Paris win again, Monaco lose again and Saint Etienne draw again. How will the rest of the league respond?
Lyon V Clermont Foot - Kicks off at 1200 - Live on BT Sport 1
Lyon have had a poor start and have just one point from two games. They were thumped 3 - 0 at Angers last week and had Maxwel Cornet sent off. They could easily have been beaten in their first game at home to Brest too. There is no doubt they have talent in their squad but it looks like it's going to take time to gel under new manager Peter Bosz. The problem is, as we keep saying, by the time it clicks Paris could be out of site.
As well as Cornet being banned for this game Lyon will also be without Striker Islam Slimani (accumulation of yellow cards) and Jason Denayer (Covid). Les Lyonnais need to find a way of creating more chances for Dembele (pictured), particularly with Slimani banned. Can Les Gones get Dembele back to the form he showed in the 19/20 season where he scored 16 goals in 27 appearances? It will be interesting to see if Bosz keeps the 4-3-3 formation deployed in his first two Ligue 1 games and if so who will come in for Slimani. either Cherki or Kadewere.
In stark contrast to Lyon newly promoted Clermont are defying everyone's expectations. They have won both their opening games against Bordeaux and Troyes. Les Lanciers's top scorer from last season Mohamed Bayo already has three League goals and they are yet to concede. If they could follow up their early results with a point here they'll surely be delighted.
Clermont completely dominated Troyes with more possession and shots. Manager Pascal Gastien has put together a team that are confident on the ball and move it forward quickly. In attacking midfielders Jim Allevinah and Jodel Dossou (pictured) they have players that love to run at defenders and take them on. It's very early days and they may get found out after a while. For now it's very exciting to watch their story unfold. Will Lyon click in to place or will Clermont keep the party going.
Frenchfooty prediction: Lyon 2 V Clermont 2.
Montpellier V Lorient - Kicks off at 1400
Montpellier only have a point from two games but they are not playing badly. They’ve scored five goals over both games but conceded six so it’s clear where their problem is. Most teams will concede against Marseille as Montpellier did in their seasons opening match. I didn’t expect Reims to stick three past them though. Olivier Dall'Oglio will need to sure up his defense if Montpellier are to progress from their 8th placed finish last season. La Paillade have great attacking quality, particularly in Laborde and Delort. The duo have three goals between them already.
It's been surprising that Stephy Mavididi (pictured) has not been involved more in Montpellier's opening games. He came on as a second half substitute against Marseille but was unused against Reims. The young Englishman was Montpellier's third highest scorer last season with 9 goals. It's not as if Dall'Oglio is dropping him for a more defensive player. Elye Wahi is being preferred to Mavididi who is an attacking player himself. Wahi was substituted for a defender at half time in last week's match when Montpellier were leading 3 - 2. Dall'Oglio's side could still not see out the win which is a worry for them.
Lorient have had a much better start than expected with a draw at Saint Etienne and a fantastic win at home to Monaco last week, Last season's top scorer Terem Moffi scored the game's only goal with a 31st minute penalty.
Moffi himself won the penalty after being dragged down in the area whilst looking to control a good Vincent Le Goff cross. Les Merlus were dominated by Monaco but limited them to just three shots on target. A point here would keep a fantastic start to the season going. Can they keep Montpellier's attacking players out this week?
Frenchfooty prediction: Montpellier 2 V Lorient 1
Bordeaux V Angers - Kicks off at 1400
I was surprised at the tenacity Bordeaux showed last weekend to get themselves back to 2 - 2 after going 2 - 0 down at Marseille. Marseille have a lot of goals in them and Bordeaux don't. Les Bordelais made the most of L'OM's erratic defending and won a point.
Their first goal came from new signing Timothée Pembélé (pictured) on his first appearance for Bordeaux. The PSG Loanee defender's shot deflected past Mandanda. The equaliser came from a corner that found an unmarked Remi Oudin who finished well from the edge of the box. A lot of positives then for new Manager Vladimir Petković. An away point, a good debut from Pembélé, a return for Striker Hwang Ui-jo after injury and most importantly, the character to fight back from a 2 - 0 deficit. The most important thing for Les Bordelais is that Striker Samuel Kalu returned to training after his on pitch collapse last weekend. After what happened to Christian Eriksen during the Euros there were some worrying moments at the Velodrome when Kalu collapsed suddenly whilst defending a free kick. He was substituted so his health could be checked but apparently he has no heart issues and returned to training this week. I still think Bordeaux are in for a tough season but at least they have something to build on after that fight back.
Angers have been fantastic in their approach and execution in their play so far. New Manager Gérald Baticle has his team organised at the back but able to break forward quickly and efficiently. They dismantled Lyon last weekend thoroughly deserving their 3 - 0 home win. This was no fluke. Lyon were undone several times by the pace of Angers' attacks, one of which led to Cornet being sent off in the 65th minute.
Azzeddine Ounahi (above) saw a fantastic shot crash off the foot of the post shortly before scoring the third goal of the afternoon. As with Clermont it's very early days and they could get found out by other teams or lose key players to injury. For now though it's great to watch and a point here would not be a bad result at all.
Frenchfooty prediction: Bordeaux 1 V Angers 1
Strasbourg V Troyes - Kicks off at 1400
Strasbourg have no points yet after their opening day loss to Angers and their defeat in Paris last week. There's no shame at losing at Les Parc Des Princes though and they really gave PSG a game. With attacking players like Gameiro, Ajorque and Diallo they should score goals. Ajorque and Gameiro scored fantastic headers last week against PSG. If they can get a decent balance in defense and midfield they could be a decent team. I was surprised to see Dimitri Liénard deployed at left back last week,
The 33 year old is a clever midfield player particularly in an attacking sense. Manager Julien Stéphan played five at the back in a bid to contain Paris. Liénard is more effective further up the pitch especial behind the Strikers. Stéphan will be without Centre Half Alexander Djiku after his sending off at Paris and possibly experienced midfielder Jean-Eudes Aholou who is carrying a muscle injury. Strasbourg really need a win so we should see a more attacking formation here at home.
Troyes have also lost both opening games. They too played ok against PSG in a narrow loss. More surprisingly they were well beaten by fellow promoted side Clermont. Laurent Batlles' side weren't helped by right back Issa Kaboré being sent off on 33 minutes. Troye's problem so far this season has been not creating enough chances for last season's top scorer Yoann Touzghar. Perhaps playing against a team that's also had a difficult start and with 11 players for the 90 minutes they can do better here.
Frenchfooty prediction: Strasbourg 2 V Troyes 1
Metz V Reims - Kicks off at 1400
Metz came up short last week in a disappointing 2 - 0 loss at Nantes. Metz did not play particularly badly. They had more possession than the home team and created plenty of chances. Frédéric Antonetti's team just couldn't finish.
The main concern Antonetti will have is his side have conceded five goals in two games. If they don't take their chances on top of that then they will struggle. They have a proven goal scorer in Ibrahima Niane but just need to give him more support. It doesn't help that they are still without attacking midfielder Opa Nguette (muscle injury) and have now lost defensive midfielder Kevin N'Doram who recently suffered a broken collarbone. Metz recently brought in attacking midfielder Amine Bassi from Nancy. He scored 7 goals and got three assists in 19 Ligue 2 appearances last season. Can he produce some form for Les Grenats at a higher level than he's used to? They really need something.
I have been a bit scathing about Reims' chances in Ligue 1 this year. It's hard to see how they can do well after losing their top scorer yet not bringing in any significant signings.
They have also brought in a new Manager in Óscar García who hasn't had much success anywhere. However last week they managed to score three goals against a decent Montpellier side. The concern will be the three goals they conceded at home but there were positives for Garcia to take from this game. The Spanish Coach saw his side create an abundance of chances, 19 shots with 9 on target.
There was a good performance from midfielder Moreto Cassamá. Cassamá scored two the second of which was a fantastic strike across the goal from just inside the area. Reims have two points after playing two good teams (Nice and Montpellier). Can Les rouges et blancs build on this?
Frenchfooty prediction: Metz 1 V Reims 1
Rennes V Nantes - Kicks off at 1600 - Live on BT Sport ESPN
Rennes have had two 1 - 1 draws so far and have just strengthened their squad with the signing of Baptiste Santamaria from SC Freiburg for £12.6 Million. The French midfielder, formerly of Angers, is a strong ball winning midfielder also capable of passing the ball well. Rennes have had a quiet but not bad start to the season. The signings of Kamaldeen Sulemana, Loïc Badé and Santamaria bode well for the future and they do have a decent squad. Striker Serhou Guirassy got off the mark last week scoring the opener against Brest. Rennes Manager Bruno Génésio will be hoping to improve on the draws and go for a win here.
Nantes got a great result last Sunday with a 2 - 0 home win against Metz. There were goals for Striker Randal Kolo Muani and attacking midfielder Ludovic Blas. Muani (pictured below) was a rumoured transfer target of Southampton. Nantes gave up a lot of possession to Metz but managed to take their chances. Four points from two games is a good return but they may get a stiffer test from Rennes today. New signing Wylan Cyprien is still struggling with a muscle injury so unlikely to feature.
Frenchfooty prediction: Rennes 1 V Nantes 0
Nice V Marseille - Kicks off at 1945 - Live on BT Sport 3
This should be an exciting game. You are almost guaranteed goals when Marseille play, at both ends. Nice stuck four past Lille last weekend in a very good performance.
Both sides sit on four points and will be expecting to qualify for Europe so this Match is nicely set up. Nice Manager Christophe Galtier must be delighted with last week's performance and that Strikers Kasper Dolberg and Amine Gouiri got off the mark. Dolberg scored two goals and could be one of the top scorers in the league this season. Galtier will be confident his team can get something from the Club he served as a player and Assistant Coach.
Marseille were cruising at 2 - 0 up last week at home to Bordeaux only to throw it away to draw 2 - 2. It could be said it was a typical Sampaoli performance. Brilliant at times going forward but too easy to score against. The positives were two fantastic first half goals. The first was scintillating, attacking play. It started with a great break and run down the left wing from Konrad de la Fuente. The young American showed great pace and skill to get up the pitch quickly and find Gerson with a short pass. The Brazilian cut it back for Cengiz Ünder to side foot in to the net. Three new signings combining to score a fantastic goal. Of all the new Marseille signings de la Fuente seems the most exciting to me.
He will need to work on his defensive duties though if Marseille are to have any success this season. The all out attack style leaves so many gaps at the back. OM's second goal was all about Dimitri Payet. The 34 year old picked up the ball on the left, ran inside and scored with a low shot from outside the area. Payet is transformed under Jorge Sampaoli's management. I still think he's better playing behind a recognised Striker rather than playing up front himself. With Milik still injured and Dario Benedetto now gone on loan to Elche it looks like up front is where he will start against Nice. Marseille will be without Centre Half Balerdi after his sending off last weekend. Les Phocéens have managed to secure the loan signing of right sided defender/midfielder Pol Lirola from Fiorentina for the year. Lirola had a very successful loan spell at Marseille last season. This is a hard game to call. There'll be goals but who will come out on top?
Frenchfooty prediction: Nice 2 V Marseille 2.
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