It was a high-scoring weekend in Ligue 1 as there was an average of 3.5 goals in the 10 matches. After weeks of playing below their level, PSG managed to tie their biggest margin of victory of the season with a 4-0 win over Reims.
The Parisians have set the standard in Ligue 1 and hold a comfortable double-digit lead over Nice and Marseille. The rest of the top half of the table is wide open and we’ll certainly see a lot of movement before the season is over.
We’ll recap Matchweek 22 and look ahead to the first round of games after the international break from a soccer betting perspective.
Ligue 1 Breakdown Matchweek 23
3-for-3 at Top of Table
In PSG’s 4-0 win over Reims, midfielder Marco Verratti scored two goals. Sergio Ramos, who has dealt with injuries for most of the season, also scored his first PSG goal. After four draws in five matches, the Parisians have won two straight.
They head to Lille a week from Sunday in the match of the week and it’s possible that both Messi and Neymar will be back. Lille is still in 10th and just fell 2-0 to Brest on the road. Expect a better Lille performance here and possibly a point for the hosts.
Nice won their fifth consecutive match with 2-0 away win at Metz. They’ve been the best pick for betting online in Europe’s top five leagues over the past few weeks. Nice are home vs Clermont and should surely continue their streak.
Marseille’s Cedric Bakambu wasted no time getting on the scoresheet, finding the net just two minutes into his Marseille debut. The DR Congo international scored the second in Marseille’s 2-0 away win at Lens.
Marseille, who have the best defense in the league, take on an Angers side that have won just one of their last five. I’m inclined to take under 2½ for sports bets
European Contenders
Strasbourg’s three game winning streak came to an end as they lost a seven-goal thriller to Bordeaux. Hwang Ui Jo scored a hat-trick in Bordeaux’s 4-3 triumph and they moved out of the relegation zone with the win. Strasbourg are still in fourth, for now, and face a solid Nantes side at home in Matchweek 23.
Fifth-place Rennes lost their fourth match in the last five. Despite Rennes going up 1-0 at Clermont, the hosts fought back with two second-half goals to complete the comeback. Rennes need all three points vs Brest and they should get them.
Montpellier bounced back from two consecutive losses with an important 3-2 win over Monaco. Stephy Mavdidi’s stunning 90th-minute winner, off a nicely played reverse ball from Nicolas Cozza, marked his eighth goal. La Paillade go up against last place Saint-Etienne, who just snapped a seven game losing streak, in Matchweek 23 .
Monaco are now one point behind Montpellier, in seventh place. Their match vs Lyon should be an interesting one, especially as Lyon have been one of the better soccer pick in recent weeks. I’d hold off on taking Lyon until we see how the rest of the transfer market unfolds. Midfielders Bruno Guimaraes and Houssem Aouar have both been linked to exits.
RC Lens lost 2-0 at home to Marseille in a back-and-forth match. Lens are now down to eighth place after spending most of the season in the top four. They should be able to get all three points on the road vs a Lorient side likely to be relegated.
