Angers vs Strasbourg prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2022-10-08 13:00.
Angers boss Gérald Baticle insisted a “lack of efficiency” in front of goal was to blame for his side’s 3-0 defeat to Marseille last time out. However, when you concede three goals against a French superpower such as Marseille, matching their goal scoring prowess was always likely to be difficult for a side whose paltry nine goal league tally so far ranks among Ligue 1’s lowest.
Such a goal-shy nature makes the rate at which Angers are conceding even more alarming, having leaked a league-high 21 goals ahead of the round. It represents Angers worst defensive record after nine games (W2, D2, L5) since their return to Ligue 1 in 2015/16, but with three clean sheets in their last five H2Hs against Strasbourg (W2, D1, L2), maybe Angers are about to turn a corner.
If things are looking bad for Angers, it’s even bleaker for Strasbourg, who after last season’s sensational run to a sixth-place finish, find themselves suffering a hangover and rooted inside Ligue 1’s bottom-four without a win so far (D5, L4). Of the 45 historical sides to be winless after nine Ligue 1 rounds, 21 have gone on to be relegated which statistically ranks Strasbourg’s survival chances not far off 50/50.
If conceding has been Angers issue, then scoring has been Strasbourg’s, with no more than one goal scored in each of their nine Ligue 1 games so far. Despite their lowly league position and seeming inability to score more than once, Julien Stéphan retains the backing of both his players and managers as Strasbourg search a third-straight away H2H victory.
Players to watch: Sofiane Boufal may be glad of a return to home soil where he has scored each of his three goals this season after half-time. Meanwhile, Habib Diallo is responsible for three of Strasbourg’s last four Ligue 1 strikes and he has also clocked a goal and assist across his last two visits to Angers.
Hot stat: Three of Angers’ last four home league games have seen exactly two first half goals.