- Angers are 13th in Ligue 1 with 33 points from 29 games, while Le Havre are 14th with 29 points from the same number of matches.
- Angers have failed to win any of their last two Ligue 1 home fixtures (D1, L1), while Le Havre are without a victory in their last five league matches (D3, L2).
- Le Havre have won just one of their 14 away league fixtures in Ligue 1 this season (D4, L9).
A cagey clash between two survival fighters
Two of Ligue 1’s strugglers face-off on Saturday when Angers SCO take on Le Havre AC in a close encounter at Stade Raymond-Kopa.
Angers manager Alexandre Dujeux has made his team tough to break down this season by adopting a pragmatic approach to football that involves a compact structure and adaptive style.
In a similar vein to Watford’s approach under Roberto Martinez at times, Angers are a team that are not afraid to crowd the box to keep the ball out of their own net and pick their moments to counter-press with real purpose.
This style of play has made them very tough to beat, but it has also made them hard to watch at times, and Prosper Peter’s four goals in 25 Ligue 1 fixtures is not enough for a team looking to climb the table.
Le Havre are also difficult to beat, but Didier Digard prefers his team to play at a higher tempo and are more offensively minded by nature, although the team are just as tactically versatile.
Le Havre AC has a similar counter-pressing approach, but their style involves more pressing intensity and the ball is moved more dynamically when the team has possession.
This tactical clash could lead to a cagey encounter on Saturday, with Angers set to absorb the pressure and Le Havre looking to press quickly and exploit the wide areas.
Angers can edge out a tight home victory
These teams met in Ligue 1 three months ago and Le Havre edged out a 2-1 win, but they are still winless in their last two and Angers have a better home record in the league this term (W6, D3, L5).
They have conceded only 1.07 goals per-game at home, which should see them keep things tight at the back and we’re backing them to edge out a low-scoring victory at odds of 87/50.
Le Havre average just 0.57 goals per-game away from home and 1.71 goals conceded away in Ligue 1, while Both Teams to Score - No at 77/100 and Under 2.5 goals at 57/100 are our main selections for this game.
Angers are yet to win any of the last two head-to-heads, but the home side can edge out a crucial victory, even if they do have to settle for a 1-0 result. Le Havre’s top scorer Issa Soumare will look to make it a lively encounter with his pace, however, and the Ivorian is worth a flutter on the anytime goalscorer market with six goals in 29 league games this term.
