Ligue 1 Matchday 11 Preview and Best Bets (Archive)
A scintillating round of France’s top-flight league is on the cards this weekend as it enters matchday 11. Most notably, several standout top-of-the-table clashes are slated to get underway.
In this column, we look at a couple of those — beginning with Nice facing Lyon on Saturday and PSG taking on Marseille on Sunday – and serve up some discerning thoughts and picks for your consideration. So, without too much preamble and fuss, let’s get straight to the soccer betting previews and predictions for Ligue 1.
LOSC Lille vs. Stade Brestois 29
Saturday, October 23, 2021 – 3:00 PM EDT at Venue Stade Pierre-Mauroy
Lille suffered a setback last weekend behind a 1-0 loss to Clermont on the away. The match got away from the defending Ligue 1 champions when Vital N’Simba scored from 20 meters just after the half-hour to earn Clermont its first victory in eight matches.
Lille’s defeat snapped a promising three-game winning streak that saw the club close the gap at the top of the table. The defending champions went into matchday 10 ranked eighth overall but find themselves down to eleventh with a 4-2-4 mark and 14 points. Midweek Champions League action might have played a factor in the outcome as Lille might have been caught out looking ahead to their date with Seville on Wednesday.
Les Douges went into midweek top-flight European club competition still searching for their first win. Tale told, Jocelyn Gourvennec’s side settled on a scoreless draw to the Spanish side at home and emerged with a 0-2-1 record in Europe’s top-flight club competition.
This week, Lille will be looking to make amends for the costly defeat in domestic action that denied them the chance of breaking into Ligue 1’s top three. They face Brest in what looks like a straightforward, get-right game on paper. Well, at least that’s according to the Ligue 1 odds which firmly corner the game with the hosts.
Brest is sitting pretty in the 19th spot with a 0-5-5 mark and five points. Les Pirates are still searching for their first win of the season and come into this weekend’s round of top-flight action with a 0-2-3 run of form in their last five fixtures. Most recently, Brest settled on a 1-1 draw to Reims.
Not only has Brest struggled to win games, but they’ve also had serious trouble finding the net this season. They’ve scored merely nine goals through ten games. However, the defense has been atrocious, conceding a whopping 23 goals in ten fixtures. All told, Lille should be able to win this game and do so comfortably.
Soccer Pick: Lille -160 with Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
Paris Saint-Germain FC vs. Olympique Marseille
Sunday, October 24, 2021- 2:45 PM EDT at Venue Orange Vélodrom
Paris St-Germain is riding high behind a 9-0-1 mark in Ligue 1 action, sitting pretty in first place on 27 points. They’re nine points ahead of their nearest rival’s Lens in the table after ten rounds. Talk about setting the standard in top-flight French football.
The only setback Mauricio Pochettino’s side suffered thus far was a 2-0 loss to Rennes on the away in matchday 9. It was a surprising result, but not a damaging one in the broad spectrum of the season. Most recently. PSG bounced back into the win column with a 2-1 win over Angers at home. They extended their winning form with a 3-2 win over Austrian side RB Leipzig in Champions League action on Tuesday.
Marseille ranks third overall in the table with a 5-2-2 mark and 17 points, but recent form leaves something to be desired. They’re 1-2-2 in their last five fixtures across all competitions.
Marseille bounced back with a 4-1 win over Lorient last Sunday. However, Les Olympiens are set to play their European fixture against Lazio on the away this Thursday, which sets them up most disadvantageously against Les Parisiens. Indeed, Marseille is tipped anywhere between +380 and +410 to mastermind the upset across soccer betting platforms, which gives a sense of just how monumental the task against PSG is for this weekend.
Both sides come into this weekend’s clash having played a lot of football, but Pochettino’s precious soccer baubles will have had a little bit more rest and a lot less travel to contend with. Moreover, PSG is one of the deepest units in French football, so Pochettino has plenty of options at his disposal. Whichever way one looks at this contest, it’s hard to look beyond the presumptive league champions for soccer picks.
Soccer Pick: PSG -150 with Bovada
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.