MARK O’HAIRE (@MarkOHaire) looks for a hat-trick of European NAP winners as he delves into the penultimate round of Ligue 1 fixtures.
Bordeaux v Lorient | Saturday 20.00
Bordeaux sacked Willy Sagnol in March following a poor and inconsistent season but club legend Ulrich Rame has also failed to find the magic formula since taking charge of Les Girondins.
Last weekend’s 4-2 triumph over already-relegated Troyes was entertaining as Les Marine et Blanc fired in plenty of attempts on-target and the attacking phase of Bordeaux’s play certainly impressed.
Brazilian youngster Malcolm and 19-year-old academy product Adam Ounas received plenty of praise for their efforts in supplying Cheick Diabate and Diego Rolan – Rolan received the Man of the Match display after notching twice and proving a constant menace.
Les Girondins have plenty of attacking potential but during the dark end days under Sagnol, injuries and form saw Bordeaux revert into their shell. They’re now playing with confidence and purpose with full-backs Mathieu Debuchy and Diego Contento playing lead roles from wide.
The hosts are understandable favourites to see off Lorient this weekend with Les Merlus seemingly downing tools having kept their Ligue 1 status intact. Sylvain Ripoll’s troops have suffered four defeats in six and surprisingly failed to score in each of their last three fixtures.
However, we can make an exception for Lorient’s lack of goals considering they were up against France’s best three defences (PSG, St Etienne and Lille).
With the returning Majeed Waris and Benjamin Moukandjo leading the away offence, Les Merlus have more than enough firepower to play their part in an entertaining encounter.
These two teams operate at their best when given the freedom and space to get forward and the ingredients are certainly there for the pair to cook up a storm on Saturday night and Both Teams To Score looks to have a great chance at 4/6 (888).
Since the start of last season, Bordeaux have delivered winning BTTS bets in 25/36 (69%) of their home league outings, only failing to score on three occasions. During the same spell, Lorient have been involved in 23/37 (62%) successful Both Teams To Score selections.
I’d anticipate this weekend’s meeting will follow the trends and BTTS looks a wise option for the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux showdown.
Best Bets
Bordeaux v Lorient – Both Teams To Score (4/6 888)
