Auxerre Vs Valenciennes football liga match preview

FRANCE LIGUE 1: 12BET ODDS Auxerre Vs Valenciennes 4/1 1AM GMT+8 

Another tough test for new manager Jean-Guy Wallemme, playing host to an in-form Valenciennes side buoyant from their home win over Rennes, but if they are to have any chance of staying in Ligue 1 they need to start picking up some points. Defeat away to Toulouse was expected, so any points against Valenciennes would be a step in the right direction.

Daniel Sanchez will be hoping to leave the Stade l’Abbe Deschamps with all three points, keeping their healthy gap from the relegation dog fight. With Gael Danic, Vincent Aboubakar and Foued Kadir all in-form, they will certainly fancy their chances against the Auxerre back line.

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Season over for Butin

Ligament injury sidelines striker for six months

Sochaux striker Edouard Butin has seen a cruciate knee ligament injury bring his season to a premature conclusion.

The 23-year-old picked up the unfortunate knock during a Ligue 1 fixture with Lyon on Saturday. He was stretchered from the field after colliding with Lyon keeper Hugo Lloris and is expected to be sidelined for up to six months. Sochaux said in a statement released on their official website: "The initial diagnosis after Edouard Butin's injury against OL has been confirmed today following (MRI) scans and a visit to Professor Jean-Henri Jaeger.

"The FCSM striker will have an operation on Tuesday morning on a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He will be unavailable for six months."

It is the second time Butin has suffered such an injury, the first coming when he was making his way through the club's youth system. His absence will leave Modibo Maiga to lead the relegation-threatened Montbeliard club's attack for the remainder of the season.

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Metz Vs Le Mans football match liga preview

FRANCE LIGUE 2: 12BET odds Metz Vs Le Mans 3/28 2:45AM GMT+8

Metz playmaker Thierry Steimetz is likely to be recalled after being rested for the first-half of Metz's 3-0 defeat at Reims last Friday. It was no surprise coach Dominique Bijotat gave him a break - the 28-year-old only turned pro in January after arriving from non-league football.

Le Mans coach Denis Zanko sprang a surprise by leaving Idir Ouali on the bench against Boulogne at the weekend. The striker is likely to return. They will be weaker at centre-half as Khaled Adenon, an automatic starter.

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Lens Vs Nantes football liga match preview

FRANCE LIGUE 2: 12BET odds Lens Vs Nantes 3/27 3AM GMT+8

Lens midfielder Ludovic Baal is suspended after getting sent off at Guingamp (3-0 defeat) last weekend. That may lead to a recall for former Bordeaux midfield Pierre Ducasse, who recovered from injury earlier this year.

January signing Ismael Bangoura returns for Nantes so the visitors are at full strength. Coach Landry Chauvin is spoiled for choice in midfield, where Grzegorz Krychowiak, Granddi Ngoyi, Adrien Trebel and Jordan Veretout are competing for two or, at most, three positions.

 

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Dijon Vs Caen ligue 1 match preview

FRANCE LIGUE 1: 12BET odds Dijon Vs Caen 2/25 10:30PM GMT+8

Caen coach Franck Dumas has called on his players to replicate the desire they showed in last week's creditable 2-2 draw with Paris St Germain when they face Dijon in Ligue 1 tomorrow. Despite occupying the last position of safety above the relegation zone, Caen were only denied a famous victory over the league leaders last time out when Christophe Jallet popped up with an injury-time equaliser for PSG.


Dijon, meanwhile, head into the match on the back of an impressive 2-1 win at Marseille's Stade Velodrome last weekend. Younousse Sankhare's strike and a late penalty by on-loan Gael Kakuta secured three vital points for Patrice Carteron's men, who can climb to the relative comfort of mid-table if they can secure back-to-back wins for the first time since November.

 

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Kompany in awe of Hazard

City defender believes Lille will shine anywhere



Vincent Kompany believes Manchester City target Eden Hazard has the talent to succeed at any club in the world.

City boss Roberto Mancini watched the Belgium international in action in Lille's 4-0 win overValenciennes on Sunday.The 21-year-old played a key role in the romp with a goal, his 12th of the season, and setting up two more goals for team-mates.Kompany knows all about Hazard as the two play together at international level and, while he would prefer to play alongsideDavid Silva now, he thinks his Belgium team-mate will continue to blossom in the years to come.

Asked which of the two playmakers he would prefer, Kompany said: "Silva now, Hazard in five years' time."With his talent, Hazard could succeed anywhere."City trail Manchester United by four points in the title race ahead of Wednesday's mouth-watering showdown with Chelsea and Kompany is determined to help Mancini's men finish top of the pile."I've been here since the beginning of the adventure and it's personal now," he continued."I don't think there are many clubs in Europe with a better future." - http://www1.skysports.com

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Mandanda admits English attraction

Marseille keeper has Premier League aspirations



 Marseille star Steve Mandanda has confirmed that if he left the club he would like to play in England.

The France international goalkeeper has long been linked with a move abroad, and now he admits to have a liking for the Premier League.The 26-year-old insists that he is not considering leaving, but the Marseille skipper admits that, if he did, it would be for a trip across the Channel.

 "Which league attracts me most? The Premier League," he told French radio."One day I would like to discover another championship, so why not the English league?"Mandanda is currently captain at Marseille, and he admits that being handed the armband has helped him."Becoming a captain could have made me crack, but it allowed me to stop being so reserved," he said."I feel good at Marseille, and today is not the time to think about a departure." - http://www1.skysports.com/

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Le Mans UC 72 vs Reims football liga match preview

FRANCE LIGUE 2: 12BET odds Le Mans UC 72 vs Reims 3/20 3:30AM GMT+8

Le Mans may be in the relegation dogfight but their form since coach Denis Zanko was appointed in December is that of a top-10 side. The former youth academy boss has inspired a dramatic improvement at the MMArena, with Le Mans picking up 14pts from a possible 24 in 2012. When he took charge he made a point of saying home wins were vital for Le Mans to avoid the drop, so expect a fully committed performance here.

Visitors Reims will probably be glad to be playing away from home as their form in front of their own fans has wobbled. After beginning with nine wins and a draw from their first 10 fixtures at Stade Auguste Delaune they suffered two consecutive home defeats, at the hands of local rivals Sedan (1-2) and Tours (2-3), and could only draw against Laval (1-1) on Tuesday night.

 

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Rennes Vs Toulouse football liga match preview

FRANCE LIGUE 1: 12BET odds Rennes Vs Toulouse 3/19 12AM GMT+8 

Rennes demonstrated great insistence last week against Auxerre, but their defensive performing is still under the usual level. They admitted a hit with only few decent attempts by the visitors and Pitroipa (who is definitely getting in form) and Erding (who made a good return after missing lat round) saved their side.

The first choice left full- back M’Bengue has returned after suspension and the Csanova’s eleven seems completed. That European battle would be decided by the quality of the Toulouse defending after Rennes are very aggressive up- front. However, the good long shots by Didot and company and the sharp on the ground crosses demonstrated against Lorient could be very useful as visitors.

 

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AJ Auxerre vS Evian Thonon Gaillard match preview

FRANCE LIGUE 1: 12BET odds AJ Auxerre vS Evian Thonon Gaillard 3/18 2AM GMT+8 

 

Evian midfielder Guillaume Lacour believes the pressure is all on Auxerre in tomorrow's clash against the Ligue 1 strugglers at the Stade Abbe-Deschamps. Lacour, who has recently returned to fitness following a long-term thigh injury, could return to the starting line-up after featuring on the bench in last weekend's 3-2 defeat by Sochaux.

Auxerre are currently entrenched in the relegation zone, in direct contrast with Evian, who were promoted to the top flight at the end of last season and are 10th with 33 points. However, with the lower half of the table so congested - the bottom eight teams are separated by five points - Lacour knows there is still no room for complacency.

 

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SM Caen vS Paris Saint Germain match preview

FRANCE LIGUE 1: 12BET odds SM Caen vS Paris Saint Germain 3/18 2AM GMT+8 

Caen have only won once in their last six home games at Stade Michel d'Ornano. Les Malherbes have gained 28 points from 27 games this season, though were easily dispatched by Montpellier last weekend. Caen's last victory against PSG came in April 2008, where they achieved the double over the capital club that season.

Should Paris Saint-Germain record victory on Saturday, it would be their sixth straight victory against les Malherbes. arlo Ancelotti's men have only lost once on the road in Ligue 1 this season, against Marseille in November. However, les Parisiens are unbeaten in 12 Ligue 1 games, the best record in the league so far.

 

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Ederson feeling ostracised

Player's agent feels club are blackmailing him into signing new deal



Ederson's agent feels the Lyon player is being ostracised by manager Remi Garde because of his contract situation.

The 26-year-old is out of contract in the summer and has only started one league game this year and five all season.And Antonio Caliendo feels his client is being forced into signing a new deal at the Stade de Gerland just to get a chance to play.

"Right now we are very far from the agreement for the extension, and I feel that the coach has taken the decision not to play him from the start until he signs a new deal," Caliendo toldtottomercatoweb.com."This situation makes me very angry because we don't accept blackmails. At this time there are several clubs interested in him like Juventus, Inter, Santos and Lazio who have been following for the past five seasons." - http://www1.skysports.com

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Le Havre vs Sedan match preview

FRANCE LIGUE 2: 12BET odds Le Havre vs Sedan 3/14 2AM GMT+8

Le Havre are once again showing that they are among the best home teams in Ligue 2 in the last years. The team lost only once so far in this campaign at "Municipal Jules Deschaseaux"(5-7-1) and also is on a run of seven games without a defeat here (3-4-0). For this game coach Daury won’t be able to count on Novillo (12/1) and Julienne (12/0), who played for the second team in the last two games.

Sedan won just two of their last eight games in the league (2-3-3) and because of this bad run the team is now no longer in the top three of the table. They also concede at least a goal in their last five games. The last time the team kept a clean sheet was against Metz (2:0) and actually this was the last game for defender Lautoa (21/0) with the club (he got transferred to Lorient three days later for 2 million euro).

 

 

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