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Marseille Play Host to Lille in Blockbuster Ligue 1 Clash
Defending Champs Face OM’s Excellent Defense
Lille play their first Ligue 1 match of 2022 as they head to Marseille for an enticing matchup. The African Cup of Nations has significantly altered most French teams’ rosters for the month of January but Marseille and Lille are relatively unaffected.
Reflecting an expected competitive match, the soccer odds list this match as a pick ‘em. OM, the home side, are slightly favored at +130 to win, while Lille are priced at +210.
Game: Olympique de Marseille vs LOSC Lille
Location: Orange Vélodrome, Marseille, France
Date/Time: Sunday, 12 p.m. ET
| Team | Goal Line | Moneyline | Over/Under | Team Total |
| Marseille | pk (-150) | +130 | 2½ (Evo) | 1½ +135o/-165u |
| Lille | pk (+120) | +210 | 2½ (-130u) | 1½ +185o/-235u |
| Draw | +245 |
Marseille vs Lille Betting Preview
Head to Head
Lille welcomed Marseille in October and came away with a 2-0 win as Jonathan David bagged a double. Lille have won the last two meetings by a 2-0 scoreline and are unbeaten in the last three.
The last five meetings are even, with two wins apiece and a draw.
Marseille Stifling Opponents
Marseille have started off 2022 in style with a 3-0 win over US Chauvigny in the Coupe de France Round of 32 and a 1-0 win over Bordeaux in Ligue 1. Marseille are in joint second place in the league with a game in hand over Nice.
OM can potentially close the gap on league leaders PSG to eight points with a win here. Attacking mid-Cengiz Unders-cored the winner over Bordeaux at the weekend and also got on the scoresheet in the Coupe de France.
The on-loan Turkish international has been a revelation for OM and is second on the team with five Ligue 1 goals. Captain Dimitri Payet by far leads the team with 14-goal contributions and is trying to make sure Marseille return to the Champions League.
It sure looks like they have what it takes to do so, especially with one of Ligue 1’s stingiest defenses. There were talks of Arsenal recalling OM center back William Saliba because of his excellent play but he looks set to stay on-loan until the end of the season.
Incredibly, Marseille have conceded just four goals in their last ten Ligue 1 matches and have been a solid pick for betting online
Note that Marseille are a bit thin in midfield with Valentin Rongier nursing a foot injury and Pape Gueye at AFCON.
Lille Shake Off Slow Start
Lille last played a Ligue 1 match nearly a month ago. Les Dogues were bounced out of the Coupe de France by Lens on penalties last week and had their match vs Lorient postponed last weekend.
Lorient had too many players test positive for COVID 19, so Lille’s last Ligue 1 match was a 3-2 win over Bordeaux on December 22nd.
The defending Ligue 1 champions started off the season rather slowly but have managed to pick things up recently.
Les Dogues won their group and face Chelsea in the Champions League Round of 16 in February. They’re also undefeated in normal time in all competitions for the last 12 games and have been one of the better recent soccer picks.
It’ll be interesting to see how the transfer market plays out for Lille as striker Jonathan David continues to be linked to a move away. Meanwhile, Lille are desperately trying to keep defender Sven Botman.
As the only Ligue 1 team without a player involved in the African Cup of Nations, Lille are at an advantage in January.
Prediction
Marseille have dropped points in 6 of their 10 home matches and don’t score consistently enough to be too confident in.
Lille have stepped it up lately, averaging two goals in their last five league matches and pose a threat to Marseille’s back line. After all, Les Dogues did put two goals on Marseille earlier on in the season.
Obviously, this one could go either way, but Lille are a better value pick, whether that’s the sportsbook moneyline or spread. I’d lean towards the more aggressive side and I’m taking Lille to win at +210.
