The pick of this weekend’s Top 14 action is the Paris derby which sees city rivals Racing 92 play host to Stade Francais. Darry Worthington previews.
2023/24 French Top 14
Racing 92 v Stad Francais
Saturday 24 February – 22:05
Paris La Defense Arena
The hosts currently sit in fourth place on the Top 14 ladder but are only six points off their opponents, Stade who currently occupy top spot on the ladder.
While these Paris derbies always make for intriguing viewing, this one is even more intriguing with both sides missing several players due to 6 Nations commitments.
To Win Match
Racing 47/100 | Draw 21/1 | Stade 18/10
Racing will be looking to arrest a poor recent run of form that has seen them lose their last two matches against sides they really should have beaten.
Saturday’s hosts were looking pretty good before their recent slump as they qualified for the knockout phase of the Champions Cup and then registered an impressive 20-27 domestic away win over reigning French champions Toulouse.
Things have not been so rosy since with Racing following that famous away day win up with back-to-back defeats as they went down 26-5 away to strugglers Perpignan 20-44 to a far from vintage Montpellier outfit the following week.
There have been mitigating circumstances to these defeats, however, with the losses against Perpignan and Montpellier coinciding with the absence of talismanic centre Gael Fickou who also misses this one due to international commitments.
While Racing have struggled on the domestic front over the past fortnight, the same cannot be said of Stade who have won their last three domestic fixtures beating Bordeaux 26-30, Oyonnax 19-23 and Perpignan 32-19. They’ve been one of the best sides on the road this term and with the fixture so close to their own stadium, it’s far from the most daunting of trips.
Like their opponents, Stade will be missing a couple key men for this one with forwards Leo Barre and Paul Gabrillagues possible absentees.
Verdict: Stade Francais 18/10
It’s crazy to think that one player can have such an influence on a team filled with so much talent but the absence of Fickou is a massive blow to the hosts. He is their defensive leader and without him they have shipped points. I can see Stade taking advantage of his non-attendance and recording a derby win here.
Quick-Fire Tips
- Montpellier to beat Bayonne @ 1/4
- Lyon to beat Oyonnax @ 2/15
- La Rochelle to beat Perpignan @ 1/1
- Castres to beat Bordeaux @ 4/10
- Toulon to beat Pau @ 2/1
- Toulouse to beat Clermont @ 21/10
