Ligue 1 Betting Preview: Vintage Savidan inspires Caen

French Football / James Eastham / 29 January 2009 / Leave a Comment

Gianfranco Zola, Teddy Sheringham and.... who? James Eastham on an ageless star of French football, and all the best Ligue 1 bets of the weekend.

Plenty of footballers get better with age - Gianfranco Zola, Teddy Sheringham and Marcos Senna spring to mind - but few wait until their late 20s to reveal their talents in the first place.

One man who did is Steve Savidan, the Caen and France international centre-forward who won his first Bleus call-up last November at the age of 30. Four seasons ago he was playing in France's third division. Since then he's scored 69 goals in 164 league games at various levels for Valenciennes and, more recently, Caen, becoming a genuine rival to Thierry Henry in the France set-up. Lyon and Marseille have spent the past month fighting over him - but 'Savigol' will remain a Caennais until the end of the season.

Colourful Caen

As well as a wonderful attitude on the pitch and a welcoming one off it, Savidan is the reason why Caen are an excellent high-scoring bet for Ligue 1 goals punters. His inclusion in the side tempts team-mates to try to take an enterprising approach - because if you hit Savidan, something will happen. Caen coach Franck Dumas implores his side to play attacking football at the best of times, and that will be especially true in the weeks ahead, now that Tunisia right-winger Fahid Ben Khalfallah and Argentinian schemer Juan Eduardo Eluchans are back from injury.

I really fancy goals in Caen's game this weekend because they're up against another side that liberally score and ship them. PSG began the season as one of the dourest outfits in the division - their opening eight games spawned only 10 goals. But since then Paul Le Guen's side have blossomed offensively, while leaking more freely - 2.92 is the average goals count across their last 13 matches, way above the national average.

PSG need a win to remain in touch with the leaders - they lie six points behind Lyon - while Caen president Jean-Francois Fortin's furious reaction to his club's Coupe de France exit at the hands of Ligue 2 Boulogne last weekend ought to ensure a willing reaction from his players on the pitch. No other game this weekend threatens goals as strongly as this one - so it's my over 2.5 pick.

Rennes to win - Bordeaux to lose?

There are a couple of fascinating head-to-head clashes at the top of the table. The first takes place on Saturday night, when Rennes (4th) host Toulouse (5th) at Stade de la Route de Lorient (8pm kick-off UK time). Rennes suffered their first defeat in 19 Ligue 1 matches when they lost 1-0 at Lille a fortnight ago but they breezed past St Etienne 2-0 in the Coupe de France last weekend. Toulouse are solid enough, but the only reason 'TFC' are troubling the top of the table is Pierre-Alain Gignac, the country's leading scorer on 13 goals. Keep him quiet, and Alain Casanova's are a diminished force. I expect a narrow Rennes win.

The most intriguing game of the weekend is on Sunday afternoon when Bordeaux (2nd) play Lille (7th) at Stade Chaban-Delmas (4pm kick-off UK time). Les Girondins produced the performance of the season to demolish PSG 4-0 three weeks ago and are unbeaten at home for more than 15 months, but if there's one team equipped to halt such streaks of form, it's Lille. They were thoroughly deserving winners a fortnight ago when they inflicted Rennes' first defeat in five months, and this trip to Bordeaux will hold no fears given they've already recorded 2-2 draws at Lyon and Marseille. They arrive with a record of just one defeat in 17 games - and are certainly capable of a draw.

Perrin's vengeful return

The Rhones-Alpes derby takes centre stage on Sunday night as Lyon (1st) host St Etienne (17th) at Stade de Gerland (8pm kick-off UK time). Local pride demands maximum effort from both teams, but the league positions also indicate the need for points. A second-minute Karim Benzema goal saw Lyon defeat Marseille 1-0 in the Coupe de France on Wednesday night, while St Etienne's form has nosedived following the initial optimism that accompanied Alain Perrin's appointment as boss last November.

This match will be a special occasion for Perrin - he led Lyon to the first league-cup double of their history last May, only to be sacked a month later. Can he earn a particularly sweet victory over his former employers? Porbably not - but St Etienne may make the game close. They have done so more than once in the past couple of years and Lyon, despite a recent revival in results, are yet to find their best form. I expect Lyon to win - but the value on the handicap lies with [9.0] St Etienne.

Recommendation:

PSG v Caen over 2.5 goals [2.28]