Ligue 1 Preview Gameweek 13

There are a few games in Ligue 1 this weekend that would appear to be predictable as the top sides take on the bottom sides but with a few shocks already occurring this season, no team can be written off.

Angers v Rennes Date 06/11/2015 – Venue – Stade Jean Bouin – Kick Off 19:30 (UK Time)

3^rd place Angers host 9^th place Rennes in what will be a great encounter at the Stade Jean Bouin. Both sides are going into this match on the back of defeats; Angers losing for the first time in seven matches to Monaco and Rennes suffering a narrow home loss to PSG. The hosts will be looking to get back to winning ways and with a couple of the top sides facing difficult games it is a fantastic opportunity for Les Scoistes to build a gap. Romain Thomas is suspended for the hosts after accumulating too many yellow cards and Fode Dore has just been added to the injury list with a tibia fracture.

Rennes have failed to win in any of their last seven matches and have picked up just five points in that time. They won’t be looking forward to the trip to Angers whose early form has been magnificent and they are unbeaten at home in Ligue 1. Paul-Georges Ntep and Edson Mexer may still be sidelined with injuries and Mehdi Zeffane is doubtful after he wasn’t included in the squad last weekend.

Paris Saint-Germain v Toulouse Date 07/11/2015 – Venue – Parc des Princes – Kick Off 16:00 (UK Time)

Toulouse will be lacking confidence travelling to leaders PSG and it will be their toughest game of the season; they can only hope PSG will have been affected by their Champions League loss at Real Madrid. The visitors’ failure to win in their last 11 games means they have fallen to 19^th in the table and continue to struggle as the teams around them have started winning. Yann Bodiger is suspended after he picked up a booking last weekend versus Montpellier and Mauro Goicoechea and Tongo Doumbia could still be injured.

PSG have stretched their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to ten points after extending their unbeaten run and making it six wins in a row. Javier Pastore is battling conjunctivitis and will miss this one; as will Marquinhos with a thigh injury and Marco Verratti who was forced off in the early stages against Madrid with an ankle injury.

Caen v Guingamp Date 07/11/2015 – Venue – Stade Michel d’Ornano – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

Hosts Caen are still 5^th in the league but will be looking to bounce back after two disappointing results; consecutive losses against Nantes and Bastia. They face a Guingamp side who have been enjoying a good run of form on Saturday and this will be far from a comfortable game. Nicolas Seube is the only doubt for Caen as he was missing from the squad in last week’s fixture with Bastia.

Unbeaten in their last five and picking up seven points against some tough sides, Guingamp are performing quite well in the league and will prove to be difficult opposition for Caen. Sitting 11^th in the table, Guingamp know a win would see them back in the top half of the table. Younousse Sankhare picked up a red card last weekend and will be out of this game but there are no further concerns over the side that faced Lorient.

Lille v Bastia Date 07/11/2015 – Venue – Stade Pierre-Mauroy – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

Lille drew with Nice in the last round of fixtures but their disastrous start to the season continues as they drop to 16^th, just three points above the relegation zone. Les Dogues are one place below Bastia who won last week; maybe a sign of recovery after losing seven of their previous eight matches. Renato Civelli is suspended for this game and Marko Basa could still be out with a calf injury.

The visitors won against Caen last weekend and this result was just enough to give them some breathing space from the relegation zone. They will need to start performing to recover from their poor run of results and avoid being dragged towards the bottom three. Bastia have a huge list of absentees meaning Ghislain Printant can’t make his desired selection; Axel Ngando, Brandao, Christopher Maboulou, Francois Kamano, Yassine Jebbour and Alexander Djiku could all be ruled out with injuries.

Lorient v Troyes Date 07/11/2015 – Venue – Stade du Moustoir – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

Troyes are still without a win and are the only Ligue 1 side with that unwanted record. They travel to Lorient who are enjoying an opposite run of form. Troyes are right at the bottom of the table and after four back-to-back losses are five points from the nearest team, Toulouse. The visitors probably have the longest list of sidelined players in the whole league; with Chris Mavinga, Corentin Jean, Jonathan Martins Pereira and Thomas Ayasse all suspended, while Dusan Veskovac and Quentin Othon are the latest players to take a hit with injuries.

Lorient’s run of four games without a defeat has put them up to 8^th in the league and they will look to keep this consistency going on Saturday evening. In those four games they have faced Bordeaux, Marseille, Rennes and Guingamp so despondent Troyes should be more of a comfortable match. The hosts are without the injured Abdul Waris, Wesley Lautoa is recovering from an injury and both Remi Mulumba and Pape Abdou Paye are doubtful after their absence from last weekend’s squad.

Montpellier v Nantes Date 07/11/2015 – Venue – Stade de la Mosson – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

Montpellier look to be turning their form around after climbing out of the relegation zone and going three games without a defeat. They take on Nantes who have performed well recently but are still showing signs of inconsistency. La Paillade have no forced changes from the side that started against Toulouse so Rolland Courbis may well stick with the same team.

Les Canaris are 10^th in the league standings but had their winning run ended by Marseille in the previous match. They will be wary of Montpellier’s sudden surge of confidence and strong performances so they can’t afford to make any mistakes or become complacent. The main team news for Nantes is that Valentin Rongier and Alejandro Bedoya are still sidelined with injuries.