TFT Issue 101!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
Saint-Etienne vs LOSC Lille – both sides to score at 5/6.
Today’s featured game is the Ligue 1 encounter in France between Saint-Etienne and LOSC Lille. The hosts are desperately trying to keep their hopes of a UEFA Europa League place alive and thus need all the points they can get whereas LOSC Lille are in a similar position although they’re fighting for a UEFA Champions League place.
Saint-Etienne have really impressed me this season, to be blunt. This club barely managed to stay in the division last season due to a complete lack of firepower but twenty-four year old striker Payet has really stepped up to the place this season with thirteen goals to his name already. His fellow strike partner Riviere has joined in with eight goals, as have midfielders Sako, Perrin, and even old Battles but it’s no secret that Payet is the heartbeat of the team. Either way – when it comes to scoring goals, the only side out of the top four to score more than Saint-Etienne at home is Sochaux so I think it’s fair to call their transition remarkable this season. We all know they’re a massive club by tradition but now they’re actually starting to play like it too, which is encouraging.
Saint-Etienne have taken most of their points at home this season, understandably. They’ve only lost three times in sixteen home games in Ligue 1 so you can see what a tough away game this is rapidly becoming for sides. Saint-Etienne’s hopes of achieving a UEFA Europa League place may be slender but they have that belief about them this season which has seen them turn up for the vast majority of games and give it their best so I expect nothing less today. Besides – manager Galtier has additional reason to beat their opponents today as a former Olympique de Marseille defender himself – there’s no prizes for guessing who is catching Lille up! Saint-Etienne have only failed to score in one home game in Ligue 1 this season and irrespective of the scoreline, I don’t think that’ll change today.
I like LOSC Lille. I admire their attacking style of football and their tenacity, not to mention their sheer desire to win every game and win it well. However, I still maintain that there’s a case for this side being overrated. Sure, they’re leading the league table and they’ve earned it, by my reckoning. However, this side is not safe defensively and that was proven time and time again during their 0-1 victory at AS Nancy-Lorraine last match, irrespective of the scoreline. Unfortunately for Lille, they’re facing a side today that can and will hurt them if they give such stupid chances away and with essential defender Rami a doubt here, Lille could be in for a long night. They miss Gervinho and have doubts over both experienced target man Frau and Belgian playmaker Hazard but it’s not their attacking that concerns me, not with Cabaye back, Obraniak on the flank, and Sow in the middle. No, again, it’s their vulnerable defence that concerns me. On paper, they look to have a good defensive record so I can understand the misconception regarding this side’s backline but I genuinely attribute their good record to shoddy finishing from other clubs in a league where the only good striker is Lisandro Lopez! However, Payet and co. are still capable on their day and I think Lille will give them more than enough chances to score here. This Lille team has conceded in six out of their last seven away games and although it’s rarely more than once, that token goal does tend to make it harder to win games, understandably.
Three out of the last four meetings between these two clubs have involved both sides scoring, as have three out of the last four games at this ground between the two teams. We should see two attacking sides play out a good game of football here and even though the hosts are missing two regular midfielders, I can’t help but feel we’ll see both sides scoring in this game so that’s my call at 5/6.
Team news – Saint-Etienne miss Matuidi, Andreu, Ravet, and Landrin whereas LOSC Lille miss Gervinho and have doubts over Frau, Rami, and Hazard.
Verdict: Both sides to score at 5/6.