Monaco V Lorient - Kicks off at 12:00 GMT - Live on BT Sport 3
Monaco had a good win over Lyon last weekend who rival them for a European place. The 2-0 victory saw Les Monegasques leapfrog Lyon in the league table and move up from 8th to 6th. Top scorer Wissam Ben Yedder once again put in a top performance setting up the first goal for Jean Lucas in the second minute. The French International striker then scored the second himself dinking the ball deftly over the keeper. That’s now 22 goals in all competitions for the season so far and he is the leading scorer in Ligue 1 with 14 goals.
Monaco now have just one loss in five league games and are on a good run in the Coupe De France after beating Amiens SC of Ligue 2 in the quarter finals (2-0). This season has been a disappointment given last season’s third place finish. However new manager Philippe Clement has overseen four wins, one draw and a loss since coming in. A victory here would keep the momentum going and possibly push them in to the top four of other results go their way. Other than long term injuries Monaco might only be missing attacking midfielder Aleksandr Golovin if he doesn’t recover from illness in time.
Lorient had a magnificent and unexpected win last weekend at home to Lens. It was their first victory in sixteen league games. Les Merlus beat a good Lens side 2-0 with goals from youngster Sambou Soumano and debutant Ibrahima Koné. Soumano, has had more game time recently and was preferred up front to Armand Laurienté and Terem Moffi who played on the wings instead.
The 21 year old Senegalese striker scored his third goal in 9 appearances but in as many matches (3 in 3. Koné meanwhile came on as a 75th minute substitute and scored just a minute later. What a way for the 22 year old Malien to start life at Lorient following his £3.6 million move from Norwegian side Sarpsborg 08. Lorient will be without midfielders Fabien Lemoine and Stephane Diarra through injury. French Footy prediction: Monaco 2 Lorient 1
Angers V Strasbourg - Kicks off at 14:00 GMT - Live on BT Sport 3
Angers were thrashed 5-2 last week at Marseille after going 2-0 up in 11 minutes. Angelo Fulgini seized upon some indecisive defending to win the ball in the opposition area and lash the ball in from a tight angle.
That was the 25 year olds fourth goal of the season and he got his third assist soon after when he teed up Nabil Bentaleb to fire in a deflected shot. From there it was all down hill and Angers now have just one win in six. They could really do with a win here but it’s not the easiest game to go in to when out of form. Stephane Bahoken and Enzo Ebosse should be available after finishing third in the AFCON with Cameroon. New signing forward Marin Jakolis, a £450,000 buy from Hadjuk Split, is unlikely to play as he is recovering from a minor injury.
Strasbourg got their fourth win in five games last week over Nantes. The 1-0 win came courtesy of veteran midfielder Dimitri Liénard. The 33 year olds 74th minute left foot strike was just enough to take the points.
In a tight game Strasbourg keeper Matz Sels made a number of important saves that were crucial to winning the game. Julien Stéphan‘s team are now 4th in the table and right in the hunt for the European places. Les Coureurs will still be without veteran striker Kevin Gameiro (8 goals 1 assist) and midfielder Jean-Eude Aholou who are injured. Sengalese striker (10 goals 2 assist) could feature after winning the AFCON with Senegal. French Footy prediction: Angers 1 - Strasbourg 2
Clermont Foot V Saint Étienne - Kicks off at 14:00 GMT
Clermont were sinking desperately in to a relegation scrap but have turned things around with back to back wins over high flyers Rennes and Nice. To win at Nice last weekend who were third in the table was a huge victory. Les Lanciers created chances throughout the game but looked particularly dangerous when midfielder Jim Allevinah came on in the 64th minute. From a position on the right, the Gabones International hit the post before crossing for Elbasan Rashani to stab home the winner. That was the Kosovon's 5th league goal of the season.
Those recent victories have pushed Clermont Foot up to 15th in the table, five points above this weekend's opponents Saint Étienne. A draw here would be a decent result for Pascal Gastien's team. They are missing defender Josue Albert and midfielder Saif-Eddine Khaoui for this match due to Covid-19.
Saint Étienne are coming off back to back wins for just the second time this season. It’s funny the the only times they won in the league so far this season they’ve had two wins in a row. There is no doubt that Pascal Dupraz has injected some new life and positivity in to Les Verts since taking over in mid December. Last weekends victory over a good Montpellier side displayed some real character from Dupraz’s players. After going behind to an early goal Saint Étienne were behind for the majority of the game. However substitutes Adil Aouchiche and Romain Hamouma combined to equalise in the 82nd minute. The former played the ball in to the latter who smashed a shot in from the edge of the area in to the top corner. It was a fantastic goal from the 34 year old Hamouma and his first of the season following a 3 month injury lay off.
Auchiche then played in a through ball for another substitute, Arnaud Nordin, to race on to and curl a low shot past the keeper. Nordin turned provider minutes later by playing a ball across the box for Wahbi Khazri to smash in his 8th goal of the season. Three goals in the last ten minutes that ensured a massive home win. Saint Etienne still remain at the foot of the table but only two points separate them and 17th placed Lorient. A third straight victory could pull Les Stephanois out of the bottom three if other results go their way. It would also drag Clermont towards them. This is a big game. With no new injuries Dupraz could start with the same team as last week. Defenders Harold Moukoudi and Miguel Trauco could feature following recent International duty.
French Footy prediction: Clermont 2 - Saint Etienne 2
Brest V Troyes- Kicks off at 14:00
Brest lost their last game 2-0 at Rennes. They were lacklustre in attack and only managed a single shot on target. Losing their playmaker Romain Faivre to Lyon at the end of the January transfer window will not help in that regard. As manager Michel Der Zakarian favours a counter attacking style of play Brest are often happy to give up possession to the opposition.
If they can’t create chances on the counter attack though they are going to suffer. New signing Algerian International Youcef Belaïli understandably struggled to get in to the game after just a few training sessions with his new teammates. Les Pirates have no major injuries for this game. A draw here wouldn’t be a bad result for them.
Troyes picked up a point at home to one of just four teams below them last week. The 0-0 draw was probably a better result for them than it was Metz but it leaves them just one point above the bottom three. Bruno Irles did find positives from the game and highlighted the quality of his teams defensive display. The issue all season for l'ESTAC has been scoring goals. Just 20 league goals have been scored in 21 matches. That's the lowest tally in Ligue 1 alongside Lorient who sit just below them in the table. Even Saint Étienne who are bottom have scored two more than Troyes. Against Metz, Troyes had 9 shots only two of which were on target. If they are going to stay up that has to be addressed. They are not helped by forward Renaud Ripart still being out with a knee injury. Ripart has hardly hit the heights since his summer move from Nimes with just one goal all season. However he is a clever player who can cause problems for defences and bring teammates in to play. Tunisian striker Yoann Touzghar will probably lead the line here again and Irles will hope his physical presence will cause Brest issues. Troyes are likely to get more of the ball than usual against Les Brestois. It's what they do with it that counts.
French Footy prediction: Brest 1 - Troyes 1
Nantes V Reims - Kicks off at 14:00
Nantes' last league game ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat at Strasbourg. Les Canaris were a little unlucky not to get anything from a very competitive game. The goal they conceded came from a mistake former Man United right back Fabio. The Brazilian completely missed an easy clearance which gave Strasbourg the chance to take the lead. Nantes playmaker Ludovic Blas was was pushed further forward for this game and did cause problems for Strasbourg with his pace, skill and movement. It just wasn't enough though. Blas did score however in Thursday's cup game against Ligue 2 Bastia. The 24 year old's 3rd minute penalty was his 11th goal of the season and set the tone for a comfortable 2-0 win. Striker Randal Kolo Muani got the second for his 9th of the campaign.
Les Nantais will now face Monaco in the semi final to be played on the 2nd of March. For a side that only stayed in Ligue 1 last season by winning the relegation play off, Nantes are having a decent season. Manager Antoine Kombouaré has proved a lot of people wrong. His team currently sit tenth in the table which alongside the cup run represents huge progress from 20/21. Nantes have no injury concerns or suspensions here so should go in to this game with confidence. A win against Reims could possibly push them up to 7th should other results go in their favour.
Reims ended their four match winless run with their biggest win of the season so far. The team from Champagne demolished Bordeaux 5-0 with goals from Ekitike, Munetsi (x2), Matusiwa and Faes. Ekitike's opener came from the penalty spot (initially missed but put in on the rebound) for his 9th league goal of the season. What a huge relief it must have been for manager Oscar Garcia when his star striker rejected Newcastle in January to stay until at least the end of the season. Azor Matusiwa's goal was the pick of the five. A 30 yard swerving shot that gave the keeper no chance and the Dutch midfielders first of this campaign.
Reims have surprised me this season as I was sure they'd finish in the bottom three. With a new unproven manager, loss of their top goalcorer (Boulaye Dia 14 league goals) and no investment in the team I couldn't see them staying up. Yet a decent defence (ust 27 goals conceded so far), a nice brand of quick passing, attacking football and Ekitike's goals have made them more competitive than expected. Reims have quite a long injury list but most significantly will be missing midfielders El Bilal Toure and Thomas Foket for this game.
French Footy prediction: Nantes 2 - Reims 1
Lens V Bordeaux - Kicks off at 16:05 GMT - Live on BT Sport 3
Lens were the victims are one of the biggest shocks of the season last weekend when they lost at Lorient 2-0. It was a bad afternoon for Lens with midfielder Yannick Cahuzac being sent off from the bench for remonstrating with the referee. Les Lensois really seemed a strong bet to finish in a European place but their form through the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 has seen them slip to 9th in the table. Les Sangs et Ors have a very good squad but are just having a dip in form. Considering they were in Ligue 2 the season before last they are doing very well but the expectation on them has grown. Manager Franck Haise has a decision to make over his starting eleven as Wesley Said is injured. Florian Sotoca or striker Ignatius Ganago, just back from the AFCON, could start. Lens have to go for the win here at home against a team in disarray.
Following their 5-0 mauling at Reims last weekend manager Vladimir Petković was sacked. The former Swiss national team manager was in just his first season in French Football and couldn't turn Les Bordelais' fortunes around. The front runner for Petković's replacement seems to be ex Reims boss David Guion. The 54 year old Frenchman got the Champagne club promoted in 2018 and kept them in Ligue by making them a solid defensive unit that was hard to beat. He left at the end of last season feeling he had taken the club as far as he could. Given Bordeaux's tendency to league goals and their league position this could be a good appointment. Since Petković's departure, coaches Jaroslav Plasil (pictured) and Andre Monteiro have taken temporary charge and will run things from the bench during this game.
They have to go for a win here given the desperate need for points. Bordeaux are second from bottom, two points from safety and with the worst goal difference in the league. All that despite having a very capable strike pairing in Alberth Elis and Hwang Ui-Jo. The Stade Bollaert-Delelis is not an easy place to get a result from though. French Footy prediction: Lens 2 - Bordeaux 1
Metz V Marseille - Kicks off at 19:45 GMT - Live on BT Sport 3
Metz picked up a much needed point at Troyes with a 0-0 draw. Whilst the clean sheet is a positive Les Grenats failed to creat a single shot on target. An issue that has cost Metz dearly this season. Worryingly for Metz some of the teams around them have started to win. Lorient, who sit in 17th place recently won their first game in 16 and bottom of the table Saint Etienne have had back to back wins. Metz Manager Frédéric Antonetti has had to contend with more squad disruption than anyone else in the league over the past 6 weeks. COVID, AFCON and injuries have decimated his squad at times. At least he has his African players available again most notablyTottenham bound attacking midfielder Pape Sarr and Captain and defender Dylan Bronn.
It will be interesting to see if Bronn starts here or whether Antonetti sticks with the defence that kept a clean sheet last week. Top scorers Fabien Centonze and Nicola De Preville (4 goals each) are still injured.
What a huge disappointment Marseille's cup loss at Nice in midweek was for anyone connected with the former. The winner of the quarter final Coupe De France game was sure to be favourites after PSG were knocked out in the previous round. It started well for Les Marseillais with winger Cengiz Ünder forced an own goal in the third minute. From then on Marseille just could not cope with Nice’s attacks and failed to stop opposition players making lengthy runs with the ball. Manager Jorge Sampaoli was criticised for this in the French press particularly by French football pundit Pierre Menes. Menes was also dismissive of the Argentinian‘s decision to play Arkadiusz Milik as a lone striker when the Ukrainian had scored a hat trick in the previous game when playing alongside Bakambu.Milik is a great finisher but isn‘t mobile so is more effective with support. The criticism was dismissed by Sampaoli at a recent press conference.
Just when you think Marseille are looking good and going to put a run of performances together they fall apart. It’s hard to say how much of that is down to mentality or the competitiveness of Ligue 1. Marseille have a full squad here for Sampaoli to select from. Both teams really need a win here.
French Footy prediction: Metz 0 - Marseille 1
What a goal!