Ligue 1 Betting Preview – Matchday 19

Ligue 1 kicks off the weekend action with a match between Lens and Nice that promises to be quite thrilling for all fans.

After 18 rounds of the French top flight, teams are ready to showcase what they can achieve before the short winter breaks comes about and halts football activity until the beginning of January. One game will take place tonight, while all the others will be played tomorrow and on Sunday.

According to French gambling news, PSG will take on Montpellier in Paris and Marseille will play against Lille at home. The two clubs that will play hosts in their encounters are at the top of the league with only 1 point dividing them. Both of them will give all they have to surpass the other and go into the winter break with a small lead over the other one.

Lens vs Nice and PSG vs Montpellier

Lens is currently experiencing a difficult spell in 19th place with only 16 points. They kept losing game after game which has resulted in them being pushed down to the relegation zone. The club maintains a record of 2 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses, and considering their poor form at the moment they are likely to continue this run and build further on their losses.

• PSG will host Montpellier on Saturday
• Lille will visit Marseille on Sunday afternoon
• Bordeaux and Lyon will lock horns against one another

Nice on the other hand is in 11th place with 22 points from 18 encounters. Although they have a better standing than their next opponents, they also seem quite unpredictable in terms of their away record (3 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses). That is why when it comes to odds, Lens have slightly better chances of success 2.50 (6/4), whereas the visitors have been dealt odds of 2.90 (19/10). Taking into account that stats of both sides, as draw is very likely 3.15 (43/20).

Laurent Blanc has managed to lead PSG to the knockout phase of the Champions League, however he was not as successful in guiding them to the summit in the domestic competition. The Parisiens currently find themselves in second place (37 points) behind rival Marseille who are just 1 points ahead of them, however all that could change over the weekend. The Qatari-backed club will next go up against Montpellier, who were the Ligue 1 champions in 2012.

Montpellier have an away record of 2 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses, which has lead them to 9th place with an overall of 25 points. They are far from the team that managed to win the league in the 2011-2012 season. As per French gambling laws, Unibet strongly favors PSG to win the encounter 1.26 (13/50), whereas the visiting side has been branded a complete outsider with their odds 12.00 (11/1). A draw has been set at 5.50 (9/2), however that is not likely as well.

Marseille vs Lille and Bordeaux vs Lyon

The current leaders of Ligue 1 have managed to achieve an almost perfect result while playing at home (8 wins, 0 draws and 1 loss). They took every game seriously which has seen them put on some spectacular performances resulting in them claiming the first place so far. Lille, who are the team that will face them next, will find it very challenging to battle against a team that has such an impressive record at home.

The team that won Ligue 1 in 2011, is now in 12th position and has only 21 points form 17 games. They have a bad record for away matches (1 win, 2 draws and 5 losses), a fact that might haunt them as they go up against Marseille away. Unibet ranks the hosts can pull off a victory 1.62 (8/13), while a draw has been set at 3.65 (13/5). Should Lille surprise and win the game 5.85 (24/5) then punters that will have placed wagers on that match would profit a great deal.

Perhaps the best game of the weekend will take place between Bordeaux and Lyon. This encounter will provide plenty of great football action so all fans will have a chance to witness one final spectacle before the winter break commences. Bordeaux is now on 31 points and occupies the 5th spot in the league (home record – 6 wins, 2 draws and 0 losses). Lyon on the other hand is third with 36 points and a somewhat obscure away record (2 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses).

Online sportsbooks in France have earmarked Bordeaux to capture a victory 2.55 (31/20) against one of their biggest rivals, however they haven’t written off Lyon just yet. The visitors still have a chance to win according to Unibet 2.80 (9/5). A draw 3.20 (11/5) may be on the cards taking into account all the relevant stats, which would result in big wins for fans should they place bets on a tie.