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French Ligue 1 winners Bordeaux play the surprise Cup winners Guingamp in what seems to be a one sided game at first glance, yet you never know what the “new season” objectives and form of either side might be.
 
The game will be held on the Olympic Stadium of Montreal in Canada, so it serves to be as neutral a playground as it gets.
 
Last season Bordeaux also won this trophy at the start of the season, albeit –then- playing against the previous season Ligue 1 winners; Lyon, and Les Girondins’ manager Laurent Blanc is certainly keen on retaining the title as well as add one more piece of silverware to his record, and especially at the start of the new season.
 
Last season’s win was on a PK shoot out, but I don’t think it will take that to decide this season’s version as the gap between the two sides is too obvious to call it a close game.
 
Bordeaux have just beaten Marseille 2-1 in a friendly recently to show that they are still superior to the French league’s 2nd ranked side.
 
Bordeaux are expected to start with Carrasso under the bar, with Tremoulinas, Planus, Henrique & Chalme as the back 4. In the midfield they have Wendel, Diarra & Plasil, with Cavenaghi, Gourcuff & Chamakh upfront (4-3-3)
 
Guingamp’s starting XI: Trevisan, Delgado, Colleau, Kone, Deroff,  Diallo, Djoman, Soumah/El-Jadeyaoui, Giresse, Ogounbiyi, and on-loan striker Grax (from At Etienne) as the loan striker (4-2-3-1)
 
Guingamp ma have had their moments against Bordeaux, but for the last 4 H2H games since 2003 Bordeaux has always come up on top with a 2 goals margin (4-2, 3-1, 2-0 & 4-2)
 
Obviously new signing duo Alharbi El Jadeyaoui and Sebastien Grax are include, while Francois Bellugou is out injured and both Christian Bassila and Felipe Saad are suspended.
 
About playing at Montreal, Blanc thought “The idea is original, I’m quite happy to go and introduce Ligue 1 elsewhere, in a French-speaking country,”
 
“On the other hand, we are in a period of full preparation (for the league season) and we will have jet lag and be playing on a (synthetic) surface we aren’t used to.”
 
Skipper Alou Diarra also commented: “It is a chance to start the season on a good footing.”
 
Odds around 1.55 on Bordeaux to win in 90 minutes are great IMHO, but I’m also having some of that lucrative 1.95 offer on the -1 A.H.
 
Bordeaux win @ 1.55 w/CentreBet (7 pts)
Bordeaux -1 A.H. @ 1.95 w/Bet365 (3 pts)