Valenciennes preview

• A shock defeat 1-4 away against struggling Tours ended a good period of results for VA.
• The offense has been looking quite sharp recently, but at the back just 1 clean sheet in 7 games in a slight concern.
• Centre back Ahmed Kantari misses this contest due to injury which will further hinder them at the back. Valenciennes are otherwise at full strength though.
• VA are often hard to beat at home and haven't suffered many defeats here in the last couple of years. Draws often stall their progress however.

Nimes preview

• Nimes are unbeaten in seven matches and have moved up to midtable following a slow start to the season.
• Defensive midfielder Larry Azouni is ruled out of this match but none of their other regular starters are missing.
• The key to Nimes’ improvement has been the arrival of winger Christian Kouakou and the re-signing of fellow wide man Ousmane Cissokho. They have a lot of dangerous players and options in the final third, with Renaud Ripart another key playmaker.
• Les Crocos have the second best away record in Ligue 2 and their tactical setup is perfect for road play. They are a much better away team this season.

Conclusion & betting analysis

• Both teams are usually quite good on the eye to watch and this looks set to be a fairly exciting contest.
• The immediate pick that catches my eye is over 2.25 goals. Priced around the 1.85 mark, this looks a more than acceptable bet.
• Valenciennes matches have been full of goals recently, whilst many Nimes road fixtures have ended over 2.5.
• This really should be quite an end to end type fixture containing a lot of chances for ligue 2 standards. I am quite confident in this selection and have no hesitation backing it.
• Valenciennes are favourites in between a DNB and -0.25 handicap. I really don’t know who is going to win and I feel this match is capable of going either way. I’m not interesting in betting on this market and will just stick with the over.

Prediction: 2-2

Recommended bet 1 unit: Over 2.25 goals @ 1.84