Our French football writer previews week four of the 2018/19 French Ligue 1 season.
There have been some truly seismic results over in France during the opening few rounds of the Ligue 1 season, and week three was no exception. Bordeaux – who were apparently in shambles – went and beat Monaco while Marseille were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Stade Rennais.
Matchweek four’s big encounter see Monaco welcome Marseille to the Principality while newly promoted Nimes host PSG.
Friday 31 August
Lyon 7/20
Draw 17/4
Nice 7/1
Lyon got back to winning ways with a pretty straightforward win at home against Strasbourg. Nabil Fekir was only fit enough for the bench and watched as his team dominated proceedings. They needed a strong showing after an indifferent start to the season and will no doubt want to kick on now.
Nice were absolutely torn apart at home by Dijon last week. The 4-0 defeat has ramped up the pressure on Patrick Vieira with his side now winless in three matches. They’ve been shambolic at the back this season and have only managed to find the back of the net once. Lyon have to be backed here at 7/20.
Saturday 1 September
Nimes 19/2
Draw 57/10
PSG 2/9
Nimes were finally brought back down to earth following their narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Toulouse. Indeed this was their most disjointed performance of the season thus far, but they will no doubt still be on a high following wins over Marseille and Angers. They’ll treat this week’s tie against PSG as a free hit.
The Parisians were shocked into action against Angers at the weekend. They went into the 60th minute all square at 1-1 before late goals from Kylian Mbappe and Neymar spared their blushes. They’ll look for a more dominant performance this week against Ligue 1’s new boys. Take the reigning Ligue 1 Champions on the (-1) handicap at 11/20.
Strasbourg 5/4
Draw 2/1
Nantes 24/10
Strasbourg were unsurprisingly defeated away at Lyon at the weekend. They’ve still made a decent start to the season and sit in the middle of the pack on four points at the minute. They’ll be pretty confident heading into this weekend’s tie against a Nantes outfit who look well off the pace.
Nantes got their first point of the season last week against Caen courtesy of a late penalty. They’ll have it all to do once again this weekend as they make the trip to Strasbourg who have enjoyed a pretty good start to their campaign. I just don’t see the away side coming away from this. Strasbourg at 5/4 looks good value.
Angers 27/20
Draw 22/10
Lille 21/10
This could potentially be one of the better matches of the weekend. Angers are one of only two teams without a point thus far and will be desperate to get back on track after a terrible start to the season. They were beaten 3-1 by PSG last week but stood toe to toe with the Parisians for the first 60 minutes of that encounter.
Lille, meanwhile, are flying high and inflicted a third straight league defeat on Guingamp last week. Following a shocking campaign last season, they look sharp and revitalised and will no doubt be looking to get back into Europe next season. Lille will almost certainly get something out of this game. Back them on the double chance at 11/20.
Dijon 19/20
Draw 47/20
Caen 3/1
Dijon have made a magnificent start to the season and are keeping pace – for the time being – with PSG at the summit of the table. They’ve been excellent going forward, scoring eight times while only conceding once. Of course, they won’t be able to keep this up the whole season but will certainly be confident of keeping things going against out of sorts Caen.
Caen are winless this season but have managed to pick up draws against Nantes and Nice in recent weeks after losing their opening match 3-0 against PSG. That said, draws don’t keep you in the top flight and they’ll need to start picking up wins soon before the pressure really ramps up. Dijon are flying at the moment at should make pretty short work of Caen, especially at home. 19/20 offers great value.
Reims 16/10
Draw 2/1
Montpellier 37/20
Reims – like Nimes – have been brought back down to earth following their 4-1 hammering at home against Amiens. Bongani Zungu started at the heart of the Amiens midfield as they dominated the Ligue 1 newcomers. This was always going to happen at some point following their blitzkrieg start to the campaign. How well they bounce back is important now.
Montpellier have made a solid if unspectacular start to their season. They were held at home by St-Etienne in a match that had draw written all over it. In truth is was a dour affair with neither team really stamping any authority on the tie. Montpellier will no doubt look to take this weekend’s tie by the scruff of the neck and kick the new boys while they’re down. Not many goals in this one. Take under 2.5 goals here 5/10.
Guingamp 1/1
Draw 24/10
Toulouse 26/10
While it’s not quite time to panic yet, Guingamp will need to start picking up points soon if they’re to keep in touch with the teams above them. They have the perfect opportunity to register their first points of the season when Toulouse come calling this weekend.
Toulouse have started the season well, winning two of their first three games following a nightmare campaign last time out. They’ll travel to Guingamp this weekend knowing full well that they can claim all three points. Pointless Guingamp may struggle here. Take Toulouse on the win / draw double chance at 15/20.
Sunday 2 September
St-Etienne 13/20
Draw 11/4
Amiens 9/2
St-Etienne played out to a terribly boring 0-0 draw against Montpellier last weekend. They’re back at home this weekend and will be pretty confident when Amiens make come calling. While they’ve been defensively resolute, they need to show more going forward, especially at home.
Amiens find themselves in the middle of the pack with a single victory to their name. That win came last week at home against Reims who were battered 4-1. They most certainly won’t find it as easy this time around away at St-Etienne but will be aiming to sneak a draw at the very least. Under 2.5 goals is the way to go here – get on at 7/10.
Stade Rennais 21/20
Draw 22/10
Bordeaux 11/4
Stade Rennais would have been bitterly disappointed after failing to hold onto a 2-0 half-time lead away at Marseille last week. Still, grabbing a point away at Marseille is no mean feat and they can certainly take heart from their performance in the south of France.
They welcome another southern club this week as Bordeaux come calling. Bordeaux claimed the shock result of the match-week three after beating Monaco 2-1 in the most dramatic fashion as Francious Kamano scored a 92nd-minute winner to banish memories of a less than ideal start to the season. I can’t believe you’re getting Bordeaux at 11/4 here. Back them on price alone.
Monaco 16/10
Draw 26/10
Marseille 15/10
Monaco were abysmal last time out against Bordeaux as they went down 2-1. They’re now well off the early pace with a five-point gap separating them from PSG at the summit of the table. Unfortunately, things don’t get any easier for the men from the Principality as Marseille come calling.
Marseille have endured a similarly tough start to the 2018/19 campaign and will be desperate to claim the points against Monaco. Why exactly they go into this match as favourites is beyond me, especially considering their performance last week against Stade Rennais. Monaco to win for me, but I’d avoid this one if at all possible.
Treble tipped at 3.61/1
PSG (-1) 11/20
St-Etienne vs Amiens under 2.5 goals 7/10
Toulouse win/draw
