Toulouse host top-four hopefuls Monaco on Friday to kick off the weekend’s French Ligue 1 action. Both clubs still have much to play for this season and with each side showing similar form at the moment, there should be little to separate them.
Toulouse enter this match off the back of dominant 4-0 and 4-1 victories over Angers and Le Havre, ending a six-game winless streak across all competitions. While they have impressed going forward with eight goals in the last two matches, defensive lapses remain a concern, having failed to keep a clean sheet in four of the last five matches.
Carles Martinez’s men have found things difficult at home and are winless in their last four matches at Stadium de Toulouse. However, three of their last five matches in front of their fans have produced halftime draws.
Monaco are coming off a 3-0 win over Reims, marking only their second victory in five games across all competitions. This inconsistency can be largely attributed to defensive struggles, having failed to keep a clean sheet in eight of their last nine matches.
Despite their defensive issues, Monaco will once again rely on their potent attack, which has produced 14 goals across the last four matches in all competitions. Adi Hutter’s men are winless in their last five away matches, playing out halftime draws in two of the last three fixtures in that run.
How the bookies view it: Monaco with the edge
The bookies have installed Monaco as favourites in this fixture with BoyleSports offering 21/20 for an away win. A Toulouse win is priced at 19/10 while a draw is valued at 12/5.
Head to head: Superior Monaco
Monaco have a 20-8 advantage with 14 draws from 42 previous matches against Toulouse. The visitors claimed a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in December.
Players to watch: Reborn Magri
Frank Magri has come good for Toulouse in recent weeks, scoring in each of his last two appearances. The forward is worth keeping an eye on to score anytime with BoyleSports offering odds of 3/1.
With Mika Biereth rated doubtful, Eliesse Ben Seghir could be the one to watch for Monaco on Friday. The forward has scored twice in his last four matches and is pegged at odds of 9/4 by BoyleSports to find the net on Friday.
Probable line-ups
Guillaume Restes, Rasmus Nicolaisen, Niklas Schmidt and Zakaria Aboukhlal are all sidelined for Toulouse, while Josh King remains a doubt due to a calf problem. However, Frank Magri, Rafik Messali and Shavy Babicka are expected to retain their places in the line-up.
Monaco are sweating on the fitness of top striker Mika Biereth who is a major doubt for this fixture. Aleksandr Golovin, Folarin Balogun, Jordan Teze and Soungoutou Magassa are also strong doubts while Denis Zakaria is suspended.
Toulouse: Haug, Sidibe, Cresswell, McKenzie, Messali, Casseres, Sierro, Suazo, Donnum, Magri, Babicka
Monaco: Majecki, Vanderson, Kehrer, Mawissa, Henrique, Al Musrati, Camara, Akliouche, Embolo, Minamino, Ilenikhena
Anything else catch the eye?
Toulouse and Monaco have shown attacking quality lately and with both teams scoring in three of the last four matches, a similar outcome can be considered. Those three fixtures have also produced over 2.5 goals, which is priced at 4/6 by BoyleSports, who are also offering odds of 17/10 for over 3.5 goals.
Three of the last four meetings have produced more goals after the break and a repeat is priced at 20/21 with BoyleSports. Both teams have produced a number of halftime draws in recent weeks and having been level at the break in the reverse fixture, a similar outcome can be considered at 23/20.
This French Ligue 1 match between Toulouse and Monaco will be played on and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Toulouse vs Monaco prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
