Ligue 1 Betting: Marseille have the edge in Sunday night thriller

“Given the results Lille have racked up so far – a 3-1 win over Rennes, a 3-0 win over Guingamp and a 0-0 draw at Monaco – it would be a surprise to see them lose away to an Angers side still seeking their first points of the season.”

Best Bet: Lille Draw No Bet at Angers @ [2.2]

Lyon v Nice (4th v 18th)
Fri, 19:45 BST
Live on BT Sport 3 and Betfair Live Video

Lyon have won two out of two home games this season and will expect to make it three versus Patrick Vieira’s struggling Nice on Friday night.

We were happy to oppose Nice last weekend and les Aiglons collapsed even more dramatically than expected as they lost 4-0 at home to Dijon. Vieira’s tactics went horribly wrong on the night and it’s clear the team is lacking on-field leadership at the moment.

The mood at the training ground is still positive and there’s some good news for Nice tonight as Mario Balotelli returns from a three-match suspension to make his first start of the season. But Nice have clearly been weakened by the summer sales of Jean-Michael Seri (Fulham) and last season’s second-highest scorer Alassane Plea (Borussia Monchengladbach) while Vieira’s still finding his feet as a manager back in his homeland.

Lyon beat Strasbourg 2-0 last weekend having triumphed by the same scoreline at home to Amiens on the opening weekend of the campaign. Ominously for their opponents, Lyon were able to rack up those victories by a couple of goals without playing particularly well. They should be even more dangerous in attack tonight as Nabil Fekir is set for his first start of the season following his extended holiday on the back of France’s World Cup victory.

Lyon are [1.38] to win so we prefer supporting the hosts on the Asian Handicap. For a full guide to Asian Handicap betting, click here.

Angers v Lille (19th v 3rd)
Sat, 19:00 BST
Live on Betfair Live Video

After a nightmarish 2017-18 Lille’s transformation over the summer has been nothing short of spectacular and they’re the best side to watch in Ligue 1 right now.

Having narrowly dodged relegation last season there was little optimism about Lille’s chances heading into the new campaign but their attacking play in the opening weeks has been fantastic.

New signing Jonathan Bamba (St Etienne) has added pace on the break, Jonathan Ikone (PSG) provides similar qualities and ex-Lyon playmaker Yassine Benzia has begun the campaign in tremendous form. Last season’s top scorer Nicolas Pepe looks set to develop into an even more impressive all-round striker in the months ahead, and Lille fans will be delighted to hear that he’s turned down a potential £27 million move to Lyon as he prefers to continue his development in the Nord region.

Given the performances and results Lille have racked up so far – a 3-1 win over Rennes, a 3-0 win over Guingamp and a 0-0 draw at Monaco in which they were the better team – it would be a surprise to see them lose away to an Angers side still seeking their first points of the season.

For Angers there was no shame in their 3-1 defeat at PSG last weekend, but they were less impressive in losing 4-3 at home to Nimes on the opening day and 1-0 at Rennes a fortnight ago. The loss of last season’s 17-goal top scorer Karl Toko Ekambi (Villarreal) has left a gaping hole in attack, and there are too many mediocre players in their starting line-up and squad for Angers to harbour any realistic ambitions greater than avoiding relegation this season.

Yet despite all that the hosts are [2.56] favourites to collect all three points this weekend, with Lille [3.1]. The price on Lille appeals, but we prefer the visitors on the Draw No Bet (DNB) market.

Monaco v Marseille (10th v 9th)
Sun, 20:00 BST
Live on BT Sport 1 and Betfair Live Video

Marseille should have the edge in this early-season clash of top-three contenders at Stade Louis II on Sunday night.

These two sides have made shaky starts – Monaco lost 2-1 at Bordeaux last weekend and have just four points from three games, Marseille lost 3-1 at Nimes and also have just four points on the board – but there are signs that things should come together quicker for l’OM than they do for their opponents this weekend.

Marseille are waiting for their defence to shape up, with Adil Rami looking sluggish after his extended post-World Cup holiday and new signing Duje Caleta-Car yet to find his feet. Once those two start to form a working partnership Marseille should be a lot more solid, and in the mean time they have the attacking talent to cause Monaco problems. This weekend may also see the debut of £25 million signing Kevin Strootman, who joined from Roma this week to add much-needed personality in the middle of the pitch.

Monaco are far more of a work in progress than Marseille following a squad overhaul that has seen more than 30 players come and go. Monaco are now a shadow of the side that won the Ligue 1 title two seasons ago and all outfield areas of the side bar long-serving centre-back partnership Kamel Glik and Jemerson are undergoing some form of renovation right now.

Monaco are [2.68] to win, with Marseille [2.58]. It’s rare to find that Marseille are favourites to win at Monaco, yet we still feel there’s enough value in the visitors to back them on the Draw No Bet (DNB) market.