Soccer France Ligue 1 Prediction

Clermont vs Lyon - Match Preview

⚽ 14 May 2023 - 11:00 GMT +0

History is within Clermont’s grasp as they enter the home straight of the 2022/23 season targeting a place in the top half of Ligue 1 for the first time in their history. The Lancers made it six games without defeat by drawing 1-1 with Auxerre last weekend (W5), meaning they finished matchday 34 in 11th, just one point behind 8th-placed Nice in a congested mid-table.

It has been an impressive campaign for Pascal Gastien’s side, so much so that the manager recently put pen to paper on a new deal. He will now be hoping his side can extend their good form by racking up a fourth successive home win, something they haven’t achieved in a single season since February 2021.

Attempting to stop Clermont in their tracks are visitors Lyon, who are looking to improve on a poor record of just one win from the previous four H2Hs (D1, L2). But the visitors will head to Stade Gabriel-Montpied full of confidence after coming from 4-1 down to defeat Montpellier 5-4 last time out, with Alexandre Lacazette remarkably netting the winner in the tenth minute of second-half injury-time!

That was the fifth victory in their last six league matches (L1), meaning Laurent Blanc’s side has climbed up towards the European qualification places and they start the round just three points behind fifth. Even so, reports in France suggest the manager is under pressure, with owner John Textor reportedly looking to replace the Frenchman at the end of the campaign, especially if they fail to qualify for Europe for the second season running.

📋 Players to watch: Clermont striker Saif-Eddine Khaoui is looking to break his duck against Lyon, whom he has faced 12 times without ever scoring, while also suffering a career joint-high seven defeats (W2, D3). Hoping to continue his red-hot form will be Lacazette, who has netted a whopping 14 goals in his last 13 games, nine of which were the first or last of the match.

⚡ Hot stat: Lyon is one of only two teams in Ligue 1 yet to score in the opening 15 minutes of their away league games this season.

Clermont vs Lyon - Match Preview

⚽ 14 May 2023 - 15:05 GMT +0

Monaco coach Philippe Clement expressed his relief after his side ended a run of back-to-back defeats with a 2-1 win over already-relegated Angers last week, stating that “facing a team with nothing to lose is always challenging”. They are now battled it out with their closest competitors for fourth place in the shape of Lille in what appears to be a crucial “six-pointer”, knowing that a loss would see their lead shrink to just two points.

While a victory might give them a chance to contend for a top-three position, the six-point deficit to third-placed Marseille from the previous round seems increasingly challenging to bridge. Monaco's performance against current top-five teams has been underwhelming, however, winning only one of seven such matches this term(D2, L4), with any hope of improving that return dented by a suspension to talisman Wissam Ben Yedder.

This is proving to be a difficult end of the season for Lille, who enter this game with just two wins from their previous five Ligue 1 matches (D1, L2), bookended by a 1-0 defeat at Reims last weekend. As a consequence, the Mastiffs are looking anxiously over their shoulders as they could lose their top-five team status in favour of Lyon or Rennes in case of a loss here, with coach Paulo Fonseca stating post-match that his players “will fight to the end".

More consistency is needed on the road if Lille is to play on the European stage next season, as each of their last 12 top-flight results away from home differed from the one beforehand (W4, D3, L5). Despite not winning at Stade Louis II in Ligue 1 since 2008/09 (D6, L4), a season that saw them finish fifth, the visitors are still considered slight favourites by bookmakers going into this latest clash with Les Monégasques.

📋 Players to watch: Monaco’s Myron Boadu has scored his team’s second goal in each of his three goalscoring Ligue 1 matches, including the winner against Angers last Sunday. Jonathan Bamba will be looking to surpass him, as he has been Lille's final scorer in four of the five top-flight matches in which he has scored, including the reverse H2H.

⚡ Hot stat: Monaco is the only top-five team yet to win at home after conceding first (D1, L5).

Clermont vs Lyon - Match Preview

⚽ 14 May 2023 - 18:45 GMT +0

With just four rounds of the Ligue 1 season to go, Marseille dropped out of the top two with a defeat at Lens, leading to the club releasing a scathing statement about refereeing decisions that have gone against them in recent weeks. Igor Tudor’s men trail the automatic UEFA Champions League places by two points ahead of this round, and he’ll certainly be hoping their first league defeat since February was just a temporary slip-up.

Les Olympiens are now looking to secure a third consecutive win on home soil, but it’s not all been plain sailing for them at the Orange Vélodrome, where they’ve not managed a clean sheet in nine league matches. Their seasonal total of two home shutouts is only better than struggling Troyes, but the visit of already relegated Angers presents a golden opportunity to increase that tally.

All Angers have left to play for is pride, with their relegation from the top-flight already confirmed due to a miserable run of one win from their last 26 league matches (D3, L22)! Currently, on 14 points, le SCO are still three points shy of the lowest-ever season total in Ligue 1 (17 for Lens in 1988/89), but avoiding that unwanted piece of history here looks unlikely given they’ve won just four of their 25 league trips to Marseille (D7, L14).

Angers have been plagued by away day travels that has seen them earn just one point from their last 12 league road trips. Over the course of the season, Alexandre Dujeux’s men have won just five points away from home - the joint-worst total in Europe’s top five leagues, while no side in Ligue 1 has failed to score in more games on the road (nine).

📋 Players to watch: Cengiz Ünder has scored in three of his last four Marseille appearances, while it’s been more than four and a half years since his team was on the losing side when he found the back of the net (W20, D4). Angers midfielder Nabil Bentaleb is likely to be at the forefront for his side, for he has scored, assisted and been booked four times each in Ligue 1 this term.

⚡ Hot stat: Angers have conceded a league-high 20 goals between the 31st minute and half-time this season.