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PSG and Montpellier are Ligue 1’s Highest-Scoring Teams

It took a last-minute winner from recent signee Achraf Hakimi for PSG to beat Metz but the Parisians continued their superb start to the season. PSG will try to remain perfect in Ligue 1 as it welcomes Montpellier to the Parc des Princes.

Even a point would be a great result for Montpellier, who has struggled mightily at PSG in recent seasons. The soccer betting odds currently list PSG an overwhelming favorite to win an eighth straight Ligue 1 game to start the season.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian forward Neymar controls the ball during the French L1 football match
SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP

Game: Paris Saint-Germain F.C. vs Montpellier Hérault SC

Location: Parc des Princes, Paris, France

Date/Time: Sept. 25, 3 p.m. ET

Team Goal Line Moneyline Over/Under Team Total
PSG -2 (-130) -600 3½ (-125o) 2½ -160o/+130u
Montpellier +2 (Ev) +1200 3½ (-105u) ½ -130o/Evu
Draw +700

Head to Head

PSG and Montpellier met three times last season. PSG won both Ligue 1 games, by score lines of 4-0 at home and 3-1 away. In the Coupe de France semifinal, these teams drew 2-2 before PSG won in penalties, 6-5.

PSG is 7-1-2 in the last 10 meetings in all competitions and Montpellier last won at the Parc des Princes in 2010.

PSG’s Suffered Some Recent Close Calls

Only the fourth top-flight French side to win its first seven games to start a season, PSG has taken finishing second in 2020-21 personally. Since a 1-0 loss to defending Champions Lille in the Trophée des Champions, PSG has been perfect in the league.

That’s without a big contribution from Lionel Messi, who made headlines for his adverse reaction to being subbed off vs Lyon. Messi, who missed PSG’s win vs Metz with a bone bruise, is yet to score or assist a goal but has hit the woodwork a couple of times.

Things could change, but Messi probably figures to miss this match as well in preparation for next Tuesday’s Champions League clash vs Manchester City. While PSG’s record looks great on paper, there have been some uncomfortable recent moments.

PSG drew with Club Brugge 1-1 in its Champions League opener with the trio of Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe starting the match. It also took stoppage-time winners to defeat Lyon and Metz in PSG’s last two league matches. Hakimi has been a revelation since joining from Inter Milan and has already scored three goals from right back.

Meanwhile, Neymar and Messi have just one goal between them. The former Barcelona teammates will certainly step it up as the season wears on. Even without their best form, PSG has been one of the best recent soccer picks.

Montpellier is Scoring and Conceding in Droves

PSG leads the league in scoring, with 20 goals through seven matches but second place is a bit of a surprise. That distinction belongs to Montpellier, who sits in tenth place in Ligue 1 and has scored an impressive 15 goals.

Montpellier has struggled on the defensive end and allowed nearly two goals per game. Its last match finished in a 3-3 draw vs Bordeaux. Five Montpellier players have scored two or more league goals and forward Valère Germain has scored an excellent 1.04 goals per 90 minutes.

Germain scored Montpellier’s first two goals in the match vs Bordeaux and is joint top scorer on the team, along with forward Gaëtan Laborde.

The downside to Montpellier’s scoring is a porous defense that has kept just one clean sheet in seven matches and has conceded three goals three times this season. The fact that Montpellier has just two wins despite scoring over two goals per game is undoubtedly concerning. When it comes to betting online, Montpellier has been entirely too inconsistent to recommend week in and week out.

Prediction

PSG averaged three goals per game vs Montpellier last season in all competitions and could certainly be in line for another scoring outburst. At -600 in the sportsbook, the value doesn’t appear to be on PSG’s moneyline.

While this is a game the Parisians should win, I think we could see a bunch of goals scored by two teams who have scored for fun at times this season. So, over 3½ goals looks appealing.

Pick: Over 3½ Goals (-125)

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