Reigning champions Montpellier Herault begin their title defence against Toulouse FC
on Friday at Stade de la Mosson in the first game of the 2012/2013 Ligue 1 campaign
Rene Girard’s side amazed everyone last season by piping cash-laden Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title. However, repetition of a performance like that would be very tough this time around, keeping in mind the heavy spending Paris Saint-Germain have
carried out this summer.
On the other hand, La Paillade have lost the services of their top-scorer from the last season, Olivier Giroud. The Ligue 1 golden boot winner was sold to English Premier League side http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429 earlier in the summer, but the club from Languedoc-Roussillon has
spent smartly in the mercato bringing in the likes of Anthony Mounier, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Daniel-c9879 Congre and Emanuel Herrera.
Although Montpellier have lost the prestigious Trophee des Champions to http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-Lyonnais-c40130, they are in good shape to kick-start their title defence. The reigning champions have a good track record against the visitors and are favourites to emerge victorious
out of their game against Les Pitchouns.
Montpellier coach, Rene Girard, would want his players to send a strong message by registering a good win in the opening fixture of the 2012/2013 campaign.
Toulouse FC, on the other hand, will not be much optimistic about their chances against Rene Girard’s men. With only 2 wins in 13 visits to Stade de la Mosson, the Pink City club would have liked a different opponent in their first match of the season.
Toulouse coach, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alan-c4244 Casanova, is realistic about what his team can achieve this season and is more focused on domestic cups than Ligue 1 glory.
Toulouse's main priority is to finish in the top half of the table and the coach will want his players to perform well in the opening game of the season as it will set the tone for the remainder of the season
Last Season
The first match between the two sides in the 2011/2012 Ligue 1 campaign ended in a 1-1 draw with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Geoffrey-Dernis-c14535 scoring for La Paillade and Cheik M'Bengué scoring an equaliser for Les Pitchouns.
In the reverse fixture, Montpellier managed to register a 1-0 win against Alain Casanova’s side, thanks to a brilliant goal by Younes Belhanda in the third minute of the match.
Team News
Montpellier
New signing, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Garry-Bocaly-c14429 will not feature in the match because of the injuries they sustained in training. La Paillade’s star player from the last season, Younes Belhanda is also out after sustaining an ankle injury in a pre-season friendly
match.
Following his red card in Trophee des Champions, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Marco-Estrada-c23693 will miss the match through suspension.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Toulouse-FC-c40751
Alan Casanova has a full-fledge squad at his disposal, giving him a selection headache for the season opener.
Midfielder, Frank Tabanou dislocated his right shoulder in a pre-season game but is expected to be available for the game and Etienne Didot has also been declared fit after recovering from a minor knock.
Predictions
Odds are in the favour of the reigning champions. Rene Girard’s side has won 8 out of 13 Ligue 1 meetings between Montpellier Herault and Toulouse FC.
The visitors, on the other hand, have only registered couple of wins against the champions.
And with Montpellier coming on the back of a good pre-season, Toulouse will find it hard to get anything out of the reigning champions at Stade de la Mosson.
Predicted final score: Montpellier 2-0 Toulouse
Tags: