Montpellier vs Marseille
8th August 1945hrs
Football – France – Ligue 1
Pick Draw & BTTS
Bookmaker Unibet
Odds: 10/3 odds taken 1416 GMT, Saturday 7 August
Olivier Dall’Oglio’s Montpellier take on Jorge Sampaoli’s Marseille on the opening weekend of the French Ligue 1 season. Sunday night’s encounter may be taking place at the Stade de la Mosson in Occitanie, but the Phocaeans are the bookies’ favourites to leave with all three points. Can Marseille kick off the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season with a win on the road? Keep reading for the latest and greatest betting odds and tips.
Table of Contents
Montpellier Preview – Can Dall-Oglio start with a surprise win?
Montpellier have been consistent over the last few years, securing several successive top-half finishes. Under Michel Der Zakarian, who left for Brest this June, Montpellier finished eighth and reached the last 16 of both domestic cup competitions last term. Overall, they won 14, lost 12 and drew 12.
After numerous mid-table finishes, can Montpellier kick on and secure a European place this season? Olivier Dall-Oglio has swapped Brest with Der Zakarian, which has the potential to work out well for both parties. At the time of writing, Montpellier are 18/1 outsiders to sneak into the top three.
Montpellier have a tough start, as they face champions Lille on matchday four with games against Reims and Lorient sandwiched in between. Before September is out, they also take on Paris Saint-Germain in Paris. Can La Paillade get off to winning start this Sunday?
Marseille Preview – Three points on the road for the Olympians?
In a turbulent 2020-21 season at the Stade Velodrome, Marseille missed out on UEFA Champions League football after finishing in fifth. Throughout the campaign, Andre Villas-Boas, Nasser Larguet and Jorge Sampaoli were in charge at one time or another. Sampaoli took over in February and made the Olympians tough to beat for the remainder of the season.
It was a strange Ligue 1 last time around, with Lille pipping PSG to the title, while Monaco went close in third. Paris are the red-hot favourites to get their hands back on the trophy, but only Lyon, Monaco and Lille are available at shorter odds than Marseille. Will they have a successful year under Sampaoli?
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With tough games on the horizon, Marseille would love to get their league season up and running with three points on their travels on Sunday. The away victory is priced at 5/4.
Montpellier vs Marseille Betting Advice
When these two teams last met, the duo played out a six-goal thriller at the Stade de la Mosson back in April. Marseille fell behind in the first minute, led twice, then conceded in injury time to gift Montpellier a point.
In the game at the Stade Velodrome earlier in the season, the Olympians ran out 3-1 winners on home turf. Nemanja Radonjic, Dimitri Payet and Valere Germain got the goals in that one.
Key Facts – Montpellier vs Marseille Betting Tip
- Montpellier have won just one of the last eight meetings
- Marseille finished only six points ahead of Montpellier last season
- There were ten goals scored across last term’s two league meetings between the pair
Both teams will be desperate to start their campaigns with three points in this one. However, we can see them playing out another entertaining draw at the Stade de la Mosson. The draw and both teams to score is available at 10/3.
Gaetan Laborde netted twice when the teams last met, with his opener coming in the first minute of the game. You can get Montpellier’s No. 10 at 13/2 to open the scoring on Sunday.
The best betting odds for Montpellier vs Marseille
Montpellier to win: 11/5 at Bet365
Draw: 12/5 at Bet365
Marseille to win: 5/4 at Bet365
