Football Bet of the Day: Wounded champions to fight back

Montpellier v PSG
Tuesday 30 April, 18:00
Live on BT Sport Extra

I know everyone was watching Game of Thrones last night, and rightly so, but there was also a football match of interest. Our boys Arminia Bielefeld twice led at Duisburg, but had to settle for a 2-2 draw which saw our stake returned.

We’ll reinvest that money in France, as we speculate on the power of wounded pride. PSG suffered their latest humiliation in the Coupe de France final at the weekend, and I believe a backlash is coming against Montpellier tonight.

PSG were 2-0 up in their home city at the Stade de France, but collapsed to a 2-2 draw with Rennes, and lost on penalties. The tags “frauds” and “bottlers” are thrown around all too often in the febrile world of modern football, but there is no doubt that this group of players is psychologically scarred after some spectacular failures.

Coach Thomas Tuchel, an intense and demanding boss in the vein of his idol Pep Guardiola, seems bemused by his team’s capacity to self-destruct. This tendency was brought sharply into focus by the reckless stamp from Kylian Mbappe that saw him sent off deep into extra time in the final.

So, a bruised and battered PSG ,that can’t call upon the suspended Mbappe, will surely fold at Montpellier, won’t they? I’m not so sure. Montpellier have only won two of their last ten home matches, and the success of Rennes in the cup means that only fourth place will secure a Europa League place for next season. That means Michel der Zakarian’s team need to push for wins, and the bold approach that situation requires might play into the champions’ hands. It’s also worth noting that Montpellier have leaked 18 goals in their last ten games.

PSG smashed Montpellier 5-1 in the reverse fixture, and they have a point to prove. At nearly evens, I’ll back a talented PSG team to take the points.