Amiens vs Caen Predictions

Amiens have lost each of their last five matches in all competitions and as a result Christophe Pelissier’s Unicorns have slipped down to 19th place in Ligue 1 after managing to keep their head above water for so long. They have replaced Monaco in that second bottom spot but Amiens are only two points away from 16th so there is still a big chance for survival. 

In this run of defeats they have faced some difficult sides like PSG, Lyon twice, Rennes and the current 2nd placed team Lille so they will probably be quite satisfied that they managed to keep three of these games to a one goal margin. Amiens really put in some gutsy performances here as Lille and Rennes had to send the big men forward late in the game and win via a defender’s goal. 

Amiens really showed their defensive steel in these matches and even took the lead against Lille but their offensive side of the game has to be improved as they only managed six shots on target in this run of matches, which isn’t good enough for a Ligue 1 side, no matter the opposition. Even against weaker sides like Angers (0-0) and Valenciennes (1-0) they have failed to threaten going forward but can they change that here as they face a fellow relegation battling side?

Caen have been such an uninspiring side this year with Fabien Mercadal’s first season as a Ligue 1 manager not going according to plan. Club president Gilles Sergent called Mercadal a “leader of men” when he announced that the Frenchman would take over from Patrice Garande but his regression in the style of football has been a large contributor to their fall in the league positions. Long-balls to the likes of Beauvue, Crivelli and Tchokounte have been the order of the day so far but they haven’t really paid off as the team currently sit 17th in Ligue 1, level on points with Amiens who are second bottom. This is what makes this game so crucial. 

They have lost each of their last three league games and scraped past Ligue 2 Bastia on penalties in midweek. Faycal Fajr was typically outstanding but he was once again the only bright spark in a pretty soggy team performance. Many fans were disgusted at this result with one in particular saying he was “ashamed” but can Mercadal get them back on his side with a massive win in this relegation six-pointer?

This fixture was extremely tight when the teams last met in September; Caen won 1-0 but it could have gone either way in truth. Amiens have appeared as the more impressive team recently with gutsy performances against Lille, Lyon and Rennes showing off their defensive abilities. They managed to keep it to just a one goal margin against these sides and with them facing a horrible side like Caen here, they should be able to get the three points. Only one of the last five clashes between these teams have seen both teams score and with Caen scoring just once in their last three league games, we’re going to back Amiens to win 1-0. The teams will go into this game with a lot of nerves given the circumstances but the Unicorns showed their steel against quality teams so should be able to get the better of Caen.