Manuel Chávez
Dailysports's expert
The 30th round of the French Ligue 2 will conclude with the clash between Bastia and Laval. I've prepared my betting prediction for this encounter — should we expect a thrilling battle?
Bastia
After 29 rounds, Bastia is in eighth place in the league, trailing the top-5 by seven points, with one game in hand. In the last round, they drew 1-1 away with direct competitor Annecy, a result that is not impressive considering the opponent played the entire second half with ten men.
The main strength of the team is their home performance, and they must capitalize on this to the fullest. The chances of promotion remain mostly theoretical, but they can aim for a strong finish to the season.
Laval
Laval also lacks stability this season, currently sitting seventh in the table, two points ahead of their upcoming opponent and five points behind the coveted top-five, with a game in hand.
In the last round, the team suffered a home defeat to Grenoble, losing 2-1, with all goals scored in the first half. This loss was Laval's second consecutive defeat, distancing them from the desired top-five. However, the chances for playoff qualification remain, as a win in the upcoming match would reduce the gap to the desired zone to just two points.
Probable lineups
- Bastia: Placide, Bonert, Guidi, Akueson, Menadier, Inai Oulai, Jeanne, Cisse, Vincent, Sebas, Bley.
- Laval: Samassa, Cerny, Kokolo, Pellenard, Adilehou, Vargas, Sellouki, Adeoti, Monte, Camara, Chokounte.
Match facts
- Bastia is very strong at home, having never lost, with 7 wins and 7 draws.
- Laval performs decently on the road: 6 wins, 5 losses, and four draws.
- The odds for this match are as follows: P1 – 1.73, X – 3.5, P2 – 5.2.
H2H
The first-round face-off was interesting and tense, with Laval on the verge of victory, but Bastia equalized in stoppage time – 2:2.
Prediction
Bookmakers favor the hosts, mainly due to Bastia's strong home performance, but I anticipate a tough battle between two direct competitors. The game will likely be end-to-end, with much depending on the conversion of chances. A bet on both teams to score seems quite reasonable here.
