A lot of entertaining football waits for us on this weekend in the 12th round of the French Ligue 1, and in this preview we’ll take a closer look at two games set for Saturday, November 4th, 2017, when Monaco hosts Guingamp at Stade Louis II, while Montpellier welcomes Amiens at Stade de la Mosson. Don’t waste your time and check out our betting picks and predictions for these two clashes, here on GetMoreSports.
MONACO vs. GUINGAMP
3-Way: 1: Monaco -182; X: +420 Draw; 2: Guingamp +700 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -1.5: Monaco +127; Guingamp -130
Total +3: Over -105; Under +100
MONACO
After the 3:2 defeat against Lyon on the road in the ninth round of the French Ligue 1, Monaco won two consecutive games against Caen at home, 2:0, and Bordeaux on the road, 2:0. They are laying at the second spot of the Ligue 1 table with 25 points, a 28:12 goal difference and a form of WWLDW. Les Monegasques are just four points behind the leader Paris SG, and three points ahead of Lyon at the third spot. Meanwhile, they drew with the Turkish side Besiktas, 1:1, in the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League group stage, and they are at the bottom of the Group G table with just two points after the first four rounds.
Monaco created 113 scoring chances so far in the French Ligue 1, scoring 28 goals, 11 of them after set pieces. Their average pass accuracy is pretty good (81%), because they are playing a direct, attacking football, while the average shot accuracy is excellent (50%). The 31-year old prolific striker Falcao is leading the team with 13 goals in nine appearances, and he’s a league’s scoring leader, too. His coeval Joao Moutinho is a creative force in the midfield with four dishes and 19 key passes on the account, while the 21-year old winger Rony Lopes and a 21-year old left-back Jorge both added four assists so far. The 29-year old centre-back Kamil Glik is playing very well in 11 Ligue 1 apps, adding two goals and three assists to his name.
The manager Leonardo Jardim is having some problems to field his best eleven, as Falcao is still suffering from a hamstring injury, and he’s doubtful for the match with Guingamp after he missed two games already. The 21-year old winger Thomas Lemar is recovering from a minor wound, and he could be available on a Saturday night.
GUINGAMP
From the start of the French Ligue 1 campaign, Guingamp is playing in an on-off form, and after the first 11 rounds, they are occupying the 11th spot of the table with 14 points, a 13:15 goal difference, and a form of DLWDL in the last five games. At home, they earned 11 points with a 3-2-1 record, and a 7:5 goal difference, while they got only one victory out of the five games on the road with a 6:10 goal difference.
The 31-year old defensive midfielder Mustapha Diallo is the club’s leading scorer with four goals in nine appearances, while the striker Jimmy Briand bagged three times in 11 Ligue 1 games. The 20-year old forward Marcus Thuram, who joined the team from FC Sochaux this summer, added two goals and one assist to his name. There’s no player in Guingamp’s squad with at least two dishes on the account, as the team created 95 scoring chances so far, making 10 assists in total. Their defense allowed 15 goals, and three of them came from the outside of the box.
The manager Antoine Kombouare is certainly unhappy with a lot of oscillations in a team play, and against Monaco, he can field his best eleven, as there are no injury worries among the squad.
MONACO vs. GUINGAMP – Match Prediction
Monaco is a far better team, and I think they’ll take all three points in this one. Guingamp is playing poorly away from home, but they possess the quality to score against Monaco’s defense. However, I’ll put my money on the over, as I expect to see some goals at Stade Louis II.
MY PICK: Over 3 goals (-105)
MONTPELLIER vs. AMIENS
3-Way: 1: Montpellier -115; X: +250 Draw; 2: Amiens +540 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -0.5: Montpellier -120; Amiens +117
Total +2: Over -106; Under +102
MONTPELLIER
Montpellier lost to Rennes at home, 1:0, in the previous round of the French Ligue 1, after five consecutive games without a defeat. They are sitting at the ninth place of the table after the first 11 rounds with 15 points and an 8:7 goal difference. At home, they earned eight points with a 2-2-2 record and a 4:3 goal difference, while on the road they collected seven points with a 2-1-2 record and a 4:4 goal difference. The patient approach is paying off so far, as Montpellier is just six points behind Marseille at the fourth spot, which leads to Europa League next year.
The one-time French champions created a decent number of chances (99) in the first eleven rounds of the Ligue 1, but their finishing job wasn’t quite good, and with just eight goals scored they are among the less efficient teams in the league. On the other end, their defense is the best in the French Ligue 1 with only seven goals conceded in 11 encounters. Montpellier recorded 42 defensive actions per game so far, winning 50% of aerial duels and 37% of tackles.
The wingers Isaac Mbenza and Souleymane Camara are leading scorers with two goals each, while the 21-year old Mbenza also have 15 key passes on his account. The 29-year old striker Kevin Berigaud, who played for Angers on loan last season, is a club’s top assistant with two dishes in five appearances. The experienced midfielder Stephane Sessegnon is playing an important role, and he added one goal and one assist to his name in nine Ligue 1 apps.
The manager Michel Der Zakarian, who played for Montpellier in his career as a defender, will count on all players for the next match against Amiens, as there are no injury problems among the squad.
AMIENS
The Unicorns put on some great display in the previous two rounds of the French Ligue 1, beating Bordeaux at home, 1:0, and playing a 1:1 draw with Guingamp on the road. They are currently at the 17th place of the table with their heads just above the water, earning 10 points out of the first 10 games, as their match of the eighth round at home with Lille was abandoned after barriers collapsed.
Amiens created 73 scoring chances so far, and only Toulouse created less, while Amiens’ attack is one of the worst in the Ligue 1. Their average passing accuracy (75%) is the worst in the league, so they need to improve the attacking flow as soon as possible if they want to stay in the French top flight, and two goals in the last two matches are pretty encouraging.
The 24-year old forward Moussa Konate, who arrived from the Swiss side Sion this summer, and a 26-year old winger Gael Kakuta, who’s loaned from the Chinese side Hebei, both scored two goals so far, while there’s no player among the Amiens’ squad with at least two assists on the account. Gael Kakuta recorded 11 key passes and one assist in nine apps this season, and the 30-year old midfielder Emmanuel Bourgaud added one assist and eight key passes to his name.
The manager Christophe Pelissier doesn’t have any injury worries, so he can pick up his best eleven for the next game against Montpellier.
MONTPELLIER vs. AMIENS – Match Prediction
The home side will try to get another win in front of the home fans against one of the weakest teams in the league so far, while Amiens will try to continue with positive results for the third game in a row. I expect to see a tight match between two pretty inefficient teams, but if we get a quick opening goal, this one could finish in the over, so I suggest you be brave.
MY PICK: Over 2 Goals (-106)
