French football is back this weekend with a full slate of fixtures across Ligue 1. There’s plenty to get excited about up and down the top flight and as we enter the last few weeks of February, it’ll be interesting to see who can start to build some momentum ahead of the next few months. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be a fun encounter between Metz and Clermont Foot.
Metz Form GuideAfter just one season away from the spotlight, Metz are back in the big time - and they’re ready to ruffle a few feathers. They aren’t considered to be too much of a threat by the elite of the elite but for them, that probably won’t matter a whole lot. They have the talent necessary to spring an upset here and there, and you can bet they’re going to put up a much better fight this time around.
Last weekend, Nantes and Metz played out what proved to be a pretty competitive game. In the end, though, we got what some would consider to be a surprise result, as Metz secured a 2-0 win to give their survival hopes a real injection of life.
Clermont Foot Form GuideClermont Foot had an incredible season last time out but if they want to avoid a relegation battle, they need to forget about the past and move forward to the future. They have a team that is more than capable of springing an upset if called upon, but that’s never been their problem. Their problem has been consistency and avoiding complacency, which is why we’re interested to see how they navigate the months ahead.
On Saturday, Clermont Foot played host to Marseille and were likely hoping to build up the kind of atmosphere that would’ve made them really tough to play against. Alas, they didn’t quite manage it, coming up on the wrong end of a 5-1 thumping.
Match PredictionThese two sides need to start picking up results quickly and this truly does feel like a relegation six-pointer if we’ve ever seen one. It’s going to be a blood and guts brawl, but in terms of a prediction, we can’t really separate them - which is why we’re backing over 2.5 goals scored.
