Lens were unable to hold on to the lead they held for 66 minutes at Chateauroux on Monday ( it seemed longer !), the point was still valuable for them, as it saw them edge four points ahead of Nancy and cement their second place in Ligue 2, which they will retain regardless of what happens today.

Valenciennes did us several favours leading up to their disastrous home defeat to Ajaccio at the end of last month, that stalled their momentum and made their survival bid all the more difficult. Before that game my notes read....
 

I do not pretend to win every day, or week, that would just be ridiculous and as I have told you many times, the only 100% sure thing and there is not much you can say that about in gambling, is that I will bet 600 + losers in 2014. What is almost as certain, is that the clubgowi newsletter service will make readers who follow it long term and bet all red type selections, somewhere between 100 and 300 times their unit stake over the 12 months. That is not "guaranteed", you will never hear me say that, but it is far and away the most likely thing to happen.

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.

We have opposed Chamois Niortais FC in a couple of Ligue 2 road games recently, most notably at Nimes, when they suffered a heavy defeat. Three points today at Stade René Gaillard would be hugely valuable, taking them not just above Angers, but up into 3rd.