Angers vs Brest prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2025-01-04 14:00.
[p]Sitting above the relegation play-off place on goal difference alone heading into the first round of fixtures in 2025, Angers will be looking to put some distance between themselves and Ligue 1’s bottom three. In need of particular improvement is their home form, as the Black and Whites have the division’s lowest points tally on their own patch this season (four), while only Saint-Étienne and Le Havre have scored fewer French top-flight goals overall than their 14 after matchday 15 this term.[/p]
[p]Unfortunately for Angers, they face a Brest side against whom they have lost the last three H2Hs, although when the fixture has been played at Stade Raymond Kopa, Le SCO have won two of the last three such meetings (L1). Scoring early would be helpful if Alexandre Dujeux’s men are to further improve on that promising home trend, as they haven’t netted before the hour mark in their last six games at any venue (W2, L4).[/p]
[p]Brest, meanwhile, may not be enjoying the fairytale Ligue 1 season that they had in 2023/24, but they have won their last three matches in all competitions – last winning four in a row in January 2024. The Pirates must find a way to fix their away form in the league though, as they are staring down the barrel of four defeats in succession on the road for the first time since December 2019. [/p]
[p]Heading into the new year, 11th-placed Brest’s Ligue 1 campaign could go any way, as they are as many points above 15th-placed Angers (six) as they are adrift of fifth-placed Lyon. But one thing that is likely here is a pretty open contest, as seven of the last eight league games involving Éric Roy’s side have seen both teams on the day score. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Having netted in the Coupe de France and against Paris Saint-Germain over the past couple of months, Esteban Lepaul may be knocking on Dujeux’s door as he chases a first league start since September. Ludovic Ajorque was Brest’s domestic cup hero to round off December, meaning the 30-year-old has either scored or been booked in his last six appearances. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Angers’ last 12 league opponents have received the first booking on the day. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Alex Bowmer[/i][/p]