Montpellier v Lille

Goals have been a common theme in the matches of both Montpellier and Lille this season. Four of five from each club have produced at least three goals, with both teams looking more comfortable offensively than they have done at the back.

Montpellier’s first game of the season to produce fewer than three goals came last weekend against an ultra-defensive Ajaccio side. Even so, had Montpellier managed to keep 11 players on the field, the chances are this mark would have been reached. Instead, they settled for a 2-0 win against opponents at the foot of the standings.

Their five matches this season have produced 24 goals, and though they have kept successive clean sheets, there is little to suggest they will be able to extend that run against a Lille side that carried significant firepower.

Lille have averaged two goals-per-game so far this season and have found the target in each of their matches. Indeed, all of their five matches have seen both teams find the net. Over the course of the transfer deadline, they saw Yusuf Yazici depart the club, but with Remy Cabella set to return from injury to play in this match, there should be no issue for this game.

Paulo Fonseca has adopted an attacking mindset with this Lille side, and that is likely to continue in Montpellier. 

Lille are the dominant side in this rivalry – they are eight undefeated against Montpellier – but backing goals looks the best bet for a profit here given the hosts’ improving form and confidence.

---

---

Clermont v Toulouse

When Clermont and Toulouse previously met in January 2021, the game was full of fireworks as TFC picked up a 3-2 victory. As the two teams with ball-playing philosophies clash again in central France, look for another game which is open and produces goals.

The home side may have made a decent start to the season, picking up six points in five matches, but this has been done in spite of a defence that has already conceded 10 goals. This figure could have been worse, too – in four of Clermont’s five league fixtures, they have given up an xG figure of greater than 2.3. Even in the 1-0 home win over Nice last weekend, the visitors finished with an xG of 1.6.

Toulouse, meanwhile, are coming off successive losses against Nantes and PSG. Anyone who watched their 3-0 loss to Paris in midweek, though, could not have failed to be impressed with some of their attacking play, which merited at least one goal.

TFC are an attack-minded team and will travel to Clermont with the intention of outscoring their opponents. Indeed, their last four Ligue 1 fixtures have all produced more than 2.5 goals.

Three of five Clermont matches this season, meanwhile, have seen upwards of that figure, while their 1-0 win over Nice and 1-0 defeat to Marseille in midweek were skewed because of the hopeless finishing of their opponents in both games. They are unlikely to get so lucky for a third time.

---

Reims v RC Lens 

Lens will be hoping to continue their blistering start to the season as they visit Oscar Garcia’s Reims who come off the back of a convincing first win against Angers in mid-week.

Frank Haise’s Lens side are showing no sign of slowing down – even with changes in midweek to the Sang & Or’s midfield and wingbacks they coped well with a Lorient fightback and were potent in front of goal to win 5-2. Key man Fofana could return this weekend after missing out mid-week, after recently extending his Lens contract to 2025.

Veteran striker Florian Sotoca has been ever present upfront this season so far and offers vital support to a rotation of Wesley Saïd and Loïs Openda in what has been an unstoppable attacking force so far this season with 14 goals as a squad, having played only five games thus far. These three are however secondary to what a Fofana return to the side could offer – his driving attacks from midfield set the tempo for the side, and Reims’ new three-man midfield will struggle to deal with it despite a decent performance against Angers.

Oscar Garcia has given in to the recent trend of lining up with a back 3/5 in Ligue 1, and there has been a visible improvement in Reims’ general play because of it. Folarin Balogun could start after coming off the bench last week and scoring – he is the main threat for Reims with four goals in five appearances so far this season.

Whilst Lens could be prone to conceding goals, they are simply in red-hot form in attack both at home and away – and look likely to extend their unbeaten run against Reims.

---

---

Troyes v Rennes

What a week it has been for Troyes as they have picked up six points from a possible six, scoring seven goals and hammering Monaco away from home on Wednesday. These last seven days have transformed the complexion of a season that started with three successive defeats.

Bruno Irles was a man under pressure before last Sunday’s 3-1 win over Angers, but his more attacking side has taken a giant stride forward since then. Offensively, they are blessed with numerous exciting options, including Rony Lopes, a recent signing, and Wilson Odobert, a teenager who arrived from PSG in the summer who has played a couple of exciting games now.

ESTAC have scored in four of their five fixtures and will expect to find the net against a Rennes side that has failed to keep a clean sheet this season. But they cannot expect to shut out their opponents. After all, they have conceded 13 goals in five games and have not kept a clean sheet themselves.

Rennes, meanwhile, have not displayed the efficiency that they demonstrated throughout last season. They have, however, continued to create chances and there is a sense that it is only a matter of time before they explode back into life. Winless away from home, their odds are too short to back them with any confidence against a team that is finding its feet – Troyes/draw double chance looks the best value there – but the likelihood of both teams finding the net is high.

---

OGC Nice v Monaco

Nice and Monaco have both had similarly underwhelming starts to the Ligue 1 season – the Monegasques’ form is troubling for a side that were aiming for a podium finish at the start of the season, having only won one game in seven outings so far this season.

Nice are hoping to kick on after a first league win against Lille and will be boosted by the signing of Rennes striker Gaëtan Laborde for €15m – it is completely possible that he could start or at least feature up front with former Montpellier strike partner Andy Delort. The two could re-form a formidable strike partnership, both having scored already this season. 

Whilst the recent head-to-head record favours Monaco, Nice could be playing them just as they dip into another slump. Against Lille, new loan-signing Nicolas Pépé scored his first goal and looked more comfortable than against Marseille in his second outing – as Nice’s midfield trio of Ramsey, Thuram, and Rosario looks more solid game-by-game.

Monaco can still threaten, having created an average expected goals amount of 1,82 so far this season. Whilst a Ben Yedder – Embolo front line has created a lot of chances, it’s their midfield which has been providing goals recently, with Youssouf Fofana the latest to get on the scoresheet last week in the disappointing 4-2 loss against Troyes. It looks like a fixture where both teams will have chances to score, and both hold the ability to do so with neither defence looking particularly solid in Ligue 1 so far.

---

18+ please gamble responsibly.

---

Back the Four & Five Star Selections as an Accumulator on Betfair ⬇️

*Bet link only appears when accessing from mobile.

---

Haven’t got a Betfair account? You’re in luck…

Sign up to Betfair and get a full refund if your first bet loses. Grab an account through the offer below and place £20 on the 13/1 Ligue 1 Best Bets Accumulator. Here are the two possible outcomes: