Ligue 2 betting tip: Sochaux- Auxerre
Mar 13, 2018
Ligue 2: Sochaux- Auxerre
This match was postponed on March 2nd, ahead of which I wrote ...........
Sochaux have featured very heavily in recent weeks and most of those notes were included in last weeks preview of their trip to Ajaccio where they lost 3-2, I have highlighted some of those this morning .............
Ahead of their home game with promotion rival Le Havre last week my notes included........."Sochaux had the major distraction of a midweek visit from PSG (1-4) last midweek and it was no surprise that they lost 3-0 at leaders Reims just three days later, but they should be fully focused on L2 now and I expect to see them at their best . Early in this campaign I wrote about what Sochaux would have been expecting from this season and how their games were far more pleasing on the eye..........
Sochaux will see anything other than a major promotion push as failure, they are unbeaten through four games ( two wins) and there was much to like about their battling 2-2 draw at Nancy last week , after trailing 2-0 early, they have more goals in them this season, have scored five in two home starts and it could have been 7-8. They have a budget at least double that of Chateuaroux and a well respected youth programme, with five graduates currently in the team and fast improving aged 19-21. This is their first season under head coach Peter Zeidler and he has made them far more offensive minded and certainly less passive and afraid to take take chances, which has been the case in recent campaigns and he has a good balance of youth and experience.
Last month I updated with ......They did not start well and were 3-2-5 and in 17th place at the end of September, with games averaging 3.6 goals per game, they have since gone 6-1-2 and climbed up to eighth, within four points of third and a playoff spot. Their games have still produced above the (increased) L2 average number of goals in the interim period, but they are not conceding quite so freely. They put six past a weakened but still Ligue 1 Amiens last Saturday in the national cup and built on the feel good factor their level of form would have doubtless given them going into the Christmas break. They have the youngest squad in L2 and six players still in that 19-21 age band, have now become regular starters in a winning team and youth knows no limits on possibility.
Game should be full of interest and goals, or at least more than odds suggest. Sochaux home games have averaged 3.67 per game and for me, Le Havre are always better when they open up and play to their strengths and this could get very stretched after the first goal (hopefully) comes ."
That worked out well, Le Havre racing into a two goal lead inside 18 minutes, Sochaux coming back into things, which landed the "over" before the break, eventually winning by the odd goal in five. There is nothing more thrilling that watching your team come from two plus goals down to win and players too get a big buzz and can really feed off that and it felt like a massive result for Sochaux, far more important than just the three points it earned. Their numbers were good..... 11 attempts inside the box, ten on target, winning corners 8-1 and with the Le Havre keeper making 7 saves, also dominating all key passing stats and all versus a decent opponent. It was all the more impressive as they were without goalkeeper Maxence Prevot missing his first game of the season and wide players Florian Martin and Aldo Kalulu who have 16 goals between them .
Ajaccio have slipped back to 4th and have been conceding more freely suddenly, not keeping a clean sheet in 2018 ,conceding 11 in 7 starts after allowing just 18 in 19 games prior to that and whilst they are pretty strong at home, they have conceded here at the rate of exactly one goal per game(most of any team in the top half of the table, aside from Sochaux) and it is very difficult not to see the visitor scoring as an absolute minimum and right now. this feels like a bad match up for the host. Sochaux are still missing those big three (see above) but created a host of chances anyway last week in the absence of the midfield duo, the loss of the young goalkeeper is more worrying, but that hardly puts me off going "over" and that is the call.
The boot was on the other foot this time as Sochaux led 2-1 late and had played with a man advantage for over 70 minutes and to lose from that position must have been devastating. They are now down in 10th, but still within two points of a post season spot and six adrift of an automatic promoton place with 11 rounds left to play so, nil desperandum, the battle goes on and it should only increase their game plan which is to look for three and only three points in each game. The same three players ( see above twice !) are still sidelined and it is just impossible to see them keeping a clean sheet right now, or probably not conceding two, but also score a similar number and the only concern today is the weather and whilst a big one, it is counter balanced by the odds offered.
Auxerre are one place, but six points adrift of Sochaux, with no relegation concerns, maybe they are not ready to give up on top 5, but would need to win today and no reason to see them sitting back and they have scored 12 in their last four away starts (all competitions).
1.75 units "over" 2.5 goals 2.13 asian line/Sportmarket.
Sochaux: Lawrence Ati Zigi, Aubin Long, Florent Ogier, Jean Ruiz, Mickaël Alphonse, Adolphe Teikeu, Patrick Kapp, Jeando Fuchs, Sofiane Daham, Florin Bérenguer, El Hadji Ba, Florian Tardieu, Axel Bakayoko, Aksel Aktas, Yoann Touzghar, Thomas Robinet, Yakou Meïté , Bryan Lasme.
Auxerre : Boucher, Westberg, Youssouf, Diallo, Tacalfred, Ba, Ndicka, Polomat, Adeoti, Sissako, Touré, Konaté, Sakhi, Barreto, Sangaré, Ayé, Philippoteaux, Yattara, Sané.
Another game of two halves with Sochaux ? The home side have conceded 14 first half goals here, Auxerre have shipped 17 on the road after the break, both big numbers.
Auxerre have subsequently lost 2-1 at home to Brest, Sochaux 2-0 on the road to Paris FC a match where there were 29 attempts on goal, 24 from inside the box (12 each) and it was hard not to weep in frustration at the numerous early and golden chances missed, especially by Paris who could have scored five with some better choices in front of goal. Odds are now slightly lower on the "over" and I have to stick with that having watched the PFC game.......
1.75 units "over" 2.5 goals 2.08 asian line/Sportmarket.
Sochaux : Ati Zigi, Long, Ogier, Ruiz, Alphonse, Teikeu, Bergdich, Pendant, Fuchs, Daham, Bérenguer, Tardieu, E. H. Ba, Bakayoko, Robinet, Touzghar, Meïté, Lasme.
Auxerre : Boucher, Westberg, Arcus, Youssouf, Tacalfred, Ba, Nidcka, Polomat, Adéoti, Touré, Konaté, Sakhi, Barreto, Sangaré, Ayé, Philippoteaux, P. Sané, Yattara.
Good Luck.
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