Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Bordeaux and Strasbourg face each other in a highly-anticipated Ligue 1 game at Stade Matmut Atlantique. Les Girondins aim to bounce back from a 3-1 loss to Montpellier, but the game against Strasbourg will be anything but a walk in the park for the home team. Loris Benito is banned for the hosts, while Mexer, Kalu, Ben Arfa, Bakwa, and Otavio are all likely to miss the game with injuries.
Le Racing, on the other hand, head into the match following back-to-back losses to Rennes and Lens. Strasbourg are four points clear of the relegation zone, but, no doubt, they would be happy with one point from Sunday’s clash. The likes of Mehdi Chahiri, Alexander Dijku, Mohamed Simakan, and Lebo Mothiba are all out of contention through injuries. It has to be noted that under 2.5 goals have been netted in each of the previous five league meetings between the two teams.
Highlighted Player (Benoît Costil):
Born in Caen, France, professional footballer Benoit Costil plays for Bordeaux in the first tier of French football. The 6ft tall goalkeeper spent his youth career playing at local club Caen and made his professional debut with the club on the 12th of August, 2005, in a 2-0 away loss to Stade Reims.
After making just ten senior appearances in four years, Costil left Caen in 2009 and joined Sportif Sedan. In a fruitful two-year spell at Sedan, Costil got elected the best Ligue 2 keeper for the 10/11 season, his first professional individual honor. In the summer of 2011, Costill joined Ligue 1 outfit Rennes and spent six years with the club, making over 250 appearances for them in the process.
He signed for his current club Bordeaux in 2017 on a contract that expires in 2022. Born on the 3rd of July, 1987, the 32-year-old made his French national team debut on the 15th of November, 2016, in their friendly against Ghana.
Highlighted Team (Strasbourg):
Founded back in 1906, Strasbourg is a professional football team that compete in French Ligue 1. Le Racing did remarkably well to win the 1979 Ligue 1 trophy and that is considered the biggest success in the history of the club. Strasbourg won Coupe de France on three occasions (1951, 1966, 2001) and they have three Coupe de la Ligue trophies as well (1964, 1997, 2005). Strasbourg’s main rivals are Metz and the two teams face each other in the Derby de l’Est (The Eastern derby).
Le Racing recorded their biggest victory over Valenciennes (10-0) in the 1937-1938 season, whilst they suffered their biggest loss to Limoges (0-8) in the 1959/1960 season. Paraguayan goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, who is well known for his free-kick abilities, played for the club from 2000 to 2003, but he failed to score in a league match during his spell with the Stade de la Meinau outfit. Speaking of Stade de la Meinau, Strasbourg’s home ground was opened back in 1914 and the capacity of the venue is 29,320.