Soccer France Ligue 1 Prediction

Strasbourg vs Nice - Match Preview

⚽ 13 May 2023 - 15:00 GMT +0

Strasbourg has hit form at exactly the right time, as a run of three wins from four Ligue 1 outings (L1) has seen them climb out of the four-team relegation zone. Coach Frédéric Antonetti expressed his satisfaction, stating that “it feels good to have won” after beating Nantes 2-0 last week, a victory that saw their chances of being relegated from the top-flight shrink to just 5.1% according to Stats Perform!

Strasbourg has certainly stepped up their game at Stade de la Meinau at the business end of the season, claiming all of their four home league wins in 2022/23 across their previous six outings here (L2). All those wins may have come against current bottom-half teams, but a four-game unbeaten run against Nice (W2, D2) should prove that another positive result here is possible.

Nice may be living to regret a seven-game winless sequence in Ligue 1 between March and April (D4, L3), as they remain eight points adrift of the European places despite recording back-to-back victories. Despite Coach Didier Digard praising the team's "unstoppable spirit" after their 2-1 win over Rennes last weekend, such a gap with only four games to play seems nearly impossible to bridge.

While the Eaglets have been successful in their recent league travels with only one loss in their last eight away games (W4, D3), they have found it challenging to win at Strasbourg, having won only two of their last 15 visits (D6, L7). This trip, therefore, won't be easy for Nice, especially since their last away defeat was against Brest, who are tied on points with Strasbourg before this weekend's matches.

📋 Players to watch: Strasbourg's talented 19-year-old prospect Habib Diarra has been in impressive form, having contributed to half of his team's last eight goals (G2, A2). Nice's top scorer, Gaëtan Laborde (G12) is the only player who has scored at least nine goals in Ligue 1 but hasn't found the net in the opening half-hour.

⚡ Hot stat: All but two of the previous ten Ligue 1 H2Hs have featured a 1-0 scoreline at half-time either way.

Paris SG vs AC Ajaccio - Match Preview

⚽ 13 May 2023 - 19:00 GMT +0

Despite facing off-pitch issues, PSG managed to achieve a dominant 3-1 win at struggling Troyes last Sunday, further strengthening their position at the top of the Ligue 1 table. With just four games left in the season, PSG's six-point lead over second-placed Lens provides a comfortable cushion, but they will need to maintain their focus to avoid any potential slip-ups and secure a record 11th French title.

The Parisians' path to securing this Ligue 1 title seems to be relatively straightforward, given that they are scheduled to play against current bottom-half teams through to the end of the season. With Lionel Messi's suspension reduced following his social media apology, PSG's manager Christophe Galtier will have the Argentine superstar at his disposal for the upcoming match, which should further enhance their status as strong favourites.

Ajaccio’s home goalless draw against Toulouse last weekend extended their winless Ligue 1 streak to nine games (D2, L7), meaning they require a victory at Parc des Princes to avoid being officially relegated to Ligue 2. The poor performance of Olivier Pantaloni’s men in the final third is the primary cause of their predicament, as their average of 0.65 goals scored per game was worse than any other team in the top five European leagues bar Sampdoria at the end of last weekend.

Despite their surprise 2-1 victory at Marseille in early October, which reminded fans that an upset is not impossible, Ajaccio's record of only one away win since then (D2, L9) is unlikely to inspire confidence among their fans. Although the bookmakers may not fancy Ajaccio’s chances, the ACA have recently performed well at Parc des Princes, avoiding defeat in three of their last four visits (W1, D2).

📋 Key battle: PSG’s Vitinha has contributed to three goals in his last four Ligue 1 matches (G2, A1), which is a significant improvement compared to his first 28 matches in which he only had one assist to his name. For Ajaccio, Benjamin Leroy, who was voted as Ligue 2’s best goalkeeper last season, has the fewest clean sheets (four) among goalies with at least 30 appearances in Ligue 1 in 2022/23.

⚡ Hot streak: In the last seven H2Hs with at least one goal scored, the opening goals were all scored within the first 30 minutes.