France - Ligue 1 (Apr 19-20)

[heniek31]

Saturday 19 April 2008	Home	Draw	Away	BPP
RC Lens v Sochaux (16:10BST)	2.25	3.35	3.80	101%
Hide « RC Lens v Sochaux
Auxerre v Metz (19:00BST)	1.53	4.20	8.60	101%
Hide « Auxerre v Metz
Caen v PSG (19:00BST)	3.15	3.10	2.80	100%
Hide « Caen v PSG
Nancy v Le Mans UC72 (19:00BST)	1.90	3.50	5.20	100%
Hide « Nancy v Le Mans UC72
OGC Nice v Monaco (19:00BST)	2.16	3.25	4.10	101%
Hide « OGC Nice v Monaco
RC Strasbourg v Lyon (19:00BST)	5.70	3.60	1.79	101%
Hide « RC Strasbourg v Lyon
Saint-Étienne v Lorient (19:00BST)	1.90	3.50	5.10	101%
Hide « Saint-Étienne v Lorient
Stade Rennais v Valenciennes (19:00BST)	1.90	3.50	5.30	100%
Hide « Stade Rennais v Valenciennes
Sunday 20 April 2008	Home	Draw	Away	BPP
Toulouse v Bordeaux (17:00BST)	3.00	3.15	2.64	103%
Hide « Toulouse v Bordeaux
Marseille v Lille (19:55BST)	1.79	3.50	5.60	102%

[dealer_dil]

Hi, Meatman
I'm thinking about St. Etienne, but I have two questions:

1. Why in last match against Sochaux Gomis and Feindouno started as game on the bench? They only rested? Are they fit enough to play against Lorient?
2. I suppose that motivation in St. Etienne is bigger that in Lorient. Am I right?

[MaKDaddYSportsBET]

Originally Posted by dealer_dil

Hi, Meatman
I'm thinking about St. Etienne, but I have two questions:

1. Why in last match against Sochaux Gomis and Feindouno started as game on the bench? They only rested? Are they fit enough to play against Lorient?
2. I suppose that motivation in St. Etienne is bigger that in Lorient. Am I right?

Try soccernet they have decent enough info on Ligue 1...

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/team?id=178&cc=3436

[shakeel]

rennes
Rennes play better now and they wish to win, while Valenciennes finished their job and wont trytoo hard in this match. Even if they do, the way they play away they can do anything. As we see it, this will be an easy home win.
lyon
to win for the title
any views?

[shakeel]

meatman
dont you think reims looks like an easy home win?

[shrip69]

Ok my picks

NANCY V le mans unbeaten home all season against an average away team with little to play for.

NICE V monaco dnb again a good home side doing well vs a very poor monaco side

ST ETIENNE V lorient another solid home side vs a team that has only won 2 away all season with little to play for.

then you have the top 3 teams Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux all 3 have a good chance of winning just need to check meatmans views on all the games.

good luck everybody

[meatman]

Sochaux +0.25 AH @ 2.09 Canbet 3/10


This is a massive match for Lens in their bid to avoid relegation. Currently, Les Sang et Or are situated outside of the drop zone only by virtue of goals scored, so the pressure is seriously on. A run of no win in 10 games has left them in big trouble and now they face a potential rival towards the bottom of the table. Sochaux will come here confident and unbeaten in 9 matches. They have been one of the best teams in 2008, especially away from home where they have won their last 4 consecutive matches. The Montbelliard club have been really comfortable on their travels this season and their system suits playing on the road really well. This will be a special match for coach Francois Gillot who was manager of Lens for a few years before resigning last summer. It will be the first time that he faces his old club, so he’ll be desperate to get a victory. Sochaux themselves are still not safe from relegation yet, but a win here in this match would pretty much secure it. Lens showed some good fight and determination last week in Lorient, but still lost 0-1 and failed to make the most of their chances. If they play like that again then they are capable of collecting 3 points this weekend, but Lens really cant be relied upon at the moment. Preference will go to Sochaux to obtain at least a point here.


Auxerre -1 AH @ 1.89 Canbet 5/10

A poor run of recent results, especially at home has left Auxerre still not safe from relegation with 5 games left to play. Its been a difficult year for the Burgundy club but just one more victory would probably be enough to cement their top flight status for another season. The pressure is on them to get a result here, and this is a match that they really should be winning with relative ease They face bottom of the table Metz and its difficult to see anything other than a home win. The visitors lost in their midweek cup match, pushing Lyon hard, but eventually succumbing 0-1 at Le Stade Gerland. ‘Les Grenats’ have performed much better in 2008 but now their season is officially over and they have absolutely nothing left to play for anymore. The players could be tired ahead of this clash and I don’t think they will be too concerned about the result. I expect to see Auxerre show a greater level of motivation and intensity - they know that they really must get the 3 points. Traditionally they can be relied upon at home, I expect them to get the job done and win comfortably.



Caen (0) AH @ 2.08 Ladbrokes 4/10

Just 1 win in their last 11 matches has left PSG inside the relegation zone by virtue of goals scored. They still have a decent chance of avoiding the drop and have a fairly favourable final few fixtures. This is a match they will be target wining, but it could be a potentially tricky trip to Caen. The hosts themselves are still not quite safe from relegation, but a win here or even a draw would almost certainly be enough to secure their top flight status. A good run of recent results has eased the pressure on Franck Doumas’ men and they have been playing some much better football. Caen’s main strength this season has been at home where they have performed well and lost relatively few matches. They certainly cant be underestimated in front of their own fans who will support them all the way to the end of every match. PSG have lost their last 5 consecutive away games and just haven’t performed very well on their travels here. Many people expect PSG to win here ‘because they have to’ but I don’t think it’ll be as simple as that. In my opinion, there’s no way Caen should be 2nd favourites here, they are capable of obtaining at least a draw.

[meatman]

Nancy -0.5 AH @ 1.96 Canbet 3/10

Nancy slipped up last week when they lost 1-2 away to Lille. This was a blow in their quest to obtain the final champions league position and now Marseille have leapfrogged them into 3rd spot, albeit only on goal difference. The big problem that Nancy have had has been their terrible away from, and they have only won a couple of road games this season. But in front of their own fans its been a completely different story. They remain unbeaten at Le Stade Marcel Pichot and have won 12/16 times here. Nancy are very confident at this stadium and will be desperate to get 3 points against Le Mans. The visitors performed very well last week as they hammered Auxerre 3-0, but this will be a much tougher test for them. Le Mans are still in the hunt for 5th position in the table, but entering the intertoto cup isn’t really something that they‘d probably want. They are completely safe from relegation, which was the main priority at the start of the campaign, so everybody can pretty much relax now. Rudy Garcia’s men have been difficult to beat recently but they struggled in their last road game at St Etienne and I expect a similar outcome here. Nancy are incredibly strong at home and their motivation will certainly be exceptionally high. I’ll back them to get the 3 points out of this fixture.


Nice straight win @ 2.17 188bet 3/10

This is a crucial south coast derby clash - at least for Monaco who need the points in their battle to avoid relegation. At the weekend, they suffered a damaging home defeat facing rivals Toulouse and are still only 5 points clear of the danger area. With some potentially tough fixtures still left to play, the principality club definitely remain in trouble and the pressure is certainly on everyone. 2008 hasn’t been a good year for Ricardo’s men and they have won just 1 of their last 11 games. Even more worrying will be the fact that they have lost 5 of their lat 6 games and haven’t even managed to even pick up some draws recently. Nice at least did Monaco a favour last week by beating PSG 3-2 away from home and this victory moved them up to 6th in the table. The battle is on for the final European place, but many people say that it’s a spot that Nice don’t really want to get. Nevertheless, I expect the hosts will be properly motivated for this clash against their local rivals. This game is a really big one for the fans and they would love to obtain victory in it. Nice are traditionally so strong at home but haven’t won any of their last 5 at Le Stade Du Ray. Its time that they got back on track in front of their own fans and should be able to pick up at least a point. Monaco are in a bit of a mess at the moment so it’s probably a good time to be taking them on.


Rennes -0.75 AH @ 2.04 Canbet 5/10

If Rennes want to obtain 5th position in the table, then they cant afford to slip up here. Guy Lacombe’s men have been in good form recently and lost just 1 of their last 7 games. Confidence is high amongst the players and they pushed Lyon really hard last week away from home. They kept fighting right until the end and scored an injury time equaliser to obtain a 1-1 draw. This is a club with big ambitions and are one of the few teams left in the mixer who would actually ‘want’ to play in Europe next season. So the motivation is still there for the players to finish as highly as they can, and you’d have to expect them to do the business against Valenciennes. Thanks to last weeks home success against Strasbourg, Antoine Koubouare’s men are situated on 44 points in the table and are now pretty safe from relegation. They have the worst away record in the whole of ligue 1, losing a miserable 10/15 games on their travels this season. The team hasn’t been playing that well recently and the effects of a long hard fought campaign are starting to show in the squad. Rennes have looked the by far the better team recently and I’d expect them to have a relatively comfortable evening here.

[meatman]

St Etienne -0.5 AH @ 1.87 6/10

There’s no doubt that St Etienne are one of the form teams in ligue 1 at the moment and they’ve ended the season very strongly. ‘Les Verts’ have lost just 1 of their last 9 matches and have played some excellent football recently. Currently they are the team that is situated in 5th position in the table and they would definitely like to remain in this spot. A lot of teams around them probably aren’t too keen about playing European football next season but St Etienne would love the opportunity. Coach, Laurent Roussay knows that if his team could finish 5th, then it would be classed as a successful season and he would become the first Les Verts manager in 3 years to still be in charge when the next campaign starts. The key to St Etienne’s success this year has been their home form. They’ve only lost 1 game at Le Stade Geoffroy Guichard so far, and this stadium has returned to its old fortress ways. One of the most amazing facts is that the team has conceded just 4 goals here all year. Lorient arrive in reasonable form but one feels this is a team that probably just wants the end of the season to come quickly now. They are still in the hunt for a European spot, but don’t really want it and their motivation levels have been questionable recently.. You’d have to be a brave man to oppose St Etienne at home and I expect them to get the 3 points here.



Lyon -0.75 AH @ 2.03 188bet 5/10

Lyon have slipped up in the last couple of weeks and now only have a 4 point lead at the top of the table. Bordeaux are breathing heavily down their necks and ‘Les Gones’ know that they simply have to beat Strasbourg this weekend. The good news is that they are facing a team in horrific form and it should be pretty comfortable. Strasbourg’s plight hasn’t been very pretty to watch and they have lost a massive 8 of their last 9 matches. The team looks a fallen force now, and although they are only inside the relegation zone by virtue of goal difference, I’d say that they already have one foot in ligue 2 for next season. The players will fight all the way though and are likely to be cheered home by a partisan crowd at Le Stade Meinau. Lyon must be prepared to do battle strongly but they have the quality and belief needed to get the 3 points. When push comes to shove, the champions usually come up with the goods and failure to in this game would be pretty embarrassing. I cant see any result other than an away win and I fully expect Alain Perrin’s men to put another nail into Strasbourg’s coffin.

[meatman]

Good luck all today, hopefully there will be a few more goals and action than there was last night in Ligue 2!!!

[Setup]

hello meatman,
the movements of the odds confuse me.
I thought Nancy and Souchax are my strongests bets,
but the odds for Nancy win is raising and the odds for Lens win are dropping.
Any explanation?

[Football-Tipper]

ALL todays games can be seen here live and FREE

LINK

[meatman]

Pretty much dead level here today. It looked bad at HT but thankfully Lyon, Rennes, St Etienne and Caen all managed to win for me

Some PSG fans went on the pitch at Caen and were throwing things, I fared if things got worse the ref might be forced to stop the match!!

Thankfully order was restored though. PSG fans are very very angry and who can blame them eh

[bagzi_cg]

Caen destroyed PSG tonight,and I had some good wons from yours picks meatman( St.Etienne, Rennes,Caen and Lyon )Thank you!

[bagzi_cg]

Meatman,what do you think about Toulouse-Bordeaux and Marseille-Lille today?

[bagzi_cg]

Is it possible Toulouse to win and Marsille to win?

[meatman]

hhhmmmmmm I'll give you my thoughts on these games later

[meatman]

Toulouse (0) AH @ 2.10 Pinnacle 3/10

This looks set to be a fascinating encounter between two teams who desperately need the points for different reasons. Toulouse are still in the relegation dogfight, although have shown some good recent form, and crucially they have been able to pick up regular points. They haven’t been spectacular, but have been solid as they gradually inch their way clear of danger. Currently, Elie Baup’s men are 3 points clear of the red zone but know that they must keep fighting hard to ensure of their survival. Last week they obtained a massive win against a rival at the bottom - 2-0 away to Monaco. A run of 3 consecutive wins has put Bordeaux right back in the title race, and now also due to Lyon’s recent dodgy form, the players can be more positive about claming some silverware. However, Bordeaux suffered a big blow in midweek when they were dumped out of the French Cup at home to Sedan. The ligue 2 side prevailed on penalties after a long hard fought 120 minutes of action had failed to produce a goal. What physical effect this will have on the players remains to be seen, but it certainly cant be much of a positive factor. Toulouse are hard to beat, but Bordeaux are the better team. This looks like a really tough match to predict and is capable of going either way. But Toulouse are overpriced on this 0AH line, so I'll gamble on them.



Marseille -0.75 AH @ 1.98 Betinternet 3/10

Marseille took a giant leap towards the final champions league position last weekend when they beat Metz 2-1 away from home. This in combination with Nancy’s loss to Lille ensured that Eric Geret’s men moved up to that 3rd position. The aim now is to make sure that they stay there for the remainder of the season. Marseille will know the outcome of Saturdays match between Nancy and Le Mans so will be desperate to respond to their rivals should Nancy win. Either way, Marseille will be aiming for victory in this clash, although it wont be easy. Lille have performed strongly in 2008 and have been difficult to defeat all season. They will probably come here with a tight defensive formation and try to make themselves hard to break down. The visitors still have hopes of finishing 5th in the table and are sure to fight hard right until the end of the season. Manager, Claude Puel always demands 110% effort from his players and you can always be sure of their commitment. Marseille are arguably playing the best football in France at the moment and especially in attack they have looked exceptionally strong. In front of their own fans at Le Stade Velodrome they are very difficult opposition, and Lille could struggle. It might not be an easy success, but preference will have to go to ‘OM’ to get the win.

[bagzi_cg]

Nice meatman,I will go with these picks maybe it will be lucky like yesterday!Thank you for your previews,you are the best!

[nicko]

Valuewise Meatman's choice is good re Toulouse match, but there's a line at the bottom saying ''I will gamble on them''. I suppose it is a ''touch'' of being sorry for a great team last season. I feel exactly the same about these guys, and I do so about PSG and Lens. Agree the match can go either way and I also agree Bordeaux are the better team, so I will follow guests instead on 0AH, plus some speculative small bets - hosts to score first, guest to draw or win from behind and maybe Over 2,5 goals - on paper very unlikely with hosts scoring less than a goal average...