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Clermont will take on Racing 92 in the French Top 14 semifinals, with the winner set to face Toulon in the last act. The match will be played on neutral ground at Stade Velodrome, Marseille.
Clermont has arguably been the second best team in Europe this season. They only finished 2nd in the Top 14 regular season, but that was due to a few injuries earlier in the year, and also because regular season winners La Rochelle were just too consistent. Clermont has been in excellent form lately, winning 3 matches in a row in the Top 14 and also putting on an inspired performance in the Champions Cup final, which they eventually lost to the mighty Saracens.
Reigning Top 14 champions Racing 92 were looking like they will miss the playoffs in what has been an extremely disappointing season for them, which included an exit from the Champions Cup group stages. However, a narrow win against Bordeaux in the last round of the regular Top 14 season, coupled with Stade Francais losing, allowed Racing to snatch the last qualifying spot. They were expected to lose in the quarterfinals against Montpellier, but a late try and a Dan Carter penalty allowed them to claim a surprise 22-13 win and reach the semifinals – something which pretty much looked like an impossibility for most of this year.
Bet on Clermont vs. Racing 92 and get your 100% (100 Eur) bonus at Ohmbet now!Team news & lineups:
Spedding and Vaahamina are crucial absentees for Clermont, while Racing 92 will also miss a key player in the form of Juan Imhoff, injures in the quarters against Montpellier.
Clermont: 15 Nick Abendanon, 14 David Strettle, 13 Damian Penaud, 12 Rémi Lamerat, 11 Alivereti Raka, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Fritz Lee, 7 Judicaël Cancoriet, 6 Damien Chouly, 5 Flip Van der Merwe, 4 Arthur Ituria, 3 David Zirakashvili, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Raphaël Chaume
Racing 92: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Henry Chavancy, 12 Casey Laulala, 11 Teddy Thomas, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Chris Masoe, 7 Bernard le Roux, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Leone Nakarawa, 4 Gerbrandt Grobler, 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Virgile Lacombe, 1 Villiamu Afatia
The two teams met twice so far this season, with each of them winning at home. However, Racing barely got a 27 – 24 win as hosts, while Clermont won 47 – 10 when they played at home.
Clermont is just the better team here and should have too much for a Racing 92 team which is rather shaky and unreliable. Credit to Racing for pulling off the upset against Montpellier in the quarterfinals, but you can`t judge a team on a single winning performance, which by the way came very late in the game. And Clermont will represent a different level of competition.
Clermont has more quality throughout its ranks and they are definitely a more complete team this year. Racing 92 relies a lot on the kicking of Dan Carter, but they will meet a team which has not one, but two world class kickers in Lopez and Parra, who can go toe to toe with Dan Carter. If the New Zealand legend will be limited, Racing’s gameplan will be compromised and they will be hard pressed to find a proper solution.
I am backing Clermont here and it`s a pretty straightforward and logical choice. They are simply better, more cohesive, less prone to making errors and have been in very good form recently. They have played at a superior level than Racing for this entire season and it`s hard to see what could make them lose this game.
The point spread is rather low at 4.5 points and I do expect Clermont to cover it, but I will choose extra safety here and back the straight win – just for more security, given the fact that it should be a low scoring match mostly decided by penalties, at a neutral venue.
All in all, my tip is here Clermont to win this match. Even though odds on the bet are rather low at ~ 1.45, they are still very good and can provide a pretty decent ROI with a maxium stakes investment. Prediction: Clermont – Racing 26 – 16.
Pick: Clermont
Odds: 1.46 @ Betsson
Stake: 10
Possible profit: 4.60
Event date: 27 May
