A rare losing weekend last time out for Mark O’Haire, but he’s hoping to get the good times rolling again with two goals bets from France!
A SUNDAY SHOOTOUT IN CHAMPAGNE COUNTRY
Ligue 1 remains one of the highest-scoring major leagues in Europe at this embryonic stage of the season.
France’s top flight is averaging 3.01 goals, with a chunky 59% of fixtures featuring Over 2.5 Goals, and a massive 65% of encounters seeing both sides score.
Two of the chief contributors now lock horns on Sunday as mid-table Troyes welcome surprise-package Lorient to the Stade de l’Aube, and I’m keen to pull the trigger on Over 2.5 Goals at a generous 1.86.
It’s a wager that’s already paid out in 16 (73%) of the duos’ combined 22 league dates thus far, with 17 of those showdowns featuring BTTS winners.
Both sides have exceeded expectations through the opening 11 match days, although Lorient’s exploits are difficult to dismiss.
The visitors concluded last season in 16th and were expected to struggle in 2022/23 having sold their best player in the summer, whilst seeing an exodus of experienced heads depart, as well as steady head coach Christophe Pelissier.
While Troyes have been on the scoresheet plenty times this season, defensively they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet.
Les Merlus brought Regis Le Bris in for his first role in senior management and the 46-year-old former youth coach has flourished after stepping into the seniors, giving Lorient’s budding squad direction, dynamism and a fearless attitude. Playing with pace and intensity, the Brittany boys have packed a real punch to sit second in the standings (W8-D2-L1).
Lorient are the third-top goal scorers in the division – firing a solitary blank – yet there are still vulnerabilities at the back with the goalkeeper position of particular concern and Les Merlus’ dodgy defending from set-pieces also requiring a significant improvement.
The guests have recorded only three shutouts with matches averaging 3.18 goals-per-game.
Troyes (W3-D3-L5) have also surpassed pre-season expectations through the first quarter of the new campaign. Bruno Irles’ outfit have endured a tough opening Ligue 1 schedule yet showcased enough attacking flair to suggest they’ll be capable of staying out of relegation dogfight with four teams suffering top-flight demotion this term.
ESTAC have plundered 19 goals, notching in all bar two of their 11 tussles, and boasting the second-best attacking record in the bottom-half. And Troyes’ testimony follows familiar lines; the hosts are still searching for their first shutout of the season, nine of their outings have already produced successful BTTS selections, with contests averaging 3.73 goals.
Going forward, Troyes and Lorient have combined to score multiple goals in 14 of their 22 Ligue 1 matches, however, the pair are also allowing over eight shots in the box on average, whilst giving up over 1.30 non-penalty Expected Goals (npxG) per-game, again highlighting the potential for plenty of goalmouth action at both ends on Sunday afternoon.
GOALS FORECAST AS IN-FORM PAIR FACE-OFF
Sunday night’s primetime fixture features improving Lille against in-form Monaco and I’m again keen to support a goal-heavy contest.
Over 2.5 Goals can be grabbed at 1.79 and that’s a price well worthy of our support considering the two teams’ style, as well as the league’s high-scoring nature.
Lille followed up their derby-day success against Lens by impressively dispatching Strasbourg 3-0 on the road.
Les Dogues have extended their streak of scoring in every game under new head coach Paulo Fonseca, and despite recording back-to-back clean sheets, LOSC still appear fragile at the back, conceding in their previous nine assignments.
Paulo Fonseca’s Lille side have scored in every game of his tenure.
Meanwhile, Monaco’s five-match winning streak came to a close with a 1-1 draw at home to Clermont last time out. Philippe Clermont’s charges were thwarted by an early red card but should be capable of bouncing back in what’s anticipated to be an open and expansive encounter at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.
The principality club have gotten on the scoresheet in every Ligue 1 fixture thus far, netting 15 goals in their most recent seven, and bring an exciting array of forwards for the journey.
Skipper Wissam Ben Yedder, Breel Embolo, Aleksandr Golovin, Takumi Minamino and Krepin Diatta all boast game-changing quality and can be relied upon to contribute.
Lille can also call upon plenty of firepower of their own.
Jonathan David continues to create headlines as Les Dogues’ leading light, whilst elsewhere Jonathan Bamba, Adam Ounas, Angel Gomes, Remy Cabella and Timothy Weah provide Fonseca with numerous match-winning options and ability in the final-third.
Overall, the duo have combined to see a tasty 17 (78%) of their 22 Ligue 1 tussles pay-out for Both Teams To Score backers with 15 (68%) featuring Over 2.5 Goals, and there’s more than enough ammunition on show to suggest a repeat could well be on the cards at a nice price come Sunday night.
Recommended Bets
- Over 2.5 Goals in Troyes vs Lorient – 1 unit @ 1.86
- Over 2.5 Goals in Lille vs Monaco – 1 unit @ 1.79
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