The French Ligue 1 returns this weekend after a short, winter break with Strasbourg and Guingamp set to kick things off.
We’re at the half-way mark of the 2018/18 Ligue 1 season and things at the top look as you’d expect at the summit with PSG leading the way from Monaco, Lyon and Marseille.
The fixture of the matchweek will see Nantes welcome PSG to Stade de la Beaujoire while Stade Rennais’ home fixture against Marseille also has the makings of a potential classic.
Friday 12 January
Strasbourg 13/10 | Draw 9/4 | Guingamp 43/20
We kick things off this week north-eastern France as Strasbourg host Guingamp. The hosts were absolutely flying before the festive break and would not have welcomed the break. They are undefeated in five outings including a memorable 2-1 win over PSG.
Guingamp too were in fine fettle before the league shut down for a few weeks. Not factoring in an expected defeat a narrow 1-0 away defat at the hands of Marseille, they are also undefeated in five having only conceded one goal. There’s not really much form to work with here because of the break, but I think the hosts should edge it. 13/10 is a decent price – get on!
Saturday 13 January
Stade Rennais 26/10 | Draw 23/10 | Marseille 21/20
We’re off to the beautiful Roazhon Park next where Stade Rennais are due to go head to head with Marseille in Saturday’s early kick-off. The hosts were on fire before the winter break winning three on the spin after a disappointing stalemate with Metz. They’ll no doubt fancy their chances against Payet and co. especially at home.
Marseille have been excellent this season and are just three points off of Lyon in third. They were defeated by Bruno Génésio’s men before the winter break before bouncing back with a solid 3-1 over Troyes. Marseille most certainly have the better squad on paper and look to be heading in the right direction, back them at just over even money to come out on top here.
Dijon 8/10 | Draw 26/10 | Metz 34/10
Can plucky Metz claim their third win on the spin against a Dijon side who are punching just above their weight in mid table? Unlikely as it may seem, Ligue 1’s bottom side have showed real character to with magnificent wins over Montpellier and Strasbourg before the winter break to give their fans the faintest glimmer of hope regarding their future top flight status.
Dijon, on the other hand sit comfortably in mid-table but have struggled to put together a consistent run of late. Their pre-break form reads WLWLWL – not ideal for a team who want to push for a top five finish at the end of the season. Bothe sides have been involved in high-scoring affairs of late. With this in mind, take the totals over 2.5 goals at 17/20.
Troyes 43/20 | Draw 43/20 | Bordeaux 27/20
We take a look a fixture involving two of the league’s most out of form sides. Both Troyes and Bordeaux would have welcomed the winter break. To be brutally honest, I wouldn’t have a go on a match like this – not with the form these two are in. If forced to have a punt, I’d probably take the draw (tentatively so) at 43/20. This is definitely not one for the weekend multiples.
Nice 13/20 | Draw 26/10 | Amiens 17/4
Nice have absolutely shot up the table after a woeful start to the season. They now find themselves in sixth place at the halfway mark and will be keen to push on for a Champions League spot. They were undefeated in five matches prior to the break in a run that saw them win four and draw one.
Balotelli and his mates will be pretty confident of getting victory over an Amiens side who lost four on the spin before the break. These four losses saw Bongani Zungu’s team slip down the standings into 13th place after a good start to the season. You simply can’t go wrong backing Nice to come out on top here at 13/20 – one for the weekend multiples this.
Caen 14/10 | Draw 39/20 | Lille 9/4
Caen’s purple patch this season didn’t last very long, but it did show the rest of the league exactly what the little Normandy club is capable of. They’ll look to get grab their first win in five matches when Lille come calling.
Lille have battled poor form all season and consequently find themselves down in 18th place. They gave their fans a bit of hope with consecutive wins over Lyon and Toulouse before succumbing to defeats against PSG and Dijon. Difficult one to call this, but I think the home side just shade it. Small stake on Caen but leave this one out of the multiples.
Montpellier 24/10 | Draw 9/4 | Monaco 12/10
Despite the fact that Montpellier have one of the best defensive records in the league, I simply don’t see them being able to compete against a Monaco who don’t have to deal with any European football after finishing bottom of Group G of the Champions League. Back the away side confidently here at 12/10. Their domestic form has been sensational and should have far too much firepower for Montpellier.
Sunday 14 January
St-Etienne 5/4 | Draw 2/1 |Toulouse 49/20
This is yet another match that I would avoid having a go on. Both teams are on dire runs of form which resulted in the two plummeting down the table just before the festive season break. If forced to have a go, I’d take St-Etienne to win narrowly here. Not at all confident on this one though. Rather avoid.
Lyon 9/20 | Draw 7/2 | Angers 11/2
Third play nineteenth in our next fixture as Lyon welcome struggling Angers to the Groupama Stadium. The hosts won five of their last six matches before the break while Angers could only manage one victory in six. Get on the (-1) handicap here at 23/20 – Lyon should have no trouble winning comfortably on Sunday.
Nantes 10/1 | Draw 47/10 | PSG 1/4
After a bit of a mid-season wobble, Nantes got back on the winning path with victories over Angers and Amiens. They face a completely different task now as they welcome the Parisian juggernaut to the relatively modest Stade de la Beaujoire.
It should come as no surprise to see that PSG are the form side in the division at the moment. Five wins in their last six matches saw them grab a nine-point lead atop the standings at the halfway point in the season. Unai Emery’s men have been banging in the goals for fun of late and should cruise past Claudio Ranieri’s plucky Nantes outfit. Get on the (-1) handicap here at 7/10.
Treble tipped at 5.58/1
Dijon Win 8/10
Lyon (-1) 23/20
PSG (-1) 7/10
