Our tipster previews week 30 of the 2017/18 French Ligue 1 season with the first match of the round to be played on Friday 16 March.
PSG took another giant leap toward regaining the Ligue 1 title following their 5-0 thumping of Metz last time out. There were also wins for Monaco, Marseille and Lyon as all of the favourites arrived.
This week’s marquee fixture will see Lyon travel south to face Marseille while it’ll also be worth keeping tabs on PSG’s trip to Nice and St-Etienne’s tie against Guingamp.
Friday 16 March
Monaco 3/10
Draw 9/2
Lille 17/2
Monaco have been made to rue dropping points in mid-season matches as they’ve all but seceded their title to PSG. Still, they will want to finish strong and secure automatic qualification to the Champions League next season. They’re undefeated in 14 matches and are scoring for fun at the minute.
Lille arrive in the Principality following a pitch invasion which saw their players attacked by their own fans. Needless to say, the players are probably not in the greatest headspace right now. Physically assaulted by their own fans and staring relegation in the face – they will do well to keep the scoreline respectable here. Take the hosts to clear the (-1) handicap at 15/20.
Saturday 17 March
Bordeaux 1/1
Draw 23/10
Stade Rennais 29/10
Bordeaux’s mini-revival has come to an abrupt end following a two-point haul from a possible 12 that have been on offer in recent weeks. It’s hardly a surprise, though as they did face very tough fixtures against Marseille, Nice and Monaco in that time. Still, Gus Poyet would have wanted much more from his team.
They face yet another stern test this weekend in the form of Stade Rennais. Sabri Lamouchi’s charges have punched well above their weight this season and look as though they can finish the fifth as “the best of the rest”. They’ve taken 11 points from their last five matches which included a superb 2-0 over Lyon. Back the away side on the double chance at 15/20 – Stade Rennais are in supreme form and should get at least a point against an out of sorts Bordeaux outfit.
Angers 1/1
Draw 9/4
Caen 3/1
Angers have enjoyed something of a mini-revival of late as they climb away from immediate danger. Wins against Lille and Angers as well as a credible draw away at Bordeaux has seen the club open up a four-point gap between themselves and 18th-placed Troyes.
Caen would have been disappointed to go down 1-0 away at Lyon last week although they’d have been mature enough to realise that they put in a solid shift despite the defeat. They must now refocus against Angers in what looks to be a very winnable tie for the northerners. Angers most certainly have the momentum coming into this tie and should be backed as such.
Montpellier 13/20
Draw 26/10
Dijon 9/2
You’ll be shocked to learn that Montpellier drew once again last week – their 14th stalemate of a bizarre season. They’ve drawn each of their last four matches as they cruise to a comfortable mid-table finish.
Dijon have also been falling victim to plenty of draws of late. Three in their last four league matches have seen them share the spoils with their opposition. No surprises here then: back the draw at 26/10.
Amiens 11/10
Draw 43/20
Troyes 11/4
Amiens are still very much in danger of dropping into the relegation zone unless they start putting together a consistent run of form. Indeed defeat this weekend will see their opposition close the gap on them to just one point at the now very congested foot of the table.
Troyes absolutely need to pick up three points this weekend or risk falling further behind in the race for survival. They’ve lost their last three matches on the spin although those losses did come against the likes of PSG, Stade Rennais and Nantes. Difficult one to call this, although I do think that Amiens will shade this contest.
Toulouse 21/20
Draw 43/20
Strasbourg 29/10
Toulouse are in deep trouble and risk having a very talented young squad ripped apart by relegation. They absolutely need a win against fellow strugglers Strasbourg this weekend. They have been finding the net with regularity but simply haven’t managed enough shut outs, something that will have to change this weekend.
Strasbourg are winless in six across all competitions including a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of third-tier minnows, Chambly in the Coupe de France. They’ve been terrible of late and were easily turned over by both Caen and Monaco. Back the home side here.
Sunday 18 March
Nice 9/1
Draw 5/1
PSG 1/4
Nice’s atrocious start to the season seems a very distant memory now with Lucien Farve’s men now pushing for a top five finish. They’ve won their last two league encounters and will be take heart from their 5-2 hammering of Guingamp last time out.
Standing in their way is PSG. The Parisian juggernaut suffered elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid and will look to finish their league campaign with aplomb. They haven’t conceded in their last four domestic games, a trend that looks likely to continue. Take PSG to win to nil at 11/10.
Metz 49/20
Draw 2/1
Nantes 5/4
Short and sweet – I can’t believe you’re getting 5/4 on Nantes to win here. Massive, massive value. One for all the weekend multiples.
St-Etienne 7/10
Draw 51/20
Guingamp 17/4
This is yet another one we needn’t go into too much detail with. St-Etienne should prove fart too strong for a Guingamp side who just appear to have lost their way over the last few weeks. I reckon the hosts should be much too good for Guingamp and actually offer decent value at 7/10.
Marseille 1/1
Draw 51/20
Lyon 5/2
We round off the week’s action with an absolute cracker as Marseille host Lyon. Marseille haven’t been in the best of form lately and will be targeting this match to lay down a bit of a marker. They have won their last two matches in all competitions following a four-match winless run.
Lyon have had struggles of their own. A torrid run of mid-season form saw them go from genuine title contenders to facing the very real possibility of missing out on the top four. That run of six matches without a win was halted last week as a Bertrand Traore strike was enough to see of Caen. Marseille are rightly big favourites here and should be backed to come out on top.
Treble tipped at 5.69/1
Monaco win at 15/20
Nantes win at 5/4
St Etienne win at 7/10
