Match Preview
Troyes
Troyes are a club that’s been in the news a lot the last few weeks, mostly due to the City group taking them over. On the actual field they’ve started the season with 2 wins and 2 losses. They’ve looked decent though and we shouldn’t downgrade them too much for losing to Sochaux and Auxerre away from home. It will be interesting to see if any new weapons are added before the end of the transfer window but it looks like this is a long term project at Troyes and they will probably identify suitable targets before the next transfer window. Ahead of this match their most notable injury is to playmaker Maxime Barthelme who remains on the sidelines. They could miss his ability to unlock a packed looking opposition defence. New centre back Gabriel Mutombo is another injury but has only been on the bench so far anyway. Head coach Laurent Battles has been employing a 4-4-3 wide system this season and I’d expect that to continue.
Clermont
If we are talking tactics then we know exactly how Clermont will set up. Pascal Gastien is a religious employer of a 4-2-3-1 but his small squad will be tested tonight. First choice keeper Arthur Desmas is ruled out due to suspension so Ouparine Djoco will take his place in between the sticks. He played the whole of the second half last week and looked ok but we need to see more of this keeper before we know exactly how much of a downgrade he is. Versatile impact sub Jodel Dossou is injured along with main striker Jordan Tell. Clermont have looked very solid so far this season and the back four can take a lot of credit for that. Cedric Houndondji and Florent Ogier have especially looked formidable. Clermont have only conceded two goals this season. One was a penalty vs Dunkerque and the other was a late deflection vs Toulouse last week after holding on grimly to a 1-0 lead for the whole of the 2nd half.
Conclusion & Betting analysis
This is a battle between two good teams and should be an intriguing contest. 5,000 fans will be allowed inside the stadium and I expect there to be a pretty good atmosphere. Pascal Gastien is a fantastic coach but I go back to what I said in my season preview that he doesn’t have enough weapons to work with at Clermont. The squad is so small that just missing the players listed above could be crucial for them here. The main problem for Clermont is lack of goals and it’s hard to trust them for that reason. Troyes look a big price on a DNB handicap tonight. They have won both home games so far and generally played fairly well. This match could easily end a draw but their better offense might just prove to be the difference tonight. I see something like 1-0 or 2-0 and this price is too generous to ignore.
Prediction: 1-0
Recommended bet: Troyes DNB @ 1.89