Lyon far from the Champions League spots

Lyon was also deducted one point by the French league’s disciplinary committee after Marseille player Dimitri Payet was hit by a projectile thrown from the stands at Lyon’s stadium back in December. They are now sitting eighth in the standings with just 34 points earned in 23 games, nine points behind the Champions League spots.

Despite trailing their opponents by eight points they enter this clash as heavy favorites being priced at -110 on the three-way moneyline according to the latest soccer odds. They lost the reverse match 3-2 on the road and three of the last four competitive matches against Nice. Before the 2-0 defeat to Monaco, Lyon were undefeated in over two months, but they registered draws in the majority of the games.

For a side who enjoys playing quick, attacking football, while moving the ball around rapidly, they have also done well defensively, collecting back-to-back clean sheets in January for the first time this season against Troyes and St. Etienne but let’s not forget that the two teams are fighting to avoid relegation.

On the other side, Nice are one of the most consistent teams in the league under Christophe Galtier. They have the best defense in the league with just 19 goals conceded in 23 games, but they saw their five-game domestic league winning run come to an end last weekend when they shockingly lost to relegation-threatened Clermont. They will be eager to bounce back and extend their brilliant head-to-head record against Lyon. They are a team to be backed but this time we will not include an away win in our soccer picks and parlays. We’ve seen at least three goals in each of the last six mutual encounters between the two teams and we’ll go with the trend.

Pick: Over 2½ in the match at -130

Metz vs. Marseille: Comfortable away win

After an upsetting 2-1 defeat to Lyon, Marseille immediately bounced back beating Angers 5-2 on home soil. Arkadiusz Milik scored a hat trick as Marseille came from two goals down moving into second place in Ligue 1, leapfrogging Nice. They advanced to 43 points which is 10 behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain. They are one of the best road teams in Ligue 1 winning seven in 11 games, allowing just seven goals in the process. They kept five clean sheets in five of the last six league games but also in the reverse match that ended in a goalless draw.

On the other side, Metz are fighting to avoid relegation sitting 18th in the standings with 20 points picked up in 23 games. They are the worst team on home soil with just one win in 11 games in front of their fans and 23 goals allowed in the process. They failed to find the back of the net in three of the last four Ligue 1 games and we expect them to struggle to score against a rock-solid Marseille defense. That’s why they are huge underdogs being priced at +450 to win this clash.

If you’re betting online, you should always check the stats and the team news. Metz are expecting their players back from the Africa Cup of Nations, but they will definitely need some time to re-adapt while Marseille have no injury issues and we expect them to use their best starting lineup.

Pick: Marseille ML at -150