Ligue 1 Betting: Corsicans set to serve up a real thriller

Former Blackburn Rovers striker Anthony Modeste celebrates scoring for Bastia in their 3-2 league win over Troyes

James Eastham predicts plenty of goals when Ajaccio and Bastia go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon.

Bordeaux v Lille (5th v 10th) Fri, 19:45 BST

Bordeaux have made the better start of these two teams in the league this season, but looking at recent games Lille are underrated to pick up something at Stade Chaban-Delmas on Friday night.

The 2011 champions played poorly in August and early September but have been the better team in their last three matches. They were unfortunate not to beat Lyon (1-1, Sep 23) after outplaying Remi Garde's visitors, then dominated for long spells before getting caught by two sucker-punches at Rennes (0-2, Sep 28) and comfortably saw off Ajaccio (2-0) a fortnight ago. Lille coach Rudi Garcia say he's pleased with the way his team has been playing despite patchy results, and that's more than bluff to merely protect his position.

Bordeaux may be higher in the table but have floundered since wins over Evian (3-2) and Rennes (1-0) in their opening two games. Their high draw rate - five of six games since have ended in stalemates - is down to the lack of a reliable goalscorer. Yoan Gouffran scored a Ligue 1 career-high 14 goals last season but is unlikely to match that tally, and there's no-one else in the squad likely to get into double figures. So often les Girondins take only one point from games where sides boasting a top-class finisher would collect all three.

There's always a chance the international break will have rendered form meaningless, but based on what I've seen, I'd rather be on the visitors.

Ajaccio v Bastia (14th v 13th) Sun, 13:00 BST

The first top-flight Corsican derby in seven-and-a-half years promises to be a fantastic occasion. Ajaccio's Stade Francois-Coty is the smallest in France's top flight - capacity 10,446 - but you sense the noise and colour of the occasion will stretch across the island.

The hosts have made an excellent start to the season. Set up in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, they're a hard-working, well-organised side, with a good balance of defensive stability and attacking flair. A one-time great hope of French football, midfielder Ricardo Faty, who arrived from Aris Salonika, has proved one of the signings of the season, while Johan Cavalli is one of the division's finest playmakers. In 188 minutes of action since joining Ajaccio over the summer, star striker Adrian Mutu has shown flashes of the brilliance that once made him one of Europe's most feared strikers.

Bastia are one of the division's most entertaining sides. In Toifilou Maoulida, Anthony Modeste, Sambou Yatabare, Julian Palmieri and Jerome Rothen (these days operating as a central midfielder rather than on the wing as he did earlier in his career) they have players capable of turning a game, but a defence made up of Ligue 2-standard players means they're always liable to concede. The result has been a series of high-scoring games: all eight of their league games have featured over 2.5 goals, with the average goals-per-game count 3.2.

I'd recommend both teams to score or over 2.5 goals here. Both teams will play to win, and Bastia's goals stats speak for themselves at both ends of the field.

Best Bet
Ajaccio v Bastia both teams to score @ 1.834/5
Other Recommended Bet
Lille +0&+0.5 Asian Handicap at Bordeaux @ 1.991/1

James Eastham has made 29.51pts profit from 370pts staked on Ligue 1 matches and outright markets since August 2008 (8.0% ROI). You can follow him on twitter: @james_eastham