Nantes – Montpellier SOCCER PICKS
The French Ligue 1 had to bow to the protests of the yellow vests several times in recent weeks. Due to the fact that the security could not be guaranteed, some games were postponed in the French football upper house. In the coming weeks, there will always be catch-up games, so that the table can soon show a consistent picture again.
It represents a special game for the Armenian head coach of Montpellier, since he worked for years with the canaries of FC Nantes. After being in his active career as a player at Nantes under contract, he worked from 2007 to 2008 and from 2012 to 2016 in the port city as head coach. He has been in Montpellier for a year and a half now and returns to his heart club on Tuesday evening in the catch-up game of the 18th matchday. The guests from Montpellier are certainly a positive surprise this season and after losing points even the first pursuers of Paris Saint-Germain. Nevertheless, Nantes against Montpellier is easy to favor according to current odds.
Nantes:
The Table-Ninth last season (then still under Leicester hero Ranieri) had already in early October to make a change of coach. Ranieri’s successor Miguel Cardoso was able to win only one victory in eight competitive games. The Bosnian coach veteran Vahid Halilhodzic could then be presented as a successor. The now 66-year-old has played in the port city as an active player from 1981-1986 and has been able to stabilize the club significantly in recent weeks. His point yield reads much more positively than that of his predecessor. After 17 matchdays, however, the canaries are only 14th on the table and only have 20 points on the credit side. Relegation place 18 is only four points away, the gap to Europe already much larger.
The life insurance this season is undoubtedly the Argentine attacker Emiliano Sala, who scored no fewer than twelve of the 24 goals. The second best scorer, Gabriel Boschilia, scored only four goals. The winger from Brazil could also fail on Tuesday night. Boschilia is injured and an assignment will only decide at short notice. Definitely not an issue for the home game against Montpellier midfielder Kayembe. Otherwise, all actors are available. A B-team succeeded in the cup match against Underdog Chateauroux (2nd league) a sovereign 4-1 victory over the weekend in front of their own audience. The home record in the last rounds can be quite impressive. With only three Nantes goals in their first four home games, the Canaries have scored no less than 13 goals in their last four home games. The form at home is correct, although a 3-3-2 balance is still very balanced. As a particularly strong home, we would not call Nantes accordingly. Accordingly, we also see no value in the game between Nantes and Montpellier at the tip of the home win!
Montpellier:
The season 2011/12 ran like a fairytale for the HSC Montpellier, which ended sensationally with the title win. Although there will definitely be no title win in Ligue 1 this season, head coach Michel der Zakarian can call the current season a dream. After losing points, Montpellier is currently even in second place. In the table, the team is “only” in fourth place, but also has only four points behind Lille and two games played less. In the last three years, the team never reached a single-digit place in the table, but thanks to the currently strong defensive Montpellier may dream of Europe. With just 13 goals against Montpellier is the second best defensive of the league. Only in three games had goalkeeper Lecomte two conceded goals, in seven games, the 27-year-old goalkeeper, who was also already in the expanded circle of the national team, keep his box clean. Thanks to the strong defensive Montpellier does not need a superior offense. 25 goals scored mean only one more goal than, for example, Nantes.
The Zakarian managed to find a very good balance with Montpellier. Despite the few goals, Montpellier is by no means just eager to destroy the opponent’s game. Tactically, the team moves exemplary and thus rarely gives the opponent rooms. However, the fact is that the squad does not have the necessary depth to compensate for large losses. The best example was the first round of the great French Cup competition these days. Against the relegation-threatened third division (!) Sannois-St. Gratien had to give Montpellier a sensational 0: 1 (conceding in minute 93) beaten. In addition to the Marseille-Out certainly the biggest disgrace in this Cup round.
Despite this embarrassment could be read at the outset that in the game between Nantes and Montpellier our forecast aims for the away win. This cup-out has in the evaluation no great relevance, because the capitalized root formation has nothing to do with the starting eleven on Tuesday evening. Montpellier gets out of the means available the absolute maximum. The squad is by no means outstanding and certainly much weaker than that of Lyon or Marseille, but with tactical discipline, a lot of work, dedication and passion, the Elf of Montpellier is currently riding a wave of success.
