Metz vs Monaco Predictions

Metz had a fantastic season last year in the Ligue 2, winning the league by 7 points. They finished the season with just 5 losses, accruing 81 points in total. At home they had the 2nd best form in the league, picking up 13 wins and 3 draws from their 19 home games, picking up 42 points from a possible 57. Metz conceded in 10 of their 19 home league games last season vs weaker opposition in Ligue 2, so we can see Monaco getting on the scoresheet here.

Metz had a very poor preseason, despite it starting quite promisingly. They started off their preseason with an impressive 2-1 win against Belgian Pro League side Sporting Charleroi, but their form quickly tailed off, following that up with a 0-0 draw with Sochaux, a 2-0 loss to Reims, a 1-1 draw with Amiens, and a 1-0 loss to Mainz, with a 2-0 win against RFC Seraing the sole victory in that time. This poor form did not seem to affect them in their first Ligue 1 match however, as they picked up a great away point with a 1-1 draw at Strasbourg, who finished 11th last season.

Monaco had an absolutely terrible season by their standards last campaign. They sacked their manager Leonardo Jardim early on in the season, replacing him with club legend Thierry Henry, before they later sacked Henry too with the club struggling against relegation, before bizarrely reappointing Jardim, who helped steer the club to safety on 36 points in 17th place, just 2 points clear of 18th place Dijon.

Monaco’s pre-season was a very mixed bag, with the principality side picking up an initial 4-1 win against Belgian side Cercle Brugge, before losing 3 games in a row to Lokeren (5-0), Lausanne Sport (2-1) and Everton (1-0). Their form seemed to improve as the quality of the teams they faced improved however, with a 1-0 win against Valencia followed up by a 0-0 draw with Braga, a 1-0 win against Porto and a 1-0 win against Sampdoria. This great end to pre-season proved to be irrelevant though, as Monaco were thumped on the opening day 3-0 at home by Lyon.

Monaco have looked a side in turmoil for a while now, and we can’t see that turning around in this game against a newly promoted side that is full of confidence. We think that Metz will get the win here, but we’re playing it a bit safe and going for Metz Draw No Bet, with a 2-1 scoreline looking the best bet.