The French Ligue 1 football season kicks off on Friday, as reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain travel to Lille in the opening encounter. This year it is highly anticipated to be an opportunity for the likes of Lyon, Monaco, Marseille & possibly Saint-Etienne to, yet again, embark on a serious title push. This is, of course, a very tall order, with PSG rounding off they're hugely successful 2014/15 campaign with a 3rd consecutive league title last season.
Here on fplbet.com we will provide weekly fantasy Ligue 1 tips, concentrating on the Daily Fantasy Football side of things. Today we will go through each position and hand-pick our best bets, bargain buys & differential picks relating to the prices and daily competitions provided by
Mondogoal.
Our aim is to assist you in your quest towards banking the big bucks week in, week out… So let's cut to the chase, here are the Gameweek 1 Fixtures:
Friday 7th August
Lille vs. Paris Saint Germain (Not included in Mondogoal Competitions)
Saturday 8th August
Troyes vs. GFCO Ajaccio
Nice vs. Monaco
Nantes vs. Guingamp
Montpellier vs. Angers
Marseille vs. Caen
SC Bastia vs. Rennes
Sunday 9th August
Toulouse vs. Saint-Etienne
Bordeaux vs. Reims
Lyon vs. Lorient
Goalkeeper Tips
Montpellier are big favourites vs. Angers and there's good reason for it. At home against a newly promoted side, who would be content with a 0-0 before kick-off.
Geoffrey Jourdren (8.3m) was reliable throughout the 2014/15 season and he stood out for us because of his strong start, with 4 clean sheets in the first 6 gameweeks last year. Subasic of AS Monaco will without doubt be the most popular pick, but we feel Montpellier and Jourdren have the easier fixture this time out. The 29-year-old averages 6.49 points per game, a solid pick.
Some may be shaking their head at our approval of including an 18-year-old goalkeeper from a newly promoted side, but hear us out. Troyes will be without their number 1 keeper Denis Petri through injury, which frees up the opportunity for youngster
Paul Bernardoni (6.0m) to show his worth between the sticks. He has a record of 1 clean sheet in Ligue 2 after… you guessed it, 1 game! In last seasons Ligue 2 campaign Troyes conceded an average of just 0.63 goals per game. Their defensive solidity was head and shoulders above their rivals and playing on home soil against fellow newcomers GFCO Ajaccio, a clean sheet looks likely.
If you are seeking something a bit different from the norm then
Cedric Carrasso (7.2m) could be a smart option. Bordeaux welcome Reims to the Nouveau Stade in a match-up which in the past has proved to be dull and lack goals. However, if you own Cedric Carrasso then that's exactly what you're looking for. Bordeaux appear a much stronger unit when playing at home (61% of their points total) and Reims are a side that regularly struggle to convert chances. A win-win situation in our book.
Defender Tips
AS Monaco are the most predictable and defensively stable team in the league, so including one of their defenders is the safe option.
Layvin Kurzawa (9.8m) is extremely offensive and has scored in each of his side's last three matches; two of these being Champions League Qualifiers. Last season Kurzawa was Monaco's star man and despite missing several weeks through injury, finished the season with 4 assists and 6 Man of the Match awards. AS Monaco retained a clean sheet in 53% of their games last season, so if you have the funds and want an attacking fullback, stick Kurzawa in your squad.
Another Troyes player, this time its their marauding right back
Jonathan Pereira (5.0m). Despite featuring in Ligue 2 last season, Pereira has experience of playing at this level with Guingamp. The main reason why we recommend him is due to the attacking positions he takes up. Pereira has scored 10 goals and assisted 9 during his time in the French Leagues and hopefully he can continue to bomb forward to create things or just make them happen, which is often the case! One thing to be aware of is that the Frenchman has established himself as a bit of a card magnet. It looks as though he is beginning to mature slightly and has cut out the silly bookings, having only receiving 4 last season - just take note. Troyes have a great chance to kick starting their Ligue 1 campaign and Pereira could be a key player.
As we mentioned before, we predict Montpellier to dominate Angers. They will control the ball and build from the back. This allows left back
Daniel Congre (7.3m) to pick up plenty of pass completion points, often in the oppositions half of the pitch. He is an all action full back, who tackles (3.3 tackles per game in 2014/15), intercepts (3.1 interceptions per game in 2014/15) and is tidy in possession. It's also worth noting, for
Mondogoal, that Congre is a relatively clean tackler, during his 3 year spell at the club he concedes, on average, just 1 foul per game. Congre is a great outlet, he likes to get on the ball and dribble. He also has history of finding himself in the right place at the right time and during his time playing for the France under 21s squad he found the net twice in just 7 appearances. A good differential, due to the long list of injuries and suspensions at Montpellier.
Midfielder Tips
This could be a breakthrough year for creative winger
Anthony Mounier (10.6m) who impressed last season and finished with 9 goals and 7 assists. His performances sparked interest and he was linked with a move away, with Olympiakos just one of the names emerging, but nothing materialised in the end. He is a brilliant
Mondogoal option due to his all action style; he shoots on sight, he dribbles and he can cut open defences with a single pass. A big reason why we are such fans is down to his eagerness to run at players. Mounier makes things happen, he provides 1.6 keys passes each game and is fouled an average of 2 times per game. He scored a broad range of goals last season, from tap ins, to a top corner finish vs. PSG and also a cheeky lob vs. Marseille. The 27-year-old played 36 matches last season and scored a goal in each of Montpellier's final two fixtures, so the confidence will be flowing.
Florian Thauvin (6.7m) will want to put the 2014/15 season behind him and start with a clean slate. He is one of the most talented youngsters in France, but he failed to live up to his potential last season. With Dimitri Payet making the move across The Channel to West Ham, this is the perfect opportunity for Thauvin to grab hold of his place in the starting XI and display what everybody knows he's capable of. We observed the 22-year-old when playing for the France under 21s side and he looked different class, let's just wait and see if he can perform on the big stage. The agile winger is a foul magnet who doesn't shy away from a shot, perfect for
Mondogoal.
Many competitors will stay clear of SC Bastia due to their unpredictability and this is why
Floyd Ayite (9.0m) is our midfield differential. The 25-year-old can play on either wing or as an unorthodox striker, he presses the ball relentlessly and has impressive acceleration. The Togolese international is comfortable on both feet, so can just as easily whip a cross into dangerous areas, as he can cut inside and have a shot. Ayite rakes in the points on Mondogoal as he is such a lively player, reminding us of Southampton's Saido Mane. He had 20 shots on target last season and despite playing predominantly from left-wing, ended up as the club's top scorer with 6. Take a gamble on Ayite; it might just separate your team from the crowd.
Forward Tips
It seems a surprise that
Alexandre Lacazette (12.5m) is still a Lyon player, after weeks of transfer speculation left his future at the club unknown. The Ligue 1's leading scorer last season with 27 goals has been very quiet during pre-season. Throughout the Emirates Cup, in which Lyon failed to score a single goal, Lacazette appeared a frustrated figure. He looked off the pace and struggled to find his feet when in possession. Nevertheless, he is still a class player and the finest forward in the league. When he steps onto the park to face Lorient on Sunday we expect him to be firing on all cylinders. The France international recorded 38% of Lyons goals last season and is a ‘must have' for your
Mondogoal team.
The 19-year-old is an inexpensive route into the AS Monaco frontline.
Anthony Martial (6.7m) has established himself as the fluid centre forward in a rigid 4-3-3 formation. AS Monaco are odds-on to finish the season in second place, but if they want to accomplish this, then they need more goals. Their philosophy is built upon a strong defensive foundation, but this season Martial and co. will be relied upon to do the business at the other end. Martial has started just about every pre-season game as the number 9 and we fully expect him to continue in this role. It's a big season for a promising player… maybe Berbatov's taught him the art of composure in front of goal.
The Belgian striker's game time has been limited due to the exploits of his former teammate Pierre Gignac, who ended last season with 21 goals.
Michy Batshuayi (7.1m), although starting just 6 matches, managed an impressive 9 goals. Gignac, his main competition, has now departed for River Plate leaving the centre forward position open. We feel that Batshuayi has every reason to claim this spot and we are backing him to produce the goods. On
Mondogoal he has tallied up 19.72 and 21.11 points respectively from the bench, so just think about what he could achieve in the full 90. It is rare to see a Marseille starting forward priced at just 7.1m, so we encourage you to scoop up this opportunity. If Marseille really want to put together a substantial title push then they need to be brushing the likes of Caen aside.
