Another weekend of football brings another weekend of Ligue 1. So what went down in Gameweek 1?
The big shock in the opening fixtures was Angers' momentous two-nil victory away to Montpellier. This caught us out and negatively affected our advice of both Geoffrey Jourdren and Daniel Congre. Although the latter still managed a respectful 6.40pts from successful tackle and interception points.
One thing we were very pleased about was the fact Troyes managed, as we predicted, to keep GFCO Ajaccio at arms length, in their no-score draw. Our controversial selections of 18-year-old keeper Bernardoni and hot-tempered right back Pereira paid off, with each scoring a solid total of 8+ points.
AS Monaco were unable to record their trademark clean sheet, but our recommendation, Layvin Kurzawa, did not disappoint. The left-back scored the winner and racked up 12.38pts on
Mondogoal. His value, as expected, has risen from 9.5m to 10.6m.
The let-downs last weekend were Alexandre Lacazette and Florian Thauvin. The former failed to find the net despite a vast amount of opportunities to do so and Thauvin seems to have continued his belligerent approach from last year, having been subbed 70 minutes into Marseille's disappointing loss vs. Caen.
Our differential pick of FC Bastia's Floyd Ayite came up trumps as the Togolese international grabbed a goal in his side's 2-1 victory over Rennes. Ayite proved to be our highest scoring recommendation with an impressive 12.82 points.
Here's a quick recap of how our
Mondogoal Tips fared in Gameweek 1.
GOALKEEPERS
Paul Bernardoni � 8.8pts
Geoffrey Jourdren � 1.8pts
Cedric Carrasso � 1.8pts
DEFENDERS
Layvin Kurzawa � 12.38pts
Jonathan Pereira � 8.13pts
Daniel Congre � 6.40pts
MIDFIELDERS
Floyd Ayite � 12.82pts
Anthony Mounier � 6.05pts
Florian Thauvin � 3.48pts
FORWARDS
Alexandre Lacazette � 5.69pts
Anthony Martial � 5.90pts
Michy Batshuayi � 2.13pts
Now we move our concentration onto Gameweek 2, with another chance for you to win some hard earned cash prizes on
Mondogoal with our help.
Here are the fixtures:
Friday 14th August
Monaco vs. Lille
Saturday 15th August
Saint-Etienne vs. Bordeaux
Troyes vs. Nice
Rennes vs. Montpellier
Angers vs. Nantes
Caen vs. Toulouse
Guingamp vs. Lyon
Sunday 16th August
Reims vs. Marseille
Lorient vs. SC Bastia
Paris Saint Germain vs. GFCO Ajaccio
Clean Sheet Potential
A quick glance at the bookies odds and it's clear to see that Monaco & PSG, both playing at home, are the outright favourites to keep a clean sheet. If you are thinking of doubling up on one of these clubs we advise going for PSG, as their opposition, Ajaccio, are a significantly weaker side than Monaco's opposition, Lille. Keep an eye out for Lorient, Caen & Saint-Etienne, as all three are strong outfits on home territory.
Goalkeeper Tips
Paris Saint-Germain are huge favourites against newly promoted GFCO Ajaccio, so it was an easy decision to include their keeper
Kevin Trapp (7.3m) as our
Mondogoal best bet. PSG signed the German goalkeeper from Bundesliga side Frankfurt as backup for Salvatore Sirigu; however he has now established himself as the first choice, opening the door for his colleagues exit. Trapp has featured in all of the German youth teams from U17s level up to U21s and earned his move to the Ligue 1 Champions after an impressive season in the Bundesliga, collecting the 3 Man of the Match awards in 22 appearances. Although we don't expect him to bank many save points, a clean sheet looks very likely.
Taking form into consideration, Lorient's
Benjamin Lecomte (7.8m) could prove to be a great differential away from Paris Saint-Germain & Monaco. The 25-year-old was our Man of the Match vs. Lyon and made a string of important saves to deny the likes of Lacazette and Fekir. If Lorient are capable of securing a clean sheet away at the Stade de Gerland, then there is no reason why they cannot repeat this at home vs. Bastia. The travellers will be desperate to avoid the relegation battle antics of last season, but we still feel that Lorient and Lecomte will be too strong for Bastia to break down.
The two principal stats to look at when selecting a keeper in
Mondogoal is most importantly clean sheet probability, but also saves made per game. We feel
Mouez Hassen (4.3m), at this bargain price, has the potential to provide both. Hassen replaced Simon Pouplin after 37 minutes in Nice's 1-2 defeat vs. Monaco and is expected to retain his place in the team. Nice were one up and in control before the game turned on its head after they were reduced to 10 men just before the break. This highlights their ability to compete with the best sides in the country and if they hadn't lost a man, then they just might have nicked a point or three. The obstacle in front of Nice is another newly promoted side, Troyes. They began their second spell in Ligue 1 with a no-score draw vs. GFCO Ajaccio and shouldn't cause too much of a problem for Nice.
Defender Tips
We advise doubling up on PSG's backline for Gameweek 2 and if you want a reliable
Mondogoal scorer, who better than skipper
Thiago Silva (9.9m). Although his centre-back partner,
David Luiz (7.5m), is a lot lighter on the budget, we feel that his drop in value is warranted due to his unpredictable and erratic playing style. If you have the funds, it's worth investing in Silva: the premium option. If not his club and international partner will still adequately fill the space and he might just take a few freekicks as well. We cannot visualize anything other than Paris Saint Germain dominating in every area. Their build-up play will be patient, allowing Thiago Silva & David Luiz to pick up passing points while Ajaccio will attempt to exploit them with the long ball, which gives the Brazilian's endless opportunities for interception points.
To continue the trend of pairing a Goalkeeper and defender from the same team, leads to the inclusion of 19-year-old
Didier Bouanga (6.3m). The difference is… he is not actually a defender! Lorient have promoted the youngster from the youth ranks and he was quickly thrown into the deep end, playing the full 90 minutes last week vs. Lyon. Bouanga appeared unfazed by the occasion and was unlucky not to open the scoring, after cutting in from the right. He proved dangerous throughout and played a major part in Lorient's attacking moves, providing 2 key passes. If he goes into the Bastia encounter with the same confidence, he could be a snip at this price. A brilliant out of position and differential prospect wrapped up in one package.
He will play just in front of
Lamine Gassama (9.3m), who it is worth mentioning is another player with a set of attributes that suit the
Mondogoal scoring system. A higher price than his teammate/wingman but still an excellent choice.
Our final defensive tip is Lyon's attacking full-back
Henri Bedimo (8.6). The experienced defender, who has played for 7 different French clubs during his career, offers a superb offensive outlet for Lyon while also providing stability defensively. He attempted 5 dribbles vs. Lorient, which is more than Lacazette, Beauvue & Ferri managed in the match, put together! Some people may argue that he is overpriced, but with 4 assists last season, following on from 9 assists the year before, we feel that Bedimo is reasonably valued. If Lyon manage another clean sheet, but demonstrate more intent going forward, then Bedimo could aim for 10+pts after just missing out vs. Lorient with 9.72pts.
Attacking Potential
Another look at the bookies odds and again it's clear to see that PSG, Lyon, Lorient and Monaco are the favourites to score. In our book, the first three have the greatest potential to convert, as Monaco are known to drag out games and against tough opposition in Lille, this could quite easily be the case.
The front-runners are PSG; if you put fifty quid on them to win and score 2+ goals you would only receive twenty pounds back… tells you everything you need to know.
Midfielder Tips
First up in our midfield recommendations is PSG's midfield maestro
Marco Veratti (11.1m). We know you will be thinking, he's not explosive enough, he doesn't score enough… but hear us out. The wee Italian is the cog in midfield; he keeps everything moving efficiently. He passes, he tackles, he intercepts, and the only downside is his scoring return, with just 3 in his entire career. However, don't let this last point put you off, as he gathers in the points from several other areas.
On average last season Veratti made more successful passes per game (90) than Xavi, won more tackles per game (3) than Sergio Busquets and made more successful interceptions per game (1.5)than Luka Modric. The Italian international was also fouled 2.9 times per game and with PSG facing Ajaccio; inexperienced players throughout the match will hack Veratti down. These facts are the reason why he has raked up 15+ points on
Mondogoal in 3 of his last 5 outings.
With Lyon's abundance of attacking options, we advise you to include at least one of their midfielders. Our pick and possibly the most advanced player in their midfield diamond is
Nabil Fekir (12m). Fekir always seems to pop up in dangerous areas and he's never afraid of having a shot, 5 against Lorient last week highlights this. The 22-year-old scored 13 goals last season and assisted on 9 occasions. Combine this with being fouled 3 times per game and it's not hard to see why we are recommending him for
Mondogoal.
Unfortunately, Lyon's new signing Mathieu Valbuena has not been listed yet, but if you are after a cheaper alternative than Fekir, we suggest going for
Maxime Gonalons (7.2m). The captain of Les Gones returns from suspension on Saturday and is an unspectacular, but consistent scorer in the 8-10 points range.
Forward Tips
You know what's the imminent discussion here…
Zlatan Ibrahimovich (17.9m) of course. The eccentric Swede will be desperate to begin, what looks to be his final season with the French Champions, on a high. We all know his final wish is to get his hands on the Champions League trophy. The question is, will he even feature vs. Ajaccio after struggling to recover from a knee injury? Unfortunately, PSG are the late Kick-off, so you will be unable to alter your
Mondogoal side to suit the outcome. At the time of writing, we feel that he is 50-50 and if you want to take the gamble it could make or break your chances of winning. Just don't blame us if he hampers your weekend, however, we will happily take the plaudits if he bangs in a hat trick.
A risky decision, which brings to mind the on-going ‘
Late Swap Discussion' hosted on this site. It would be unfair for us to steer you in either direction, so it's a judgement to be made on one's own accord.
There are some great bargains available in the forward position, due to lack of form and injuries dampening the big guns influence;
Alexandre Lacazette (11.6m) with a back injury,
Edinson Cavani (8.8m) struggling for form and of course Ibrahimovich has his own worries. Taking these issues into consideration Caen's goal scoring hero vs. Marseille,
Andy Delort (4.6m) could be worth a punt. The burly ex-Wigan striker proved a handful for the Marseille defence, so he can definitely provide the same threat vs. Toulouse. If Delort continues to shoot on sight, he will pick up points, even without scoring. Nevertheless, a 10+ points haul would put the icing on the cake.
Looking for a bargain striker to complete your squad… look no further than
Valere Germain (4.3m). The ex-Monaco forward left his old fans scratching their heads in disbelief as he scored just 7 minutes into his Nice debut, with a sublime first-time finish. As we mentioned before Monaco fought back after Nice went down to ten men, however, Germain continued to cause Monaco problems. He has the ability and agility to spark a game into life and we think he will flourish when matched against the new boys from Troyes. Head and shoulders above the rest in this price bracket and with the favourable fixture, selecting Germain seems a no-brainer.
The final forward to keep your eyes peeled for is AS Monaco's winger
Ivan Cavaleiro (3.5m), who is an even cheaper alternative to Germain and Delort. The energetic winger made a name for himself during the under 21s World Cup, as Portugal finished as runners-up. Cavaleiro continuously tried to make things happen and move the ball forward and played a pivotal role in his sides 5-0 triumph over Germany. The 21-year-old will be aiming to kick-start his AS Monaco career during his home debut.
