Nimes Vs Paris Saint-Germain
Nimes Vs Paris Saint-Germain Friday 16 October 2020 – 20:00 kick-off
French Ligue 1
Pick: Under 3.5 Goals
Odds: 19/20
Bookmaker: PaddyPower
(All betting odds displayed correct at time of writing: 13 October 2020)
Preview: Four days before welcoming Manchester United to Paris for the return of the Champions League group stage, PSG must take care of matters domestically. The Ligue 1 champions’ first game back is at Stade des Costieres versus Nimes.
French Ligue 1 Betting at Bet365
Table of Contents
Nimes Preview – Les Crocs seeking another underdog victory?
After racing out of the Ligue 1 starting gates with a rousing performance in a 4-0 home success over Brest, it would require a further five matches before Nimes would get their noses in front once again. That it came via a 1-0 win away to Montpellier, who were unbeaten in four at the time having won all three home matches, took pretty much everyone by surprise bearing in mind they were rated as 4/1 outsiders.
Since the start of last season Les Crocodiles have managed to string multiple wins together only once, when winning four on the spin in February shortly before football in the country was suspended. They are a streaky team who tend to perform in fits and spurts. So it will be a remarkable achievement should they record back-to-back victories at the expense of Ligue 1 powerhouse PSG.
Indeed, three points on Friday would be nothing short of astonishing. Not only were PSG in scintillating form prior to the break, but Nimes’ last and only Ligue victory over the Parisiens dates back to 1992 when securing a 3-2 scoreline in Paris. They’ve never even taken a point as the home side (L3), losing this fixture 4-2 in 2018-19. Though they did lean heavily on their form at home last term (W6 D2 L6).
PSG Preview – Mbappe set to take center stage yet again?
The timing of the international break was hardly ideal from a PSG perspective. Four consecutive Ligue 1 victories – the first three of those were all achieved without conceding a single goal, before thumping Angers 6-1 at the Parc des Princes – went some way to atoning for losing their first two games. The reigning French champions returning to sparkling form just as domestic football embarked on a hiatus.
Thomas Tuchel, the PSG boss, will certainly be hoping his players can pick up where they left off a fortnight ago. It was no coincidence that their results dramatically improved once they started getting key first-team members back available and up to speed, with those opening defeats largely due to missing too many key figures. Chief among them was Kylian Mbappe.
However, Mbappe has done his utmost to make up for the lost time, contributing two goals and three assists across PSG’s previous three Ligue 1 games. The gifted 21-year-old also has a tendency of making his presence felt in this particular fixture, having netted four times in three appearances versus Nimes, against whom he has received two yellow cards and was dismissed on PSG’s last visit to Stade des Costieres.
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Nimes Vs PSG Betting Advice
Thomas Tuchel endured a rocky start to this Ligue 1 season but would have been encouraged by the four straight wins, scoring 12 times altogether for the loss of only one goal, that his team produced prior to the international break. Furthermore, the PSG cause upon the resumption is aided by such a generous fixture, having won all three recent meetings with Nimes by a 10-2 aggregate.
Nimes Vs PSG – Key Facts
- In 2019-20 in Ligue 1, Nimes earned six of seven victories in home fixtures (W6 D2 L6). This season meanwhile has seen them record one win in three home outings (W1 D1 L1).
- Just one of the last eight teams to have hosted PSG in Ligue 1 has scored inside the first half (W6 D1 L1). They are two wins from three away league games this season (W2 L1).
- PSG have only failed to beat Nimes in one of the pair’s eight previous Ligue 1 meetings, with Les Parisiens 4-2 victors on their most recent visit to Stade des Costieres (2-4 in Sept 2018).
Some confidence was restored in the Nimes dressing room following a surprise 1-0 success in Montpellier before the break. A run of two points in four games preceded it. Moreover, this is gargantuan step up for a team which survived last term by the skin of their teeth. Defensively, though, Nimes had shown improvements, conceding one goal in their last three matches. Therefore this may not be the landslide victory for PSG that some are expecting.
Best Match Odds – Nimes Vs PSG
Nimes – 12/1 (Boylesports)
Draw – 13/2 (Betfair)
PSG – 1/4 (Unibet)
