Ligue 1 Tips: Back Monaco and Rennes to win big this weekend

• Monaco set to outscore Le Havre

• Lorient's odds too big to ignore

• More misery in store for Lyon

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Le Havre vs Monaco - Sat, 20:00

Monaco's performance level this season suggests they should win this game with little difficulty. Heading into this weekend's fixtures the Principality outfit sit second in the league table and they boast the quality to easily defeat more limited opposition.

Under manager Adi Hutter, who took over in the summer, Monaco have played bold, positive football. Their priority is to attack openly and look to outscore the opposition, rather than focusing on narrow victories.

Monaco are the division's second-highest scorers, and their talent up front alone (Folarin Balogun, Wissam Ben Yedder, Takumi Minamino, in-form youngster Maghnes Akliouche) should ensure they collect all three points.

Le Havre's record so far this season is a respectable W3-D5-L3 but they haven't played as well as those stats suggests. Last weekend, for example, they were lucky to win 2-1 at Toulouse. There's no reason to believe they'll be able live with Monaco this weekend.

The visitors are 1.84/5 to win, and we're more than happy to back them at those odds. Those looking for a bigger price on the visitors should consider backing Monaco with a -0.5 & -1.0 start on the Asian Handicap at 2.001/1

Clermont vs Lorient - Sun, 14:00

Clermont are far too short to win at home to Lorient this weekend. The hosts are 2.245/4, while the visitors are 3.65, and The Draw is 3.412/5.

Clermont's favouritism makes no sense. They're 17th out of 18 teams in the league table and have collected just 0.6 points per game from their 10 matches to date. Lorient are two places and five points above Clermont in the standings, and have collected 1.00 points per game.

Given how short their odds are, you might suspect Clermont are strong at home, but the opposite is true: their record at their Stade Gabriel-Montpied this season is a dreadful W0-D1-L4. Lorient are far from outstanding themselves, but taking all factors into account, they stand a better chance of avoiding defeat this weekend than the market suggests.

Consider laying Clermont at 2.285/4. Alternatively, either support Lorient on the Draw No Bet market, or back Lorient with a small start on the Asian Handicap. With all three of these selections, you'll either get your stakes back or make a profit if the game ends in a draw, and make a profit if Lorient win.

Rennes vs Lyon - Sun, 16:05

An excellent midweek European performance from Rennes is the reason why the hosts should beat an out-of-form Lyon on Sunday afternoon.

Rennes ran out 3-1 winners at home to Panathinaikos on Thursday night. The win was all the more impressive because they played with only 10 men for an hour after teenage defender Jeanuel Belocian was sent off. Rather than sitting back, however, they continued to attack determinedly, turning the 1-1 HT scoreline into a fully deserved 3-1 triumph.

Manager Bruno Genesio hopes the victory will be a turning point for his under-performing players. On paper, Rennes have the quality to challenge for a Ligue 1 top-three position. Instead, they're sitting in mid-table, but it's only a matter of time before they start to fulfil their potential.

After that midweek win Rennes will relish the prospect of playing in front of another sell-out home crowd, and they couldn't ask for better opponents to face than Lyon. Fabio Grosso's visitors produced the latest in a string of dismal performances vs Metz (0-0 at home) last weekend. With a third of the season played, Lyon are bottom of the Ligue 1 standings, and still without a win (W0-D4-L6).

Rennes may be odds-on to win but the price of 1.774/5 on the hosts actually looks too short, given the relative form and potential of these two sides. Either back Rennes on the Match Odds market, or support the hosts on the Asian Handicap market. With our selection, you'll make a small profit if Rennes win by a single goal, and a bigger profit if they win by two or more goals.

Read Jamie Kemp's Spanish La Liga preview here.

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