Ligue 1 football returns in France this weekend with a cluster of entertaining encounters to look out for! Catch all betting tips as Nice and Lille get us underway in a Friday night clash at the Allianz Riviera!
Friday 11 August
Nice 2/1 | Draw 5/2 | Lille 13/10 (21:00)
Lille will come into their opening league encounter against Nice in high spirits following an impressive pre-season where they have scored 14 goals across five matches. Their recent outing ended in a 0-0 draw against English side Brentford, but they will still feel confident of kicking off their season with a win. For the hosts, pre-season has not gone as planned as they failed to register a win in that period. Still, it’s the opening fixture, and there is always a possibility of an upset. Trust Lille to get on the score sheet here and claim an away win at 13/10.
Saturday 12 August
Marseille 11/20 | Draw 33/10 | Reims 46/10 (17:00)
Marseille had a terrible ending to last season – losing their last three encounters and finishing in third place as a result of points dropped at a crucial stage of the season. They face Reims at home on Saturday in their league opener and will aim for a repeat of their last encounter where Marseille won by 2-1 away from home in March. Reims played six friendlies as part of their preparations, and won five of those. But they will be well aware that they face a completely different opponent here in Marseille, and a winning start is crucial. Marseille are tipped to win at 11/20.
Paris Saint-Germain 1/4 | Draw 56/10 | Lorient 9/1 (21:00)
Champions PSG are looking to seal a 12th league title as they get their season underway with a clash against Lorient at home on Saturday. The club has been rocked by news off the pitch surrounding French forward Kylian Mbappe, who remains barred from training with the main first-team group as his contract dispute with the club continues. Still, with a new coach now at the helm, Luis Enrique will look to keep his men focussed on winning their opening clash and prove that the club is bigger than one player. Lorient lost to England’s Bournemouth in their last friendly match, but confidence should not be dampened by that loss, with a massive season ahead. PSG are the expected winners of this game but for more value, take Over 2.5 goals at 7/20.
Sunday 13 August
Brest 3/1 | Draw 26/10 | Lens 9/10 (13:00)
Brest finished in 14th position last season and will look for an improved performance this term as Eric Roy has had time to work with the squad during pre-season having joined in January. They face Lens who lost to Man United in their last friendly and were runners up to PSG last season – narrowly missing out on the league title by just one point. I think they will come here as heavy favourites, even though both sides shared the spoils in their last encounter in February. Go for the away win at 9/10.
Nantes 13/10 | Draw 49/20 | Toulouse 2/1 (15:00)
Toulouse wrapped up their pre-season preparations with an impressive display to overcome Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma by 2-1 at the Stade Municipal on Sunday. They now get ready to face Nantes away from home in their league opener, with the hosts coming from a 2-0 thrashing at the hands of Koln in their last pre-season friendly. They narrowly avoided relegation last season, and I don’t see them winning this one. The away win and both teams to score is tipped at 46/10.
Clermont Foot 5/2 | Draw 26/10 | Monaco 1/1 (15:00)
Monaco ended the previous season in poor fashion – winning only one of their last five games and losing three. Their opening clash with Clermont Foot will give them the chance at a winning start before another relatively easy fixture against newly-promoted Strasburg the following week. Monaco scored more goals than Clermont last season, but they will also aim to improve on their leaky defence that conceded 58 times last season – the worst of all the teams in the top 6. Back the draw and both teams to score at 7/2.
Montpellier 19/20 | Draw 5/2 | Le Havre 3/1 (15:00)
Montpellier welcome newly promoted side Le Havre to the Stade de la Mosson on Sunday as they look to win their opener before a stern test to face Lyon after this. They have had a poor pre-season where they only registered one win against Toulouse back in July, but Havre have also been playing badly during this period. They will have it all to do against an unpredictable Montpellier backline who will be looking for nothing other than a win in front of their own fans. Take the home win here at 19/20.
Rennes 9/20 | Draw 37/10 | Metz 6/1 (17:05)
Metz are back in the French top-flight after a season in League 2. They visit Rennes this Sunday evening as they aim for a strong start to a big season for them. I am worried by the fact that they didn’t play that many fixtures in the pre-season period, meaning they might still be experimenting in their first few matches. The hosts will aim for a win here and settle for nothing less after impressing during pre-season. I back Rennes to lead half time at 9/10.
Strasbourg 7/4 | Draw 26/10 | Lyon 29/20 (20:45)
Olympic Lyon have lost their last four friendly encounters ahead of their league opener with Strasbourg away from home on Sunday in the last clash of the opening week. Strasbourg may have done well to avoid relegation last season, but they will have to do it all over again – starting with a tough test hosting Lyon here with a lot of expectations on them. They are underdogs ahead of this clash, but will look to relish the title and surprise the club who are currently without a head coach. But trust the visitors to on the Win/Draw Double Chance at 4/10.
