Bordeaux vs Le Mans Predictions

• Bordeaux have won four of their last five home matches while Le Mans have lost six of their last nine away games in Ligue 2.
• Despite Bordeaux’s good home form, they have been defensively weak with just one clean sheet in their last eight matches so could struggle as they face a Le Mans team with nine goals in their last four games.
• Le Mans’ only recent wins have come across opposition or rather poor quality in Ligue 2 or lower division sides in the earlier stages of the cup.

A clean slate for Bordeaux

Bordeaux ended 2019 in mixed fashion. Paolo Sousa’s men really hit a purple patch of form over October and November with four wins and two draws in six games lifting them up to third. They scored 14 goals in this time and looked unstoppable but it all came crashing down as they then travelled to in-form Marseille. Bordeaux opened the scoring but lost 3-1, taking the wind out their sails and crippling their confidence for the next three games.

This ended their year with four defeats with seven goals conceded and just one scored in this time. Christmas definitely came at a good time for les Girondins and Sousa will be hoping that they put their rest and relaxation to good use. Bordeaux will be back at home for this match where much of their success has come in recent times. They have won four of their last five matches at the Atlantique and dominated their most recent game there against Strasbourg despite losing 1-0.

Le Mans’ time to prove themselves

Le Mans last cup game was a Coupe de la Ligue defeat at the hands of PSG (1-4) but they’ll be hoping to make a better showing of themselves here. Despite the loss to the capital club, les Mucistes are in good form with three wins in their last four games. Nine goals have been scored by Le Mans in this time but the quality of opposition has been rather suspect and they could be in for a surprise here as they face Ligue 1 Bordeaux. Two of Le Mans’ recent wins came against the two clubs propping up the Ligue 2 table, Paris FC and Orléans. They also beat Les Herbiers in the process but considering that they play in the fourth tier of France, this is nothing really to shout about. 

Against better teams like Châteauroux (1-2) and Le Havre (0-2) they have failed to impress and in these results it’s easy to see why Les Mans currently sit 15th in Ligue 2 with the most goals conceded. In all competitions their away form has been rather formidable but when you take away the cup victories over teams way below them in the pyramid, it gets rather dire. They’ve lost six of their nine matches on the road in the league and will need to buck that trend as they travel south. 

A tight clash at the Atlantique?

Bordeaux will look at this match as the perfect opportunity to bounce back from the bout of lurgy that consumed them at the tail end of 2019. They have a formidable home record and should be able to get past this Ligue 2 team but we don’t think it’ll be plain sailing. Bordeaux’s poor form will still be at the back of the players’ heads and with Le Mans in good scoring form, including one against PSG a few weeks back, we expect them to get on the scoresheet.

Bordeaux also have just one clean sheet in their last eight games so we’re predicting them to concede but still breeze past the opponents. Le Mans have conceded two goals on average in their last seven matches and as a result we’re backing this one to finish 2-1 to the hosts.