Nearest rivals Lyon, Monaco and Marseille charged with catching last season’s runaway leaders
France and football are the flavour of the month right now. This past weekend, coach and former captain Didier Deschamps led the Blues to their second ever World Cup title, and now in just a few short weeks the domestic league is set to get underway once again.
To little shock, the talk of the town in domestic French football remains the champions from the capital, PSG. The mega rich club won the league by over a 10point margin last season and the pressure will be on those running to hang on to their coat-tails.
First things first
Before you go any further, head on over to the Oddsshark website, select your favourite betting agency and get your own account up and running using your credit card. As a brand new customer and several major European leagues preparing for the big kick off, there should be a whole host of special offers and promotions available to you.
Where should I be investing my money?
In terms of outright winners, the smart money would look to be on the current champions. PSG are at just 1.10 to retain their crown and even some of the biggest names in the country look like they will have trouble keeping up with them.
Monaco, who won the championship the season before last and finished second in the most recent campaign, are way out at 15.00 to win the season this time around, as are Marseille. And Lyon, who had by far the strongest side in Ligue 1 in the previous decade, are at the slightly shorter price of 13.00 to snatch the title away from PSG – although, in all honesty, the chances of anyone doing that this season look slim.
The traditional season curtain raiser in France is the Super Cup, and this season it will be played out by PSG and Monaco. If anyone is to have a chance of stopping the champions in their tracks then this tie could be pivotal in laying down a marker of intent.
Monaco, however, are the clear underdogs to win the match and are priced at 6.00 to do so. PSG, by way of comparison, are at just 1.44 to pick up the first trophy up for grabs of the season and continue on their merry way.
Such is PSG’s dominance in Ligue 1 that odds are offered on a Table that does not include the defending champions. Taking their star studded side out of the equation leaves Lyon as the favourites to finish as best of the rest, and you can triple any investment by backing the, to do just that at a price of 3.00, according to Oddsshark.
They have, however, lost key youngster Willem Geubbels to Monaco, who have continued their policy of investing in youth players of high potential. The island outfit are at 3.25 to finish top of the table excluding PSG, and Marseille have exactly the same price tag on them to do the same.
And given the way PSG are expected to dominate the top of the table, focusing on the battle to avoid relegation could be just as intriguing. As is so often the case, the newly promoted clubs face short odds to be sent straight back down to the second tier of the domestic pyramid.
Nimes are the favourites to suffer the ignominy of relegation and are priced at 2.87 to face the drop – meaning you could almost triple your investment by backing them to fall through the trapdoor. Meanwhile, you could potentially quadruple any bet made by backing Guingamp, who finished 12th last season, to fall down to Ligue 2.
And in terms of outrights the race for a top three finish could also be more fiercely contested than the battle for the league title. Top three in Ligue 1 is the stepping stone to the UEFA Champions League, and with four main contenders at the top of the table someone is going to miss out on a lucrative bounty.
It is as good as a foregone conclusion that PSG will finish in the top three. You can back the current champions at just 1.015 to do exactly that.
Which then leaves three clubs battling it out for just two spots. Last season’s runners up, Monaco, are at 1.80 to finish in the top three once again, and then there looks to be nothing to split rivals Lyon and Marseille – both are priced at 1.90.
Ligue 1 first round fixtures:
Friday, 10 August
(1.40) Marseille x Toulouse (9.00); draw (4.20)
Saturday, 11 August
(2.30) Angers x Nimes (3.10); draw (3.20)
(2.40) Lille x Rennes (3.10); draw (3.10)
(1.72) Montpellier x Dijon (5.00); draw (3.50)
(3.40) Nantes x Monaco (2.25); draw (3.10)
(1.90) Nice x Reims (4.00); draw (3.40)
(1.85) St Etienne x Guingamp (4.33); draw (3.40)
Sunday, 12 August
(1.20) Lyon x Amiens (11.00); draw (7.00)
(1.61) Bordeaux x Strasbourg (6.00); draw (3.60)
(1.10) PSG x Caen (21.00); draw (9.00)
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