WITH an abundance of midweek league action from Italy and France taking place, Mark O’Haire (@MarkOHaire) shared his favoured Serie A and Ligue 1 tips for tonight’s games…
Juventus v Cesena | 19.45 | BT Sport 1
Massimiliano Allegri guided Juventus to a 1-0 win over his old team Milan in Saturday night’s Derby d’Italia to make it four consecutive wins without a goal conceded to start the season. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see it’s probably worth a few quid at 8/13 with Ladbrokes for a repeat.
Juve have won their last 20 games in Turin and victory this evening will equal their city rivals Torino’s all-time record of 21 consecutive home Serie A wins. What’s more impressive is that they’ve recorded W-W double results in 11 of their last 13 at Juventus Stadium but it’s too short to back at 1/2 with Ladbrokes.
Cesena won promotion via the play-offs from Serie B but were trounced 3-0 in their opening away game and failed to hold onto a two-goal lead against Empoli last time out. And the visitors are unlikely to be able to stop the Juve juggernaut which has now delivered seven successive triumphs to nil in all competitions.
Bastia v Nantes | 18.00
An encouraging start to Claude Makelele’s reign in charge of Bastia has soon dissipated following one win from their first six games and Brandao’s six-month suspension. But back in Corsica, the hosts tend to produce the goods when it matters most.
Bastia are unbeaten in eight Ligue 1 matches at their Stade Armand Cesar base and odds-against quotes of 11/10 (Ladbrokes) on Both Teams To Score look a little on the large side. The Blues have scored in 5/6 league outings but also only recorded a solitary clean sheet in 2014/15.
Nantes arrive with just one away win to their name from their past 12 but have netted in all bar two of their Ligue 1 games this season and should be well capable of piercing a dubious home defence.
Guingamp v Metz | 18.00
A prize on offer for anyone who can convincingly argue why Guingamp deserve to be as short as 21/20 to win tonight’s showdown with Metz. No? Didn’t think. Immediately it gives us a chance to oppose the hosts and with 8/11 from Coral available on Metz in the Double Chance market, I’m loading up.
This will be EAG’s third match in six days due to their Europa League involvement and the squad simply isn’t good enough or large enough to cope with their European commitments. The hosts have failed to score in four of their six matches and sit one off the bottom of the table.
Metz have taken just a point and failed to net in three away games at Lille, Montpellier and Nice but were superb in their 3-1 win against Bastia at the weekend and have added former French international Florent Malouda to their roster. We’re taken a small leap of faith by siding with the visitors but put simply, Guingamp are a toxic price and must be opposed.
Best Bets
Juventus v Cesena – Juventus ‘Win To Nil' (8/13 Ladbrokes)
Bastia v Nantes – Both Teams To Score (11/10 Ladbrokes)
Guingamp v Metz – Metz Double Chance (8/11 Coral)
