything from a relegation rival, they are unlikely to be able to compete at PSG, even if their hosts are demotivated by the midweek loss.

This may not be the landslide victory that might be expected, but the home side should be plenty good enough to get the win.

Angers v Reims

Angers are a side that has been on an alarming slide for weeks. Gerald Baticle’s men started the season as one of the most impressive teams in the league, playing an exciting brand of football that was a deviation from the previously dour but effective reptation that Angers had earned through the years.

However, they have since been found to be a one-trick pony. Since teams have worked out how to play them, their results have collapsed and the form of their potentially thrilling attackers has dipped. Indeed, what has been most alarming about their recent results is the non-performances of Angelo Fulgini and Sofiane Boufal, their two key attackers.

So just how bad is this run? Angers have lost nine of their last 11 in all competitions, while their sole victory has come against a struggling Troyes side at home. They have been beaten in each of their last six, although they have faced a difficult run of fixtures in that period.

Reims, meanwhile, have defied expectations by piecing together a run of only one defeat in their last five. They have shown impressive character in this time, coming from behind late in games to secure a win over Monaco in their last away trip a fortnight ago, then again to draw against Strasbourg last weekend.

All of this has been achieved in the face of significant injury problems that might otherwise have been expected to cripple the team. These still exist going into this weekend, but given they have shrugged them off previously, there is no reason to suggest they cannot do so again.

Clermont v Lorient

Clermont’s recent good run of form has seen them move clear of the relegation zone, although they still have much work to do in order to secure their safety. Pascal Gastien’s side have impressed critics with their technical level this season and that has translated into results in recent weeks. In their last six Ligue 1 matches, they have picked up 10 points, including three victories.

The Auvergne side suffered a 4-0 loss at Lille last weekend, but that was unrepresentative of their performance in that match. It had been 1-0 and competitive before a red card swiftly changed the nature of the game.

Lorient, meanwhile, were absolutely wretched as they lost 4-1 at home to Lyon a week past on Friday. It was a limp performance that had relegation written all over it.

Christophe Pelissier’s side, meanwhile, is one that typically thrives at home and struggles away. Indeed, their victory over Brest a fortnight ago was the first they had achieved away from home in Ligue 1 since October 2020. They have not won consecutive away games in the top flight since 2017 – and they have only spent one season out of Ligue 1 during that time.

The guests have been hit with flu in their camp this week, with Terem Moffi and Armand Lauriente coming down with the virus. Both will be available, but their fitness levels may be affected.

The prospects of an away win look distant, but to mitigate for Clermont’s tendency to underperform against teams around them, back draw no bet.

Metz v Lens

If Metz are going to drag themselves out of relegation trouble, they had better find some form soon, with their home record, in particular, cause for concern. They have picked up a miserable eight points at home all season, which is the worst record in Ligue 1. Included in this is just a single home victory, which came against Lorient in December.

With the league still tight, head coach Frederic Antonetti has been content to grind results out lately. Three of their last five matches have ended in scoreless draws. Last weekend, meanwhile, they lost out narrowly 1-0 against Saint-Etienne, though rarely looked like scoring.

Going forward, Metz are a team that is seriously struggling. The loss of right wing-back Fabien Centonze is an injury that has affected them profoundly and since the start of the year, they have scored only two goals in seven league matches.

Lens, meanwhile, are not firing on all cylinders either. They have never quite rediscovered the strong form they showed during the autumn and have stuttered rather in the early weeks of 2022. Although they have won four of eight matches, they have never served to be entirely convincing.

This was highlighted last weekend, when they lost 1-0 against Brest in a match they dominated and should have won.

Both of these teams are struggling for goals at present, so backing against both teams to score offers value in this instance.

Strasbourg v Monaco

Strasbourg are a side that has been in impressive form for several months now, with their reward a shot at European football next season. Head coach Julien Stephan has been one of the managers of the year in France and might have wound up at Monaco as Thierry Henry’s assistant a couple of years ago had the situation been different. That he is now is only to Strasbourg’s benefit.

Under Stephan, Racing are enjoying their best season in years, with the Alsace side having lost only one of their last nine matches in all competitions. That was an ill-deserved defeat away to Bordeaux.

At home, they have been a reliable outfit, picking up seven wins from 13 matches. Remarkably, this will be just a fourth home fixture in 2022 for them.

Monaco, meanwhile, are struggling under new head coach Philippe Clement, who has failed to build on the work done by Niko Kovac. This has been highlighted by recent results. Monaco have managed to win just one of their last six matches in all competitions.

In Europa League action on Thursday, they dominated Braga but lacked cutting edge. A familiar story under their new boss. Moreover, they used a strong team, so fatigue could be an issue for them come Sunday.

With Monaco having lost three of their last four and their form looking erratic, Strasbourg are the side that deserve support in this game.

Lyon v Rennes

Lyon’s home match with Rennes on Sunday is the most attractive Ligue 1 fixture of the weekend. It pits an OL side that has improved dramatically over their past couple of matches against one of the most exciting teams in the league.

Lyon were superb in their 4-1 win over Lorient last weekend, playing their best football in weeks, and then followed that up with an excellent 1-0 win over Porto in the Europa League on Wednesday.

Head coach Peter Bosz will have been especially pleased to have seen his side thrive away from home, having been largely reliant on their home form this season. In the league, for instance, they have lost only two matches at Parc OL.

Rennes, meanwhile, have been in sparkling form. Don’t read too much into their midweek 2-0 loss against Leicester, in which they posted a significantly better xG than their Premier League hosts. Prior to that, they won three successive games in Ligue 1.

If there is a weakness in the visiting side, it is their form on the road. Prior to winning at Montpellier a fortnight ago, they had lost their previous five domestic away games, dating back to December.

One thing that Rennes’ games have guaranteed this season is goals. In their 13 Ligue 1 away trips, they have seen 36 goals scored in total. They have hit a rich vein of form in the league, too, with 10 goals scored in their last three games.

Combined with Lyon’s rejuvenated attacking level plus their shaky defence, this should be an attractive watch for the neutral.

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Brest v Marseille

Sunday night’s showcase match is Marseille’s trip to Brest – a fixture that the visiting side need to win to regain some momentum in the league.

Although OM overcame Basel in the Europa League in midweek, it was a game that they perhaps should have won more handsomely. Arkadiusz Milik scored both the goals, taking his tally to 10 in 2022 already, yet the Pole remarkably still does not have the full trust of head coach Jorge Sampaoli and it would not be entirely surprising to see him drop to the bench for this game.

Marseille go into the weekend third in the league, with their campaign having been built on stuffy away performances. Indeed, they have won 27 of their 47 points on their travels, despite their 13 away matches producing just 26 goals overall. Just one of their last six away matches has seen three goals or more.

Brest, meanwhile, have been similarly involved in a string of low-scoring matches. They produced a smash-and-grab victory over Lens away from home last weekend in a match they really deserved to lose. Indeed, only one of their last seven Ligue 1 games has seen more than two goals.

Backing a low-scoring match here is the logical call. While there is value to be had backing under 2.5 goals, there is even more value in backing against both teams to score. This would have been a winning bet in six of Brest’s last eight league matches, as well as in eight of OM’s last 11 previous Ligue 1 away games.

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