Monaco are aiming to breathe some life into their push for a European place as they travel to Angers for a Ligue 1 fixture. They will be counting on their superior quality and should have the upper hand over the hosts, who have struggled lately.
Angers have been on a downward spiral lately and are currently just six points above the bottom three. They are winless in six of their last seven matches, suffering four defeats in that run, including a 2-0 loss at Brest last time out.
Things are just as rough at home for Angers, who are winless in their last three Ligue 1 matches at the Stade Raymond Kopa. Alexandre Dujeux's men have suffered some heavy defeats on home soil like the 4-0 loss to Toulouse in their previous fixture in front of their fans.
Monaco are battling further up the table than the hosts, sitting fourth in the table, two points off third-placed Nice. They were held to a 1-1 draw at Toulouse in their previous fixture, conceding an injury time equaliser after holding on to Takumi Minamino's first half effort for a long period.
That result means Monaco are unbeaten in five of their last seven Ligue 1 matches, with a 7-1 victory over Nantes among their results in that run. Defending remains a problem for Adi Hutter’s men, who are without a clean sheet in their last five away matches.
How the bookies view it: Monaco overwhelming favourites
Monaco have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 2/5 by BoyleSports to claim the win. A victory for Angers is valued at 5/1 by BoyleSports, who are also offering odds of 7/2 for a draw.
Head to head: Monaco on top
Monaco have a 14-5 advantage with three draws from 22 previous matches against Angers. They have also won six of the last seven meetings, including a 2-1 victory in the most recent clash at the Stade Raymond Kopa.
However, Angers claimed a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in November.
Players to watch: Eyes on Biereth
Mika Biereth had a rare quiet outing last time out at Toulouse and is expected to be back among the goals on Saturday. The striker has 10 Ligue 1 goals since joining in January and is priced at 10/11 by BoyleSports to get on the score sheet once again.
Bamba Dieng often leads the line for Angers and could be worth keeping an eye on. The striker has two goals in the last three matches in all competitions and is priced at 10/3 to find the net on Saturday.
Probably line-ups
Angers have a few injury problems, with Emmanuel Biumla, Sidiki Cherif and Cedric Hountondji all sidelined. Diego is expected to feature in attack once again while Abdoulaye Bamba is set to continue at the back.
Monaco are without Soungoutou Magassa and Jordan Teze, with both men sidelined with injury. Thilo Kehrer and Christian Mawissa should continue their partnership in central defence while Biereth is set to start in attack once again.
Angers: Fofana, Hanin, Lefort, Bamba, Raolisoa, Capelle, Abdelli, Melali, Belkhdim, Ferhat, Dieng
Monaco: Majecki, Vanderson, Kehrer, Mawissa, Henrique, Camara, Al Musrati, Akliouche, Embolo, Minamino, Biereth
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in Monaco's last five matches and a repeat is priced at 4/6 with BoyleSports. Four of those fixtures have produced over 2.5 goals, which is priced at 4/9 by BoyleSports, who are also offering odds of 13/10 for over 3.5 goals.
Monaco are priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, so a win and over 2.5 goals offers more value at 20/21 with BoyleSports.
This French Ligue 1 match between Angers and Monaco will be played on and kick off at 19:00. Check below for our tipsters best Angers vs Monaco prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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