After the dismal performance in front of goal in Week 1, thing definitely improve – but 17 goals is still far from a goal rush. Teams are still finding their way and after midweek Coupe de la Ligue exploits, it will be very interesting to see how the squads cope this weekend.

RC Lens v US Creteil: Friday 19:00 – @rich_allen85

Lens go into this game hoping to get their first win of the season after two draws in succession, which have failed to give their fans hope of an immediate return to Ligue 1. The newly refurbished Stade Bollaert-Delelis will play host to Creteil on Friday night. The men from the Parisian suburbs have had a super start to the season coming into the game off the back of two opening wins, and could well leave Lens still searching for their first win come Friday evening.

Creteil are the team who have the division’s most in-form forward in Faneva Andriatsima. The Madagascan international has three goals in his opening two games for les Beliers and will be the man to watch on Friday. After their opening games against newly promoted Red Star and Bourg, this will be the first big test for Creteil and it will only be after this game that we can start to form an opinion on their likely season.

Both sides were in midweek Coupe de la Ligue action that went a full 120 minutes before exiting the competition on penalties. That will undoubtedly take its toll on the players as they start to get re-accustomed to competitive football. Momentum will be with the away side on Friday night and for that reason, a tight Creteil win could be on the cards.

Bourg-en-Bresse v Dijon FCO: Friday 19:00 – @IsMiseBrendan

Life for Ligue 2 new boys Bourg-en-Bresse in their first season in professional football hasn’t been easy so far – Hervé Della Magiore’s side have had to uproot to Gueugnon’s Stade Jean-Laville to meet LFP requirements, and the club have lost both their opening matches of the season. The hosts will be hoping to make the most of home advantage on Friday evening when they take on Dijon. The visitors have had a more promising start to the season, recording a 3-0 home win against Chamois Niortais and a goalless draw against AC Ajaccio in Corsica.

Bourg-en-Bresse looked stronger this week when they eliminated Brest on penalties after a 2-2 draw with the Breton side in the Coupe de la Ligue. Dijon were also successful in the cup, although they too needed penalties at home against Créteil after a 3-3 regulation time draw.

Dijon’s main goal threat, centre-forward Júlio Tavares, is well-known to the Bourg-en-Bresse faithful – the Cape Verde internationalist began his senior career with the Rhône-Alpes-based side. Having scored three goals in his last two matches, Tavares could come back to haunt his old side on Friday evening.

This game promises to be an entertaining contest as both sides have proven this week that they have the ability to score. They have also incidentally demonstrated their inability to prevent the opposition from scoring, so it could be a match in which we see plenty of goals. The confidence of both teams should also be buoyed by the fact that they eliminated tough opposition this week in the Coupe de la Ligue.

 

AS Nancy v Stade Brestois 29: Saturday 13:00 – @meatmansoccer

Two teams with strong promotion ambitions meet at Le Stade Marcel Picot for a Saturday afternoon showdown. Both sides have four points to their name and neither has conceded a goal in the league yet this season. On Tuesday night Brest were surprisingly knocked out of the Coupe de la Ligue by Bourg, but they won’t be bothered by that result, as it wasn’t a priority competition for the Breton outfit. Nancy meanwhile, just scraped past National division side Chateauroux.

It has to be mentioned that neither Brest or Nancy fielded strong teams on Tuesday, so most of their key players will be fully fresh for this encounter. Both coaches are known for their strong defences and often produce negative gameplans. This is almost certain to be an extremely close encounter and goals could be at a premium.

Brest will definitely come here looking for a draw and their main objective will be to keep a clean sheet. Alex Dupont’s men have a strong spine and new midfield signing Eric Tie Bi has been especially impressive so far this season. Nancy have scored late goals to win their last two matches but they often struggle to break down tough rigid defences, as they lack patience or enough attacking quality. This should be an extremely interesting tactical affair but don’t expect a barrage of goals.

TIPS

We asked @IsMiseBrendan for his three-team-tip and he has gone for FC Sochaux, Dijon FCO and Creteil – all three away from home, with Creteil at Lens a risk, but as Rich commented, they have Ligue 2’s in-form striker in Andriatsima. Lens have struggled so far and the expectant Felix Bollaert crowd could be frustrated.

We’ve priced this up on Bet365 and a £5 bet would get you £130.20 – well worth at least 50p

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