Welcome back to another Fantasy Ligue 1 article. This week,
NaturalFootyFan picks out his top 5 tips in preparation for Gameweek 22.
The big talking point in Ligue 1 at the moment is the sacking of Rennes manager Philippe Montainer. The former Toulouse goalkeeper was appointed in May 2013 and having extended his contract at the club until 2019, last summer, it seemed a surprising outcome. Despite sitting comfortably in the League table (6th), which is 3 up from where they finished last season, their elimination from the Coupe De France appeared too hard to handle; a defeat versus Ligue 2 side by the name of Bourg en Bresse Peronnas and Montainer was swiftly shown the door.
Here are our tips for Gameweek 22 - all player prices are from our partners at
Mondogoal, who provide European Fantasy Football contests on a daily basis.
Fixtures
Date |
Home |
Vs. |
Away |
22/01/16 |
REN |
19:30 |
AJA |
23/01/16 |
PSG |
16:00 |
ANG |
23/01/16 |
GUI |
19:00 |
BAS |
23/01/16 |
NAN |
19:00 |
BOR |
23/01/16 |
LIL |
19:00 |
TRO |
23/01/16 |
MTP |
19:00 |
CAE |
23/01/16 |
NIC |
19:00 |
LOR |
24/01/16 |
MON |
13:00 |
TOU |
24/01/16 |
REI |
16:00 |
SET |
24/01/16 |
LYO |
20:00 |
MAR |
Clean Sheet Odds
# |
Team |
Odds |
Implied Chance |
1 |
PSG |
1.44 |
69% |
2 |
Lille |
1.75 |
57% |
3 |
Guingamp |
1.85 |
54% |
4 |
Rennes |
2.30 |
43% |
5 |
Monaco |
2.37 |
42% |
To Score Over 1.5 Goals
# |
Team |
Odds |
Implied Chance |
1 |
PSG |
1.36 |
74% |
2 |
Lille |
1.53 |
65% |
3 |
Nice |
2.05 |
49% |
4 |
Monaco |
2.10 |
48% |
5 |
Lyon |
2.25 |
44% |
Tip 1 � Free-scoring match between Lyon & Marseille.
Lyon got off to the perfect start inside their newly opened Parc Olympique Lyonnais with a convincing 4-1 victory over Troyes. They will be searching for more of the same, to secure back-to-back wins at home. However, Marseille will have other ideas, having gone unbeaten in their last six away games in the top-flight (W5 D1). It could easily come down to the battle of the strikers; Lyon's
Alexandre Lacazette (9.8m) vs. Marseille's
Michy Batshuayi (11m) � both of whom are top-scorers at their club with 7 and 12 goals respectively. Another player to keep an eye on is
Rachid Ghezzal (8.1m) - following Beauvue's completed transfer to Celta Vigo, the Lyon youngster will be presented with an opportunity to step-up. It will certainly be an exciting spectacle, that could swing either way.
Tip 2 � Nantes' unbeaten run to continue.
Nantes are undefeated in their last seven Ligue 1 games (W1 D6), their longest run since September-November 2014 (9). They will look to extend this into double figures as they welcome Bordeaux to the Stade de la Beaujoire. Nantes is always a tough fixture on the road, and the fact that they've only conceded 9 goals at home this season underlines this. Bordeaux have won just the once in their last 14 away games in Ligue 1 (D7 L6). For these reasons, we recommend a Nantes defensive pairing of
Youssouf Sabaly (8.5m), who was on the scoresheet last weekend, with
Ermir Lenjani (6.1m), who manages an average of 1.2 key passes per game from left-back. If you want to be very bold with The Canaries backline, then
Remy Riou (7.1m) is a slightly riskier option between the sticks.
Tip 3 � Sofiane Boufal to get on the scoresheet.
Although we expect a low-scoring encounter between Lille and Troyes, with both sides rarely finding the net more than once in a match, we do feel
Sofiane Boufal (10.6m) will be the game-changer. The Moroccan has struggled for form this season; nevertheless, with 4.9 dribbles attempted per game, which is the highest average in Ligue 1 this season, Boufal has the potential to damage a deflated Troyes defence. He will, without a doubt, be presented opportunities and with 15 shots on target and 5 goals this season, it's just a matter of converting one of them. The 22-year-old is the perfect candidate on Mondogoal, as he demands the ball and is not afraid to take on players. In Ligue 1 this season, he is ranked 1st for average fouls won (3) and dribbles attempted per game while coming in at 3rd for key passes made.
Tip 4 � Low-scoring contest as Lille host Troyes.
When Lille are involved there's a high possibility that you'll be tempted to switch the channel over. No offense to them, as they're a well-drilled side, however, they don't score a lot and they don't concede a lot - overall they're very organised and stubborn outfit. Lille have drawn a League-high 10 matches this season and only Angers have conceded fewer goals at home. Troyes remain planted at the foot of the table and have now gone 22 Ligue 1 matches without tasting victory! Within Lille's back 4, we feel
Sebastien Corchia (7.5m) is your best bet for Mondogoal, having attempted more open play crosses (88) than any other player in the current Ligue 1 campaign.
Tip 5 � PSG to secure three points and a clean sheet.
Paris are unbeaten in their last 30 league games (W27 D3) and have scored in every Ligue 1 match this season, except once… and guess who it was against. That's right Angers, the team that stands between them and their unbeaten run in Gameweek 22. Paris Saint-Germain (13) and Angers (12), have kept the most clean sheets this season, but you'd either have to be extremely bold or somewhat delusional to back anyone other than the home side. There may not be goals galore; nevertheless, PSG will control the tempo of the match. If you are after someone who will dictate the play in the middle of the park, then there's no one better in Europe at that job than
Marko Veratti (11.1m). The little Italian consistently completes 100+ passes per game, which banks at least 5 points on Mondogoal, which is more than an assist or 2 shots on target. The other obvious picks are
Angel Di Maria (16.6m) and the one and only
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (19.5m), who hauled himself off the bench in typical style to smash home an 89h minute winning penalty in PSG's midweek Coupe de France tie.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more Daily Fantasy Football contests on Mondogoal.