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Genesis is an expert on all things French football and runs an excellent Twitter channel here. There is a whole lot more to Ligue 1 than simply PSG, Messi, Mbappe and Neymar. It is increasingly becoming a highly entertaining league with a wealth of young and exciting talent.
Each week, Genesis will be sharing his inside knowledge on the happenings within French Football and Ligue 1, so you can be well equipped to spot value betting opportunities each week.
Ligue 1 Weekly Review
What To Look Out For In Ligue 1 This Weekend – Game Week 4
- How Will Lille Respond
Four of France’s biggest clubs are under new management this season. An almost unprecedented turnover. And now, after pre season and the first two game weeks, we have a decent idea of their preferred systems and the challenges ahead. Two, Christophe Galtier (PSG) and Igor Tudor (Marseille), find themselves under pressure immediately. Galtier, through no fault of his own, PSG is simply that sort of club. Tudor’s story is rather more self inflicted by the look of things. A spiky and demanding character, as uncompromising as he was as a feared centre back for Juventus. He seems to have already angered a core of influential players and noises emerging from the club suggest that his position is already under close review. Especially as it seems the board were divided about his appointment in the first place! Classic Marseille.
For Fonseca (Lille) and Favre (OGC Nice) they will likely have a bit less intense focus from the off. Some time to embed and get their ideas across. So far Fonseca’s Lille look like a potentially exciting and more free scoring version of themselves. And that’s despite losing most of their best players. Favre and Nice have had a slow start. But previous Favre teams have been expansive and attacking. Something Nice fans have been begging for.
Here are the latest betting odds for Ligue 1 at the time of publishing:
2. Nice…Or Not So Nice
I tweeted during Nice’s game at the weekend that this iteration under Favre could well be just as stilted, stale and lacking in imagination as Nice under Christophe Galtier. For the talent they have arrayed across the pitch it’s staggering that the team can look so lacking in ideas, so lacking in penetration. They sit 10th in the league for xG and have only scored 1 goal. Yes, Favre is only three games in. And yes, he did a good job last time around. But, I’ve got a real bee in my bonnet about teams circling back around to former managers. Favre isn’t anything special. An up and down results guy. He was primarily supposed to bring attacking football. There’s no sign of that yet. And that’s with a stacked squad. And if the results keep on the same track then Favre will join a host of other managers on the hot seat early in this season.
3. European Draws
French clubs once again enter this week’s Champions Leage and Europa League draws full of optimism. And, like with most seasons, many of them will likely break their fans’ hearts earlier rather than later. PSG are on the hottest of hot streaks in the league and Christophe Galtier looks like he has the squad well aligned and extracting the best from Messi, Neymar and Mbappe up front. Does that translate into European success? Owners QSI will hope so. This is their big year. They want everything falling into place either side of the World Cup. On the other hand, Marseille fans will be crossing their fingers and toes and praying for a UCL campaign like no other. They have a truly miserable record in the competition including a record breaking run without a win. Phillipe Clement’s tenure at Monaco may well depend heavily on his team’s Europa League performance. He’s under early pressure. Almost more interesting is the French teams who haven’t made it into Europe. Lyon and Lille in particular will be watching on with envy.
Ligue 1 – Game Of The Week – RC Lens vs Stade Rennais
RC Lens v Stade Rennais, Sat 27 August 20:00 (UK time)
Lens, a candidate for regression this season, thumped Monaco last weekend. Is that a blip, an outlier? Or is that a sign of things to come? Having lost key players across the pitch this summer Lens have entered the transfer market in a way only Lens can. Looking to extract value, buying lesser known players and seeking to adapt them to their style and system. The biggest name to come through the doors was definitely Lois Openda. And he’s made a solid impact already. And Lens too have hit the ground running. They’re second in the league with 2 wins and 1 draw. Keeping Seko Fofana is also imperative. He’s the talisman and has such a unique skill set that he’s near unreplaceable. Watch for him up against Rennes’ brilliant Baptiste Santamaria in midfield. A key battle.
Frank Haise has marshaled Lens brilliantly these last few seasons. He is now the hottest property on the Ligue 1 manager merry-go-round. He could well be their biggest loss next summer.
In GW 4 Haise and his charges face my shout for a 2nd place finish, Rennes. A Rennes who were struggling up until last week. But, whilst they got the win they needed against Ajaccio, they still weren’t entirely convincing. Especially at the back where Bruno Genesio’s rotated Joe Rodon out in favour of Loic Bade. There were plenty of wobbles. And as such I’d expect Rennes to be candidates to concede at least one against Lens. Rennes are stacked across their midfield and forward line. And with that forward line sputtering I’ve got a feeling we might see one of Jeremy Doku or Kamaldeen Sulemana come in. They’d both stretch Lens.
Indeed both teams have good firepower. As mentioned above Lois Openda has looked very good in early games for Lens. As such I’d not be surprised to see multiple goals and each team scoring. If I had to pick a result, I’d go for a score draw. That’s the way the odds have it too.
