Against visitors that look like genuine title genuine challengers Bordeaux are underdogs and their players may not believe they can win. But a large crowd of around 38,000 – way above their season average – is expected and that should motivate the home team. Bordeaux have good team news. No. 1 goalkeeper Carrasso has been out for several weeks and remains sidelined. They’re more likely to concede without him. No other automatic starters are missing, however, so the hosts can field a strong outfield line-up.Bordeaux remain in the top-half of the table but recent performances and results have been mediocre. Their 1-0 home defeat to struggling Lille last weekend was a major disappointment and summed up just how average Bordeaux have been in recent weeks.
Monaco’s latest remarkable performance was their 5-0 win over Bastia last weekend. They played some stunning attacking football to run out convincing winners. Monaco’s attacking figures are astonishing. They’re averaging more than three goals a game – they’ve scored 49 times in 16 Ligue 1 fixtures. As a result they’re likely to take an attacking approach and will be confident of collecting all 3pts. Monaco can name their strongest side as there are no injuries or suspensions. They also have tremendous depth in attack so should be dangerous off the bench in the second-half should they need to freshen up the team.
Verdict & Prediction
Monaco will be in an excellent frame of mind and hugely fired-up to collect all 3pts here. They know that if they win and PSG then beat Ligue 1 leaders Nice on Sunday night, they’ll be top of the table ahead of Nice on goal difference at the end of the weekend. Monaco have an good away record (W4-D2-L2) so will play to win and be confident they can pick up all 3pts. They’ll still be buzzing from their 5-0 win over Bastia last weekend, the latest in a long list of emphatic victories this season. Monaco’s 3-0 Champions League defeat at Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night should not have affected confidence as Monaco had already qualified for the knockout phase as group winners and rested several automatic starters for that match.
Prediction: Monaco -0.50 AH (Same as Monaco to win match)
Odds: 2.08 Pinnacle
