Saint-Étienne V Troyes - Kicks off at 20:00 GMT - Friday 18th March - Live on BT Sport 1
This is a game that will largely shape who’s in the relegation places at the end of the weekend. Saint Étienne earnt a valuable point at Lille last weekend although it wasn’t quite enough to keep them out of the bottom three. Manager Pascal Dupraz should be satisfied with the point as it was a rare clean sheet and opponents Lille just had the edge on them during the 90 minutes.
Whilst other clubs battling relegation picked up points last weekend, Saint Étienne are on a much better run of form. Just one loss in seven games (at PSG) with four wins. With the 0-0 draw Les Verts caught up to within two points of Clermont and three of Angers who are in 14th. Of all the teams in the bottom seven Les Stephanois have the most momentum. They have no suspensions or fresh injuries. The following players remain out; Hamouma (wrist), Neyou (muscle injury), Sow (ankle) and Macon (Knee). There is a chance striker Enzo Crivelli could make his first appearance since joining on loan from Istanbul Başakşehir in January.
Troyes took a giant step towards staying up with a 1-0 win over in form Nantes. L,ESTAC started the brighter if the two teams. Left back Yasser Larouci was a threat throughout the first half with strong forward runs. The former Liverpool defender came close to scoring but saw his shot turned around the post. Bruno Irles‘ team did take the lead on 43 minutes when Larouci put a dangerous cross in to the box. In the scramble that followed Ike Ugbo smashed in from close range. That’s two goals in five games for the 23 year old striker since he joined on loan from Genk.
His goal sealed the points for what could be a crucial win in the battle to beat the drop. Troyes’ recruitment of young players, on loan or in free transfers, is proving good business. Will it be enough to keep them up? A point here would help a win would be a giant leap. L’ESTAC are on a good little run after back to back wins for the second time this season and three matches unbeaten. This is a massive game for both clubs. Influential defender Adil Rami remains out injured whilst forwards Gerson Rodrigues and Hyundai-Jun Suk are unavailable through suspension and injury respectively.
French Footy prediction: Saint Étienne 2 - Troyes 0
Lens V Clermont - Kicks off at 16:00 GMT - Saturday 19th March
Lens must have been disappointed not to win at relegation battlers Metz last weekend. Metz are hard to break down but struggle to score. With the attacking talent Lens have they were big favourites for that game in my eyes. The game finished 0-0 so a single goal would have been enough to secure the points. Unfortunately and unusually Lens didn’t manage a single shot on target. Les Sangs Et Ors did break several times with their customary power and pace. However the moves weren’t finished off with Kalimuendo and Clauss putting over the bar. Striker Ignatius Ganago came on during the second half and was a handful but either couldn’t get his shots off or keep them on target.
The draw leaves Lens in 9th place but a win here could take them as far up as sixth in the table. Defender Facundo Medina is suspended for this match whilst forwards Corentin Jean and Wesley Said remain injured.
Clermont had shown some rallying form through February but are are coming off the back of two bad defeats. The first was a 4-0 drubbing at Lille the second a devastating 2-0 home loss against relegation battlers Lorient. Forward Elbasan Rashan put an early chance over the bar and attacking midfielder Lucas Da Cunha hit the post. The attacking midfielder has done quite well since signing on loan from Nice in January. He gives Les Lanciers a different option with his dribbling skills and is a decent crosser of the ball.
In the second half it all went wrong. Johan Gastien put his defence in trouble with a badly judged back pass that led to Lorient's first then a poorly defended free kick resulted in the second. The defeat means Clermont are right back in the relegation fight and let Lorient close the gap on them to just one place and one point. Pascal Gastien’s team could really do with a win here but it’s going to be tough at a packed and fervent Stade Bollaert-Delelis. It didn't help that top goalscorer Mohamed Bayo didn't play last week with a hip injury. He should be fit to play in this game which gives Clermont much more of a chance of getting something.
French Footy prediction: Lens 1 - Clermont 0
Nantes V Lille - Kicks off at 20:00 GMT - Saturday 19th March - Live on BT Sport Extra 2
Nantes’ 1-0 defeat at Troyes, who were ten places below them, was a huge disappointment given the form they’ve been in. Les Canaris had more of the possession but struggled to create chances. Willem Geubbels had Nantes' only shot on goal throughout the game. A shot from outside the box that didn’t trouble the goalkeeper. The defeat saw Nantes drop from 6th to 7th which is no great disaster. They are still very much in the fight for a European place but will they rue the missed opportunity at the end of the season? A win here would be huge as they'd leapfrog Lille again. Lose and Les Dogues will pull away from them. The Stade de la Beaujoire has seen some fervent support in recent weeks following Nantes' good form in League and cup. That should help lift the players to the levels they have shown prior to last weekend.
Nantes still have some players missing through injury, most notably influential defender Nicolas Pallois. Right back Fabio is back in training after a few weeks out with an ankle injury but the Brazilian will not be ready to play against Lille. Midfielders Marcus Coco and Jean-Kevin Augustin.
Lille have been inconsistent and often indifferent in their performances this season. They have however had a good month in terms of League results. Since their thrashing at the Parc Des Princes, 5-1, Lille have had three wins and two draws. That form has been enough to push Les Dogues up to 6th in the league and right in the mix for European qualification. Ligue 1 is so congested that they have to keep this form going in order to stay there. They overtook Nantes in the table but only one point separates the two. Les Lillois had chances in their latest game, 0-0 at home to Saint Étienne, to win. Right back Mehmet Celik hit the post in the first half and Amadou Onana missed a clear header after a good run and cross from Gabriel Gudmundsson. The 22 year old Swede has been showing good form in recent weeks. Gudmundsson can play as left back but has been pushed on to the left side of a three man midfield by Manager Jocelyn Gourvennec. He has a direct running style with the ball that unsettles defences and he uses his strength well. He scored his first goal of the season last weekend against Lyon and was a threat against Saint Etienne. Definitely one to watch.
Unfortunately Jocelyn Gourvennec's team were knocked out of the Champions League on Wednesday night. They lost 2-1 at home to Chelsea and 4-1 on agggregate. They had a go in the second leg and took the lead through Burak Yilmaz's penalty. They just didn't have quite enough to compete with a quality Chelseas side. They had a good run and got much further than most people expected. Lille lost midfielder Renato Sanches to injury last weekend and he is liable to be out for three weeks. They have no other injuries or suspensions. This is a huge game in the race for Europe and will help determine which of these teams qualifies or fades away.
French Footy prediction: Nantes 1 - Lille 1
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