Nantes vs. Dijon, Sunday 5th May, 14:00
Just a few weeks ago, Nantes were in the midst of a relegation battle, but four consecutive victories means they’ve reserved their Ligue 1 status for another year. What’s more impressive, is that three those victories came against Lyon, PSG and Marseille, with the former two on home soil.
They’ve won eight of their last 13 in front of their own fans now and with only the top two – PSG and Lille – netting more goals on home soil than Vahid Halilhodzic’s men this season, they should have too much for their feeble visitors.
Indeed, a change of manager hasn’t worked for Dijon as they’re just W3-D3-L10 since Antoine Kombouare came in. They’ve netted just 11 times across these, while on the road, they’ve gone W1-D3-L11 across their last 15, failing to score in 12, as they look set to return back to Ligue 2 after three seasons in the top-flight.
Nantes Win at 1.90*
Genoa vs. Roma, Sunday 5th May, 17:00
A bit like in the Premier League, clubs in Serie A are faltering every time they get within striking distance of the top four, and as a result, Roma have firmly entered the equations again. After a rocky start to his tenure, Claudio Ranieri has steadied the ship as they’ve won three of four unbeaten matches, and it’s coincided with many of their players returning from the treatment room.
They’ve won eight of their nine league meetings with Genoa snice 2014/15 and they appear to be travelling north at the right time. Since stunning Juve 2-0 at this ground seven weeks ago, Genoa have since lost four of six winless matches, where they’ve only netted twice.
They’ve been unable to replace the goals of Krzysztof Piatek after he left for Milan in January, scoring a total of 11 from 15 matches since his departure. What’s more, hosting top-half teams since the start of last term, they’ve lost 12 of 19 such encounters, suggesting Roma are excellent value at Evens.
Roma Win at 2.00*
Lyon vs. Lille, Sunday 5th May, 20:00
Ligue 1 only offer three Champions League spots and while Lille have already secured a top-three finish, if not an automatic place in the group stages, Lyon still have to hold off St. Etienne for third place. So, there is much more at stake for Bruno Genesio’s men and we expect them to be fired up for this contest.
Lyon are generally a strong side on home soil, winning five of their last six, with the exception a real anomaly against strugglers Dijon.
In fact, they’re susceptible of losing concentration against weaker opposition, as they’ve also dropped points hosting the likes of Reims, Rennes, Bordeaux, Nantes and Nice, but they’ve won all four encounters here against fellow top-six sides.
Lille, meanwhile, have actually won three of four such away games, but they’re missing some key individuals here. At the back, Adama Soumaoro is a loss, but more significantly, their two midfield generals are unavailable.
Xeka and Thiago Mendes have bossed games from the middle of the park for Lille all season, but the former is injured and the latter is suspended. They’ve lost the only two games Mendes has missed this term, while since the start of last season, their loss ratio increases from 32% to 54% in his absence.
Lyon Win at 1.66*
*all odds are subject to change
