Stade Brest Vs Marseille
Sunday 30 August 2020 – 20:00 Kick-Off
French Ligue 1
Pick: Brest or Draw (Double Chance)
Odds: 4/5
Bookmaker: PaddyPower
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 28 August 2020)
Preview: This fixture seemed destined not to go ahead, but it appears Ligue 1 have given it the green light. The pair met only once in 2019-20, which Marseille won 2-1 courtesy of some late drama inside Stade Velodrome, so now it is the turn of Brest to do the hosting at their Stade Francis-Le Ble.
French Ligue 1 Betting at 22Bet
Table of Contents
Brest Preview – Return of home comforts can aid quick recovery?
Appearing in France’s top tier for a second successive term, avoiding relegation last time around by finishing a handsome 14 points clear of relegated duo of Amiens and Toulouse, Stade Brest would inadvertently make for a rather compelling case that repeating the same trick won’t be so straightforward at the second attempt. A crushing 4-0 loss in Nimes first time out a brutal reminder of what complacency can do for any side.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t get any easier. Marseille, last season’s best of the rest in second, await on Sunday as Olivier Dall-Oglio seeks out a swift response from his beleaguered team. At least they have home comforts to nurse their wounds: in 2019-20, Brest would lose only two of fourteen Ligue 1 matches (W6 D6 L2) at their Stade Francis-Le Ble, a fine record that accounted for 71 per cent over their overall points.
Any further success on home soil will now depend on how quickly they can move on from their Nimes debacle, for which there is precedent. Brest were beaten 3-0 in Nimes on Matchday 4 of last season only to respond in emphatic terms by losing just one of the next seven league games, immediately holding third-placed Rennes at home to a goalless stalemate before frustrating a talented Lyon side there in a 2-2 draw.
Marseille Preview – L’OM out to show last term’s second was no fluke?
Kicking off their season a week later than most, Marseille will feel there is a target on their back after coming home in second place last season. Andres Villas-Boas enjoyed a hugely successful first term at the Stade Velodrome, securing the club Champions League football after winning 18 of his 24 Ligue 1 matches in charge to finish six points ahead of Rennes, in third, and 12 behind perennial champions PSG.
Bridging the gap on an irrepressible PSG, whose superiority over the rest of the competition in France seems to widen with every season, is a thankless and almost impossible task. The aim once again, therefore, will be securing a top-three finish, a feat the Infogol Expected Goals model suggests they were fortunate to achieve last time around, having been only the fifth-best team in Ligue 1 in 2019-20.
Results speak for themselves, however, and Marseille begin a second successive term under their Portuguese manager having lost only once in Ligue 1 since the end of October (W12 D4 L1). They haven’t been beaten on the road, meanwhile, in eight previous league matches (W5 D3), winning each of the the last three, and on only two occasions in the whole of 2019-20 (W8 D4 L2).
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Stade Brest Vs Marseille Betting Advice
Their only encounter in Ligue 1 last season brought about a dramatic conclusion, one we can only hope will be repeated on Sunday. An equaliser for Brest, scored two minutes before stoppage-time was announced, seemed destined to earn them an unlikely point at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome. The hosts would go straight up the other end less than a minute later and snatch a late winner, spoiling what was a valiant performance from the underdogs, who on this occasion boast the advantage of playing at home.
Stade Brest Vs Marseille – Key Facts
- A 1-0 reverse against Angers in their final home match in Ligue 1 of 2019-20 marked the first home defeat for Brest in seven such games (W3 D3 L1).
- L’OM lost only one of seventeen Ligue 1 fixtures (W12 D4 L1) from the start of November 2019 through to March 2020, when the season was curtailed; of these, eight were away from home (W5 D3).
- The teams clashed on one occasion last season, in a 2-1 victory for Marseille at their Stade Velodrome. However, Brest have lost only once as the home side in five prior meetings in Brittany (W2 D2 L1).
Last season, Brest were immense inside their stadium after losing only two of fourteen said matches, of which one was in a battling defeat to PSG, losing 2-1 to the Parisiens. So they can evidently hold their own at home. Meanwhile, Marseille would win their last three away matches. But with a later start to the season than most, and uncertainty regarding certain individuals, the hosts can potentially get something. 1-1 Draw.
Best Betting Odds – Stade Brest Vs Marseille
Stade Brest – 5/2 (PaddyPower)
Draw – 12/5 (Boylesports)
Marseille – Evens (Betfair)
