Nice vs Strasbourg
Ligue 1
Date: 22nd October 2017
Kick off at 14:00 UK/ 15:00 CET
Venue: Allianz Riviera (Nice).
Both Nice and Strasbourg have not had good starts to their Ligue 1 seasons so there will be added pressure when the two sides face off on Sunday. The hosts in particular have failed to recreate their excellent form from last season, when they finished in third position and qualified for the Champions League preliminary rounds, and they find themselves in the bottom half of the division.
Nice were expected to do a lot better than they have so far, but some real shock results have seen them drop to 14th position. Losing the first two league games of the campaign to St Etienne and Troyes looks to have set the tone for the season, which was compounded when Napoli beat them convincingly over two legs in Europe to send them into the Europa League. There have been some bright spots along the way including victories over Monaco, who they beat 4-0, while their European games have all been won up to now. It is their league form that is the biggest worry however and something which needs urgently addressing.
Newly promoted Strasbourg meanwhile have now fallen into the bottom three having won one of their last six games. In fairness they have managed to pick up a few draws along the way, but the side’s lack of defensive solidity is costing them. Strasbourg have conceded 17 times in their nine games at a rate of almost two per match.
Supporters will be hoping that striker Nuno Da Costa, who has two goals to his name already, can provide the necessary firepower to get Strasbourg to safety.
We see there being goals in this one and advise backing a Both Teams To Score bet as despite being strong at home, Nice have been conceding goals regularly. For our correct score prediction meanwhile, we are backing a 3-1 Nice and for those looking at anytime goalscorer bets, we think Mario Balotelli looks good value to find the back of the net again.
Nice vs Strasbourg: Head to head
Interestingly, the draw has been by far the most common of the outcomes in the history of the head to head clashes between the two sides.
It happened on eight occasions in 18 matches as the teas have t6aken five wins each so far.
Nice vs Strasbourg: Prediction
Backing goals at both ends has to be the way to go here and we’ll take the BTTS pick with both hands at the odds of 1.80.
As for the outcome, we’d avoid the home win bets at 1.57 odds as the form speaks in Strasbourg’s favour.
Nice vs Strasbourg: Bets
The main betting option would be BTTS at 1.80.
Punters who are in for longshots can chase Strasbourg Over 1.5 Team Goals at the odds of 3.75.
