Ligue 1 Preview Gameweek 2

Ligue 1 is back for the second week of action as teams begin to make their mark on which end of the table they will feature at and after some surprising results, manager resignations and goals throughout the league, it is sure to be another action packed weekend in France.  

Here are the match previews for the latest week of action in Ligue 1

Monaco v Lille – Date 14/08/2015 – Venue – Stade Louis II – Kick Off 19:30 (UK Time)

Monaco will look to build on their away win at Nice with a strong home performance this weekend. They currently sit 2^nd in the table and could go to the top of the league should Angers fail to win against Nantes. Stephan El Shaarawy and Bernardo Silva will be looking for their first league starts of the season following their impressive performances last week, inspiring Monaco’s comeback in the second half.

Bernardo Silva scored after coming off the bench against Nice and after extending his current contract with the club he will be hoping to start this game. Lille face another tough game following their home defeat to PSG on the opening day of the season; despite it being early days they will want to bounce back quickly and avoid being in the bottom three for another week.

Saint-Étienne v Bordeaux  – Date 15/08/2015 – Venue – Stade Geoffroy-Guichard – Kick Off 16:00 (UK Time)

Both of these teams suffered setbacks in their opening games, scoring first and losing the match. Saint-Étienne lost to Toulouse and Bordeaux to Reims; these are sides they should be beating if they want to challenge for the European spots again this year. Saint-Étienne sit 14^th in the table with Bordeaux just one place below, so a win is much needed for both sides as they don’t want to fall short of the leaders at such an early stage in the season.

Saint-Étienne may make a few changes due to their poor result in the last game, but it is Bordeaux who have been hit with injuries already. Midfielder Gregory Sertic, acting as captain and defender against Reims has been ruled out of action for up to six months with a cruciate ligament injury. Goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso may also be sidelined following a knee injury in Sunday’s warm-up; he managed to play the full game but he is set to be out for an unspecified amount of time.

Angers v Nantes – Date 15/08/2015 – Venue – Stade Jean Bouin – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

Angers will look to continue their form from the 2-0 win against Montpellier and hope to stay at the top of the league for another week. It was an impressive start from Stephane Moulin’s team and it will not be surprising if they name an unchanged side for their second home game against Nantes on Saturday.

Nantes struggled to beat Guingamp last weekend, but did so through an opposition own goal; they will aim to keep a strong defensive line once again in this game but maybe go for an alternative attacking formation. Kolbeinn Sigborsson may have a place in the starting eleven against Angers after he was brought into the game from the substitutes’ bench last weekend.

Caen v Toulouse – Date 15/08/2015 – Venue – Stade Michel d’Ornano – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

After Caen’s excellent start to the season winning 1-0 at Marseille, manager Patrice Garande may have a very easy decision to make with his squad selection for the game against Toulouse on Saturday. They put in a strong performance at the Stade Vélodrome, offering some great attacking play and holding a well-disciplined back line.

Toulouse will be without striker Aleksandar Pesic who was sent off in the latter stages of the game against Saint-Étienne after coming on as a substitute. This shouldn’t affect their starting eleven, as they go into the match sitting one place above Caen in 5^th.

Guingamp v Lyon  – Date 15/08/2015 – Venue – Stade du Roudourou – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

Lyon travel to Guingamp on the back of a disappointing home draw with Lorient last Sunday and they will look at this game as a must win if they are going to put the pressure on title challengers PSG and Monaco. With Alexandre Lacazette possibly sidelined with a back injury, this could be the game where Lyon’s new signing Claudio Beauvue could step up as he is yet to get on the score sheet for Les Gones. They have also just signed former Marseille midfielder Mathieu Valbuena from Dynamo Moscow, and he will be looking for his first start shortly.

Lyon are right in the middle of the table in 10^th, whereas struggling Guingamp are in the bottom three in 18^th after their disheartening loss at Nantes last Saturday. Lionel Mathis is a doubt for Guingamp as he faces a late fitness test following an injury against Nantes, which forced him off the field in the first half.