Ligue 1 Weekend Preview: Because I Said So

Have you seen this? Fear not!

Here we go again! More Ligue 1 football for you to focus on, if you can find a working stream (damn you, Homeland Security!)

So, what is on tap for this week that might entertain?

A potential relegation 6-pointer, the past two Ligue 1 champions facing off and, yes, more PSG.

And about those domains? The Department of Homeland Security (2 mentions! Everyone here has just had their Google cache seized by the government!) has been getting more cooperation from foreign governments in shutting down streaming websites, but the football heroes still manage to stay one step ahead of them. I’ve been having success searching for “MyP2P Forums” to track down the latest location. The legal issues are still a bit in flux, as there is debate about sites which merely provide links to content (rather than streaming them directly), but as long as you’re only on the “viewing” side you should be able to avoid any 5-year prison terms.

Saturday, August 27th:
Evian TG FC v. Dijon FCO – Last week I specifically told you not to watch the proceedings between two promoted sides, so why do I think this match will be different? First off, Evian are sitting in 6th place on the strength of an exciting style of play. They push the attack from the defense through Brice Djadjedje, moving through Sidney Govou in the midfield and ending up top with the dynamic Saber Khalifa. That combination is likely to be a nightmare for a Dijon defense anchored [sic] by the unsteady Samuel Souprayen, who will be called upon to be as stout as the suspended Abdoulaye Meite (given an 8-match ban for his injury-causing tackle on Julien Quercia). Thankfully for them, the latter plays in front of 21 year-old netminder Baptiste Reynet, who is capable of an epic performance.

Dijon has a few familiar names in their squad in Malouda and Berenguer, but unfortunately it’s Lesly and Florin rather than Florent and Pascal (neither hide nor hair has been seen of Freddy Drogba, brother of Didier, since his signing in June). Despite their impressive 2-0 win over Lorient last week, Dijon simply doesn’t have the talent to keep pace even with the other promoted sides. Away to a small, but vocal, crowd at the Parc des Sports Annency, this looks like a loss in a match that should be pretty open. Let’s call it 2-0 for Evian, with goals from Jerome Leroy and Kevin Berigaud.

Other notes:
Auxerre v. Ajaccio – will Ligue 1-leading scorer Alain Traore keep up his pace of a goal every match? (Spoiler alert: Yes)

Lyon v. Montpellier – will Montpellier keep up their pace of a win every match? (Spoiler alert: No)

Sunday, August 28th:
Toulouse FC v. Paris Saint-Germain – Coming off good home wins in the league and the Europa Cup, PSG travel to the Stade Municipal for a tough test against a Toulouse side that find themselves in 2nd place in Ligue 1. The capital club have a number of players who were rested during the match against FC Differdange and will now be looking to prepare themselves for the international friendlies break with Les Bleus. While the side will benefit from having Blaise Matuidi and Kevin Gameiro return to action, they will be uncertain in defense as Mamdou Sakho is injured and Milan Bisevac may be hesitant in the tackle as he faces a disciplinary hearing on September 1st.

Although it is a relatively weak defense, made more so by the injury to Cheikh M’Bengue, that will try to ward off the efforts of PSG, they are bolstered by the impressive Ali Ahamada in goal. After a fantastic finish to the last campaign, the Under-21 French netminder has easily secured the starting spot with his continually spectacular play, and it will take quite a bit for PSG to break through. Call it a 1-1 draw, with goals from Moussa Sissoko and Blaise Matuidi.

LOSC Lille Metropole v. Olympique de Marseille – The last two Ligue 1 champions face off at the Stade Lille Metropole with both of them having struggled a bit in the early going of this campaign. However, the two combined for a thrilling 5-4 goalfest in the Trophee des Champions, and there promises to be fireworks this time around as well.

Loic Remy tends to find the back of the net against Lille, having scored 3 goals in his last 4 matches against them, but he might miss this go-round with a groin injury. That means that Didier Deschamps will be relying on the Ayew brothers and (a hopefully renewed) Andre-Pierre Gignac to provide the offensive firepower. However, the true magic comes from Mathieu Valbuena in the midfield. Ligue 1′s shortest player is almost always worth the price of admission, and he currently leads the league in assists as he has been adept at pulling the strings. L’OM remain an attack-minded side due to their weaknesses in defense, as Cesar Azpilicueta should be seen as a huge liability while Stephane Mbia is sidelined with an injury for the foreseeable future.

Lille will attack Steve Mandanda’s goal with the talented trio of Eden Hazard, Moussa Sow and Dimitri Payet, none of whom have managed to find the back of the net so far. They won’t (or shouldn’t) continue to rely on goals from the defense (Mathieu Debuchy has 2), particularly as that movement forward has weakened the backline somewhat in the face of opposing pressure. Marko Basa has been surprisingly able in the defense, while Aurelien Chedjou has been strangely lacking, which will come back to haunt the side in this match. I see this one as 0-1 victory for Marseille, with the goal coming from Andre Ayew.

Other notes:
Rennes v. Caen – Will Caen maintain their torrid pace to stay in the Top 4? (Spoiler alert: No)