There was free to view preview posted on the GOWI blog yesterday (see post below). I have sent subscribers five full match previews for today and a whole host of stats in addition. That is what they pay the big bucks for , 2.7 euros per day (not a misprint), to start here and end up here.

 

Laval v Tours
 

Lots of  notes on Laval over the last month and you can read the most recent of those below the "good luck" sign off. They beat Auxerre 3-0 in that game and followed up with a nice point at Le Havre last week, they are still two points from safety, but are within six points of the seven clubs above them and have some momentum behind them now.
 

Tours are only two points off third place and with home games against Creteil and Auxerre up next, with fancy their chances of a big promotion push, especially if they can avoid defeat today. Two things about that, I do not think it will be so easy now that Laval are on a roll and if there is a team unsuited to playing for a point in Ligue 2, it would be the visitors. No team has drawn fewer games and their matches have produced a Ligue 2 high 3.14 goals , they are the division's top scorers and no team outside the bottom six has conceded more on the road. We have already discussed previously how strong Laval are early (see below) and Tours are very similar with 54 points before the break and 29 afterwards. There must be a very good chance that we get that early breakthrough goal here and a bit of a shoot out, as a result. The last 4 h2h meetings here have gone "over" , three have produced at least four goals, two have ended 2-2 and that is how I see this, definitely both to score, some early action and at least a third goal, 2-2 would not be a disaster for either and makes sense, given how this might well play out.

 

 

Tours : Leroy, Maubleu - Bouhours, Cetout, Fontaine, Gradit, Milosevic (incertain), Schwechlen, Vumbi - Berenguer, Bergougnoux, Khaoui, Ketkeophomphone, Santamaria - Adnane, Delort, Kouakou.

Good Luck.

Laval v Auxerre (written March 14th)
 

Laval seem to have joined Istres as the team we discuss every week, so lots of recent notes on them, ahead of their recent 2-1 defeat at Brest I wrote:

 

The three points earned there did not improve their league placing, but  did take them a little closer to safety, they are four points from both survival and five adrift of tonight's oponent and looking at the bigger picture, "just" nine adrift of Arles who are in a lofty tenth place, so still an awful lot to play for. Having said that, not a lot of margin for error for Laval, who have to keep picking up points, especially on home soil.
 

Couturier and Renouard are still sidelined with injury ( see both above) and defensive midfielder Anthony Gonçalves (25-0-3) is suspended and looks a big loss, with Laval having won just 2 from 11 without him and conceded two or more goals in seven of those. They look short in central defence, but have apparently left Miodrag Stosic out by choice, so must be happy with the situation, but without the protection of Gonçalves, they look vunerable.
 

On the plus side, the return to action of left winger Amara Baby gives them far more options on that flank, Laval have collected ten points from 15 games (0.67 pts average) in which he has played 30 minutes or less, 16 from the other 12 (1.33 per game).

 

Auxerre have not won in four and starting today, have three of their next four start on the road, where they have not won in over ten months and scored just five times in 13 away days this season. They did win here last season, incredibly winning a real thriller by the odd goal in nine (!), scoring the same in 90 minutes as they have managed away from home all season. Maybe a trip here will awaken them from their slumber, that or the prospect of heading for National just three seasons after playing Champions League football !

They lost their offensive focus with the transfer of Paul-Georges Ntep and arrive today without suspended right back Eric Marester (21-0-0) and goalkeeper Donovan Léon who started in the last 12 games. With Olivier Sorin already injured, that means Lembet or Baltus in goal, neither of whom have started this season. Key defensive midfielder Jamel Aït Ben Idir (25-1-0) is injured and this looks a very big ask for the visitors, given their lack of firepower up front and defensive issues. Laval tend to start matches quickly ( see stats below) and Auxerre poorly, so a real opportunity for the hosts to get a foothold in what they will surely see as a must win fixture.