AC Ajaccio vs Monaco prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-03-18 12:00.
For the second consecutive Ligue 1 game, Ajaccio were felled by a single second-half goal as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Montpellier, a result that leaves them in the relegation zone. After their 18th league defeat of the season (W6, D3), thereâs no let up as Monaco are next up for Ajaccio, a side that hammered them 7-1 in January in the leagueâs joint-highest scoring game of the season.
That game is somewhat symptomatic of the Corsican sideâs all or nothing approach since their first home league fixture of the campaign as they havenât drawn here since (W3, L9), though the fact the last five of those defeats came âto nilâ is certainly unnerving. Five successive H2H defeats against Monaco certainly doesnât hint at an end to that run here, but Ajaccio fans will remember their 1-0 H2H win here back in 2006 and hope that the current team can emulate that remarkable performance.
An upset canât be completely discounted as Monaco are in a slump of their own, losing ground on the top three after winning none of their last three league matches (D1, L2). That followed their Europa League exit, but they can perhaps take heart from the fact they finished the last campaign unbeaten in ten league games to claim third place (W9, D1), a run they will undoubtedly be looking to emulate this season.
Despite that big H2H win in January, theyâll take nothing for granted as they head to Ajaccio, with Takumi Minamino warning his teammates and fans alike that âAjaccio are not an easy team to face, especially since they will be fighting for their survivalâ. Easy or not, Monaco will still expect to prevail as only Marseille have lost as few Ligue 1 road games as them this season (W8, D4, L1).
Players to watch: Youcef BelaĂŻli is Ajaccioâs top league scorer this term (six goals), although his January strike against Monaco remains the only one to arrive before the 30th minute. Monacoâs Wissam Ben Yedder scored a first-half hat-trick on that day but his last two goals, both against Troyes, came after the 75th minute.
Hot stat: Ajaccio have scored just twice before the 30th minute in Ligue 1 this term, while Monaco have scored 16 times in that time frame.