Troyes vs Clermont prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-04-08 13:00.
Following the 3-2 success at Strasbourg in January that began the 2023 calendar year on a high, Troyes fans must have been pretty confident they’d see their side steer clear of relegation this season, especially because they boasted a five-point gap to the bottom four teams at the time. However, few would have foreseen the 12-game winless run (D3, L9) that followed, now leaving them five points adrift inside the drop zone at the end of the last round.
The most recent loss in that streak was particularly damaging as it came away to Auxerre (1-0) who are placed one position above Troyes in the Ligue 1 table. With time running out, they need to break that rotten streak here, but with three H2H defeats from their last four competitive matches hosting Clermont, confidence within the fragile home camp is likely to remain low.
Neither set to battle for Europe nor likely to suffer relegation, Clermont’s five-game form perhaps sums up their place in the overall standings (W2, D1, L2). Not that they’ll have any complaints about their medial 12th placed ranking this season as their return of 37 points is already one more than they managed in the whole of last campaign.
Their most recent outing – a 2-1 win over Ajaccio – saw them bounce back from a goal down with two second-half strikes. That contributed to a remarkable record which has seen Clermont score 76% of their league goals after half-time in this campaign, helping them maintain their mid-table position despite leading at the break just six times all league season.
Players to watch: Rony Lopes scored in Troyes’ last home league game, meaning four of his five Ligue 1 goals have come within the walls of Stade de l'Aube. Grejohn Kyei netted twice last time out to make it seven combined goal contributions (G5, A2) this season – no Clermont player has recorded more.
Hot stat: Since returning to Ligue 1 in 2021/22, Troyes have dropped more points (49) after scoring the first goal (W10, D11, L9) than any other side.