Stan James French Ligue One Preview

Stan James French Ligue One PreviewAjaccio???10/11Draw????.15/8Le Mans???10/3Ajaccio have had a good start to the season and remain undefeated. An opening day win against Nantes has been followed up with draws against Lille and St Etienne. They must build on this promising start if they are to avoid sinking back towards the relegation zone. They currently lie 7th in the league. Their opponents Le Mans thrashed Rennes 4-0 last week and the newly promoted side have shown that they intend to stick around in Ligue One. They are not afraid to go forward in numbers and in De Melo they have a striker who could set the league alight. But Ajaccio, in Corsica, is a difficult place to go so it could well be a close game. A draw would be the obvious result but at 10/3 Le Mans do look a tasty price. Bordeaux???13/10Draw????....15/8Monaco???..21/10This could be a close game as both sides have shown enough good form so far. Bordeaux won their first two games then were unlucky to lose 1-0 to Auxerre last week. It probably won't have knocked their confidence and under the guidance of Brazilian coach Ricardo they could well be in for a very good season. They'll be looking to bounce straight back to winning ways. However Monaco will not be an easy touch. They have started slowly but are beginning to show signs of their potential. On their travels they have looked particularly dangerous and Didier Deschamps will fancy his team's chances. A tough one to call but the value could well be in siding with Bordeaux. Canal+Deporte are covering the game live on Saturday at 16.15pm and Stan James will be In-Running up until the 85th minute. Lens??.?..EvsDraw???.15/8Auxerre???3/1Lens are looking for their third win in a row and they must be bullish about their chances against an injury ravaged Auxerre side. The trouble is they could well end up cancelling each other out because Auxerre themselves are going for three wins in a row. In fact they are unbeaten and lie in second place, so don't get too carried away with the home sides chances. In fact at 3/1 Auxerre look a very decent bet indeed although the draw would be the safer option. Lyon????1/4Draw????7/2Nancy???.12/1It's difficult to see anything other than a home win here. Newly promoted Nancy currently lie joint bottom whereas star studded Lyon are beginning to assert their authority at the top of the table. They currently are in third place. There has been nothing to suggest this will be anything other than a convincing home win, especially now that the Essien saga has now been resolved. It will finally settle Lyon down and with bucks to spend they'll be looking to hit the top spot soon?..and stay there. This is the perfect opportunity to kick on. Metz???...13/10Draw???....15/8Strasbourg??21/10Both these sides have started poorly and both will be looking to kick start their seasons. In fact both managers will fancy their chances and quite frankly this is a game that could go either way. Metz have home advantage and this just might be the difference. In their desperate scramble to stay in Ligue One, games like these are a must three points. Strasbourg have to work harder as a team if they are to go anywhere this season, but they also could do with that little bit of luck that every team needs from time to time. Nice????.13/10Draw????.15/8Nantes??.?21/10Nice were involved in a particularly eventful game last week against Sochaux, where dodgy refereeing decisions cost them the match, sparking all sorts of mayhem. The game was held up for 15 minutes due to missiles being thrown on the pitch. They'll be looking to bounce back but Nantes will be no pushover. They have won their first two games convincingly but suffered a defeat in Corsica last week against Ajaccio which puts me off recommending them. The draw seems a good option here?. Rennes??.?11/8Draw????15/8Marseille???2/1The key man here has to be Alexander Frei. The Rennes marksman has not hit the back of the net yet and the club have had a disastrous start, losing all three games and conceding eight goals in the process. In fact they haven't even scored one goal yet and they better buck their ideas up or the 4th spot they achieved last season will be a very distant memory. Frei has already missed a catalogue of sitters but he's bound to score soon and when he does the fortunes of the team could change. Marseille had a cracking result last week at home to Lyon, scoring early on then showing tenacity in holding out for a draw. It could signal the revival of their fortunes, but it might all hang on whether Frei is in the mood?.or not. Sochaux???..6/4Draw??.??..9/5Lille????..15/8Sochaux's first points of the season must have given them a phillip although the loss of two key players for red cards will mean a change of personnel. Lille meanwhile are having an indifferent start themselves and the manager was not a happy bunny after their 2-1 home loss to Troyes. Their backlash might be the key to this and it is very conceivable that Lille bounce back to winning ways here. They'll see Sochaux as a chance to reassert themselves. Toulouse??..5/4Draw???..15/8St Etienne??.9/4Oh dear?.Toulouse promised big things this season but after winning their first match, they have now suffered two consecutive 2-0 defeats. Things haven't gone their way admittedly but they are bound to be a bit jittery this weekend. Their record against St Etienne is also dire. The last time they beat them was in 1989. So St Etienne look a good proposition at 9/4 considering that they picked up their first win in their last match. This match is live on Setanta on Sunday at 17.00pm and we'll be betting In-Running up until the 85th minute. Troyes???11/4Draw????2/1PSG????.EvsParis St Germain are currently riding high at the top of Ligue One with maximum points and they'll see this as a great opportunity to carry on the good work. A 4-1 win over Metz last week illustrated that this season PSG will be scoring a lot of goals. Kalou, Cisse and Pauletta have already hit the net but the latter might be out of Saturday's game with a thigh strain.Troyes are currently unbeaten. They have drawn their first match at home 0-0, but I'd be surprised if this game remained scoreless. The consolation for Troyes is that Dallet has already bagged a couple in their other games, including last week's 2-1 away win at Lille. This match is also live on Setanta on Sunday at 19.45pm and Stan James will be betting In-Running up until the 85th minute.