The rivalry, the passion, and for all the marbles! The Le Classique Derby! Marseille look to strut their confidence when they begrudgingly host Paris Saint-Germain at the Orange Velodrome. Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe are finding their rhythm, while for Marseille a structure is beginning to emerge with Dejan Caleta-Car and William Saliba strengthening the centre half roles, and Dimitri Payet and Matteo Guendouzi bossing the attacking side of the midfield. We are in for a cracking game of football come Sunday in the Ligue 1.
Let’s get into some of the other fixtures before we preview the main event.
Friday 22 October
Saint-Etienne 15/10
Draw 23/10
Angers 18/10
(21:00)
Saint-Etienne are looking to find a breath of fresh air in the league when they welcome Angers to the Stade Geoffrey-Guichard this Friday. After going three matches unbeaten, Angers picked up their second defeat of the season losing 2-1 to PSG at the Parc De Princes. The away team have found great success this season and sit fifth on the table with 16 points, just two off the number two spot. Les Verts on the other hand have had a torrid time and there were signs it was coming last season when they fought to just two wins over October to January. Now, they are without a win this campaign and sit rock bottom. Back the home team to get back to winning ways.
Saturday 23 October
Nantes 12/10
Draw 49/20
Clermont 22/10
(17:00)
Nantes at home are favourites against newly-promoted Clermont. The Canaries have won three and lost two of their home fixtures, and those losses came to Lyon and Nice who are in fine form at the moment. Clermont Foot are struggling on the road, with just one win over Bordeaux in their opening fixture of the season losing 4-0 to PSG and 6-0 to Rennes drawing their other two. While their last 1-0 win over Lille will be a confidence boost. While last campaign seemed a shambles, Antoinne Komboure is tipped to make a success of Nantes this season. The home team are looking a good ball playing team and at the price you should be all over the Canaries.
Lille 6/10
Draw 3/1
Brest 44/10
(21:00)
The defending-champions are not who they were under ex-manager Christopher Galtier. They have lost the defensive cohesion and tight midfield and it’s hard to back them this season with unpredictable results. But when they come up against Brest who are one of the favourites to drop to Ligue 2 this season, Les Dogues become bankers regardless of their football issues. Brest are without a win in their last 14 league fixtures which extends into last season. One thing that is a constant though, is the away team can find the back of the net scoring a goal or more in their last 10 fixtures. Bet Lille & Both Teams To Score (Yes) at 26/10.
Sunday 24 October
Nice 31/20
Draw 5/2
Lyon 33/20
(13:00)
Of the “big” teams in Ligue 1, Christopher Galtier has the most wins against Lyon, having played them 24 times, losing nine, drawing seven and winning eight it seems as if he loves the Kids. Nice sit fourth on the log tied on 16 points with Lyon and Angers in hopes of extending the lead over the two. While they were shockingly defeated 1-0 to newly-promoted Troyes last gameweek, the Eaglets are undefeated at the Allianz Riviera. Nice are undefeated at home, with Lyon’s only defeat in their last five games coming at the hands of PSG. It will be a tight contest in the South of France, and neither side will want to drop three points, having both settled for just one, back a draw at the top end of the table.
Lens 13/20
Draw 29/10
Metz 4/1
(15:00)
It’s practically the top of the table versus the bottom. In form Lens looking to bounce back after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Montpellier, against Metz who hold just one win to their name this season. Lens have not managed to defeat Metz in a league match since 2016, and this right here is the perfect opportunity to seize. Lens tend to take their time and hold their lines when playing at home and you can expect a slow start from Frank Haise’s boys. Both teams are not big score line teams and a Home Team Matchbet & Totals Under 3.5 Goals is the play at a healthy 14/10.
Rennes 17/20
Draw 26/10
Strasbourg 31/10
(15:00)
After a three-game losing slump Rennes have gone on a four-game unbeaten run. Clermont were beaten six goals to nil, followed by an upsetting draw with Bordeaux, a convincing 2-0 defeat of PSG along the way for added confidence, and 0-3 triumph over Metz. Strasbourg have also seemed to turn a corner but struggled to beat a “bigger” team when they were defeated 2-1 at home to Lille in their only defeat over the last five matches. Rennes are in the better form and their direct approach is bound to find more goals to secure another home victory.
Reims 12/10
Draw 43/20
Troyes 5/2
(15:00)
A bottom of the table clash sees Troyes taking on Reims with both clubs hoping to distance themselves from the relegation zone early on. For Troyes the pressure is on as they would drop five points away from 15th place seemingly stuck to the bottom of the table. On the other side of the coin, Reims would be licking their lips at the opportunity to create some space from the bottom of the barrel. Unfortunately, Andreaw Gravillon will miss this matchup after picking up his fourth yellow of the season last time out and will be hard to replace in the centre half role. With a hole in the middle of defence, I am backing both teams to soccer (Yes) in this fixture at 8/10.
Lorient 11/10
Draw 24/10
Bordeaux 49/20
(15:00)
These two teams are identical over the last five league fixtures. Each team has one victory, one clean sheet, three draws a piece, and one loss each all facing a similar difficulty level of opponent. Bordeaux definitely seemed on the same slump they ended last season with but have since turned somewhat of a corner picking up draws in an attempt not to lose matches. The home team had a pretty average run last season and a much better start to their campaign than their opposition this time around. Lorient sit mid-table and have a great shot at finishing in the top 10 come Christmas break. Get your money behind the home team on a straight win.
Monaco 9/20
Draw 37/10
Montpellier 52/10
(17:00)
Montpellier might be three positions adrift but sit just one point below their opposition going into matchday 10. Monaco are big favourites at home despite losing 2-0 to Lyon last time out. The line-up against Lyon was slightly watered down in anticipation of their Europa League matchup with PSV where a win will see them top group B. The expectation of a stronger starting XI has me putting Monaco in a out multiple for the weekend. Monaco have not lost to Montpellier at home in three years, and I do not expect them to slip up now. Back the home team.
Marseille 38/10
Draw 32/10
Paris Saint-Germain 6/10
(15:00)
The rivalry, the passion, and for all the marbles! The Le Classique Derby! Marseille look to strut their confidence when they begrudgingly host Paris Saint Germain at the Orange Velodrome.
Marseille came out the starting blocks all guns blazing with heaps of passion in their play, whilst showing their technical abilities in winning fashion. A two-game skid saw them lose momentum, but an emphatic 4-1 bounce back against Lorient last time out will boost the confidence they need going into such a big match. On loan Matteo Guendouzi and captain Dimitri Payet found themselves at the centre of attention in this matchup assisting four and scoring two between the pair.
Marseille packs the midfield and central areas of defence with three centre-backs two defensive midfielders and a central midfielder coupled with an attacking midfielder with the flanks rather open for the taking in my opinion. Nonetheless, they have been finding result under Jorge Sampaoli, who we all know will put his body on the line for his players (wink, wink).
Paris Saint-Germain were seemingly unstoppable this season until they came up against foes Rennes just one matchday ago. Mauricio Pochettino put forth a strong line-up with all three-star forwards, including Angelo Di Maria and still failed to register a shot on target. Rennes were well discipline and took their chances beating the Parisians 2-0.
Although PSG lost to Rennes, they have won all eight previous Ligue 1 matches this season. The team is starting to click, and Lionel Messi is starting to find the back of the net in new colours scoring twice in his last fixture when they faced RB Leipzig in the Champions League. Neymar, Sergio Ramos, and Mauro Icardi are all expected to return this weekend while Leandro Paredes is still out with a thigh injury he picked up while on duty with Argentina.
Poch is making things work despite having so many big personalities in one club, and PSG lead the Ligue 1 standings by nine points and sit a top their Champions League group one point clear of Manchester City.
A derby is always a passion filled game, and big names can make the difference, but there are also many factors that can sway the outcome of a game when emotions are running high. Last season PSG won two of the three meetings between the two, with Marseille stealing one victory. The stakes are high, and the points are on the line in Le Classique.
Pinning down a winner is difficult and with both teams coming in wanting the all-important win, but a leggy Marseille after a Thursday night away fixture in Italy could prove a difficult factor to overcome, but the absence of Paris Saint-Germain’s Ultra’s banned from the fixture also plays into this big matchup. It will be a close game with one team edging the fixture, but Both Teams To Score is surely a certainty at 6/10.
QUAD @ 11/1
Nantes Win 12/10
Rennes Win 17/20
Lorient Win 11/10
Monaco Win 9/20
Written by Joshua Gaillard