Ligue 1 Betting: Double up on Lyon and Marseille to make a profit

French Football / James Eastham / 04 March 2010 / Leave a Comment

Lisandro Lopez (no. 9) has settled in well at Lyon following his move from FC Porto last summer and is their top league scorer

Recommended bets: Back Grenoble v Le Mans over 2.5 goals @ 2.64; back Lyon to win at Boulogne and Marseille to beat Lorient in a win double @ 2.23.

Lyon and Marseille are the best sides in France's top flight at the moment, which is why they ought to win comfortably against lowly opposition this weekend, writes James Eastham. Best bet: Lyon and Marseille in a win double @ [2.23].

Grenoble v Le Mans over 2.5 goals (Sunday, 4pm UK time)

Will Grenoble finish the season with a flourish despite the fact they're almost certainly doomed to relegation (13pts adrift of safety with only 12 games to go)?

There were signs of fighting spirit in their unexpected 2-0 win at Nancy last weekend, which was only their third victory in 26 league games so far. And it was no surprise that Yoric Ravet, who scored both goals, has missed almost the entire season through injury. The 20-year-old winger played with the attitude and enthusiasm of someone delighted simply to be out on the pitch rather than wearing the look of a man wearied by the travails of a relegation battle.

Le Mans need the points more than doomed Grenoble, though, as they actually have a realistic chance of avoiding the drop. They lie six points behind 17th-placed Nice and have a game in hand after their match against league leaders Bordeaux was postponed because of high winds last weekend. Having not played for a fortnight, Le Mans may be a bit rusty in the early stages - but once they get into their stride, I expect goals to occur at both ends: 15 of Le Mans' 25 (60%) matches have had over 2.5 goals.

Both sides have to play for all three points and, given that the the two teams have kept just seven clean sheets in 51 games between them, the likelihood of lots of goalmouth action is high. The price on over 2.5 goals is too big, so take the generous odds.

Lyon to win at Boulogne (Saturday, 6pm) and Marseille to beat Lorient (Sunday, 4pm) in a win double

Lyon lost their status as title favourites to Bordeaux when their form started to falter last October, but a resurgence since the turn of the year means they cannot be totally ruled out of the championship race.

Lyon have won six and drawn one of seven league games in 2010, which is the best set of results of any Ligue 1 side. France number one Hugo Lloris has rightly won plaudits for an exceptional streak of goalkeeping - it's 530 minutes since he conceded a goal in any competition - but the attackers deserve equal praise. Left-winger Michel Bastos (who played at left-back for Brazil against Republic of Ireland at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night) scored a hat-trick against Sochaux a fortnight ago while Argentina international Lisandro Lopez's opener in a 2-0 win over Nice last weekend took his league tally of goals to 11 in just 19 starts.

Boulogne have taken just one point from a possible 18 and are without a win in 11 games. Despite a transfer-window splurge on strikers, they have scored just two goals in eight games, and coach Laurent Guyot's comments after their 1-0 defeat at Monaco last weekend suggested he has thrown in the towel (Boulogne are now 10pts from safety). Lyon should win comfortably at Stade de Gerland despite having one eye on next Wednesday's Champions League last 16 second leg fixture against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu.

Marseille's form is almost as impressive as Lyon's: they've won five and drawn one of their last six league games, which is why I still consider them the value selection in the Ligue 1 outright betting (I've already recommended them at [5.0]; they're trading at [6.2] at the moment).

The reason I fancy Marseille so strongly this weekend is because visitors Lorient have nothing to play for. The players are still angry about their French League cup semi-final elimination against Bordeaux (1-4) a fortnight ago, when the referee controversially sent off Laurent Koscielny, one of their centre-halves, when Lorient led 1-0. With little to play for in the league, one or two players have admitted they're struggling to remain motivated.

Lyon are [1.5] to beat Boulogne and Marseille [1.5] to beat Lorient. I recommend you put the pair in a double, which pays out at [2.23].

* James Eastham has made 15.75pts profit (after 5% commission) from 76pts staked (20.7% ROI) on French clubs in all competitions this season