PSG Owns Big Cushion in Ligue 1

Ligue 1 returns this weekend from a two-week holiday layoff and we’ve got some big games in store. Midway through the season, PSG has taken control of the league despite some concerning form.

Defending champion Lille and Lyon disappointed in the first half of the season but have plenty of time to turn things around. We’ll cover the major soccer betting odds for this weekend and beyond in this Ligue 1 Breakdown.

French Ligue 1 Breakdown

Best Yet to Come for PSG

Credit to Paris Saint-Germain for having a 13-point lead at the top of the table despite not playing anywhere close to its best.

Lionel Messi’s move to Paris has unfortunately produced just one league goal in 11 games. Messi and three other players also just tested positive for COVID-19 and Neymar continues to rehab from an ankle injury.

In the match of the weekend, PSG heads on the road to take on a struggling Lyon side. The Las Vegas odds are showing a fair amount of respect to 13th-place Lyon as PSG is listed at -110 to win.

PSG is a loaded team and should be expected to win, but it won’t be easy. The Parisians are the overwhelming favorites to win the league at -5000 and will be even more formidable when the trio of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are playing together. Fullback Achraf Hakimi has also looked like a superb signing and made our Best XI of the midseason.

Fight for Top Three Continues

The other teams toward the top of the table will basically need to be perfect to catch PSG, which only dropped 11 points in the first half of the season.

OGC Nice manager Christophe Galtier, who guided Lille to a shocking title last season, knows a thing or two about catching PSG. His Nice side picked up two impressive wins vs Rennes and Lens before the holiday break to move into second place.

They’ve got a tricky match ahead of them on Sunday at Brest, who were recently on a six-game winning streak. I’d stay away from Nice in this one, even at decent-looking +130 odds.

Marseille is level on points with Nice and has a game in hand. OM is -140 road favorites on Friday at struggling Bordeaux and is one of the better soccer picks this weekend.

Rennes and Montpellier find themselves just outside of the Champions League places and their form has diverged recently. Rennes have lost its last two Ligue 1 matches and just got bounced out of the Coupe de France by Ligue 2 Nancy. Rennes has a tough one on Saturday on the road at Lens, in a match that looks to be a toss-up.

Meanwhile, Montpellier holds the longest current win streak in Ligue 1 at four. They’ve outscored their opponents 8-1 over the last two matches and have been a great recent pick for betting online.

I like Montpellier (-115) over Troyes at home on Sunday and would also take over 2½ goals (-105).

Currently in sixth place, Monaco is a bit of a sleeping giant. They’ve gotten off to a slower start than expected but managed to finish first in their Europa League group. Striker Wissam Ben Yedder has incredibly scored 10 goals on 16 shots and has four goals in his last six matches.

He’ll hope to get on the scoresheet again on the road vs a Nantes side that has won three consecutive matches. Seventh-place Nantes is the better value play at +255.

Lille was toward the bottom of the table a couple months back but is unbeaten in its last 11 matches in all competitions. They’re now in eighth place, just five points behind second-place Nice, and have the league’s top scorer, Jonathan David. Lille should defeat 19th-place Lorient on Saturday.