Strasbourg vs Troyes prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-01-01 14:00.
Struggling Strasbourg were denied an against-the-odds point away to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday when Kylian Mbappé scored a 96th-minute penalty to seal a 2-1 win. Despite that valiant effort, manager Julien Stéphan was left despondent after the game, aware his side let slip what could be a crucial result and admitting “points count everywhere, even in Paris.”
That result leaves Strasbourg second from bottom ahead of this round and without a win in six Ligue 1 matches (D3, L3), and they now return home looking to pick themselves up and shake the tag of being the only Ligue 1 side yet to win at home this season (D5, L3). While a positive result can’t be assured for home fans in attendance, late drama might be on the cards given eight of their last nine league matches have produced at least one goal beyond the 70th minute.
Troyes hold a four-point advantage over Strasbourg, yet they start the gameweek just two points clear of the extended four-team relegation zone. They are also on a run of eight league matches without a win (D5, L3), and so this match may be their best chance to put some daylight between themselves and the drop zone as they face three of the current top six in their three league contests after this game.
The visitors don’t have a great record of starting the year well though and you have to go back to 2006 to find the last time they avoided defeat in their first Ligue 1 game of a new year (L5). Their record of no win in six Ligue 1 visits (D2, L4) to Strasbourg also suggests this could be a tough afternoon for manager Patrick Kisnorbo who is chasing his first win since joining the club in November.
Players to watch: Ahead of the round, only Neymar has drawn more fouls than Strasbourg’s Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (41) who grabbed one goal and two assists across the three games prior to the World Cup break. For the visitors, Mama Baldé has been directly involved in more than half of Troyes’ away league goals so far (8/15 – G6, A2).
Hot stat: Troyes had the worst away defence in Ligue 1 across 2022 (38 goals against).