The capital club are just 1.10 oblige in 2015/16 and it would take a brave man to oppose the Parisians who lifted a historic domestic treble last season despite failing to fire until the final few months of the campaign.
With the destination of the Ligue 1 title looking nailed on for Laurent Blanc’s men, punters are advised to look elsewhere in their hunt for ante-post value. 188BET’s Top-3 and Top-6 offer plenty of possibility and a strong alternative to the one-horse Winner market with the latter our first port of call.
LIGUE 1 – OUTRIGHT BETTING PREVIEW (07TH AUGUST 2015)
Monaco are the likeliest challengers to topple PSG and having seen over £40million coming in and out of the club, have certainly been busy during the off-season. Leonardo Jardim’s witnessed the likes of Geoffrey Kondogbia and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco leave for big money but Les Rouges et Blancs have scoured the continent for exciting young talent to bolster the ranks.
Adama Traore, Ivan Cavaleiro, Guido Carrillo, Fares Bahlouli and Mario Pasalic should all have a positive impact in the principality whilst keeping hold of the talented starlets Bernardo Silva and 19-year-old Anthony Martial was a priority. It’s a young, vibrant and talented group that should flourish under Jardim’s tutelage this campaign. Les Monegasques’ are 1.80 to finish in the Top-3 and that looks all but nailed on.
Question marks surround whether Lyon can follow up their outstanding 2014/15 campaign and Les Gones are best avoided. With the rigours of Champions League football on top of their domestic duties, Hubert Fournier’s troops are likely to be stretched. The club made retention their sole focus this summer, tying Nabil Fekir, Anthony Lopes, Corentin Tolisso, Samuel Umtiti, Jordan Ferri and Clement Grenier to new, improved contracts whilst star striker Alexandre Lacazette has stayed put.
Claudio Beauvue’s arrival should take some pressure of Lacazette’s shoulders but Fournier’s been scathing in the press about Lyon’s sloppy pre-season preparations while rumours of unrest in the dressing room are growing. Les Gones just aren’t worth trusting at 1.90 to finish in the Champions League qualifying places in their current position.
Marseille topped the table for the majority of the first half of the season before tailing of emphatically. Marcelo Bielsa’s high-pressing, high-tempo style worked wonders before the squad ran out of gas and OM were forced to let go a batch of big name stars in the summer. In all, 43 of the 76 goals scored by Marseille in 2014/15 have now left Stade Velodrome and therefore 3.50 looks unbackable.
St Etienne (4.50) confounded the pre-season predictions yet again to come within a whisker of the top-three last term but the loss of Max Gradel is likely to hit Christophe Galtier’s men hard. Les Verts are desperately short of attacking inspiration and should settle for a place in the Europa League.
We can also put a big black mark through Lille’s prospects. Les Dogues have lost their standout youngster Adama Traore, their star midfielder Idrissa Gueye, their most potent forward Nolan Roux, their outstanding centre-half Simon Kjaer and seen the loan spells of Rony Lopes and Divock Origi expire with a new man in the dugout following Herve Renard’s appointment.
If we’re looking for a potential surprise package to infiltrate that top-three, look no further than Bordeaux (5.00). Brazilian right-back Mariano may have left the building but Les Girondins look a stronger proposition than 12 months ago having a full year working under Willy Sagnol’s watch.
A promising start to Sagnol’s reign dissipated during the winter months but Clement Chantome’s arrival galvanised the team, made them stronger defensively and set in motion a number of eye-catching performances. Cheick Diabate has returned from injury and should lead an exciting front three with Diego Rolan and Whabi Khazzri – a match for the majority of Ligue 1 sides.
Last season Bordeaux failed to drop below seventh, finishing their campaign with a Europa League place in sixth. With a tightened defence, capable midfield and fearsome forward line, the 2009 champions will hope to piece the Top-3 market and are well worth a poke at 5.00. A safer play would be to back Les Girondins to finish in the Top-6 again at 2.20.
Meanwhile, the Relegation market looks tougher than ever to call. As with last season, the battle to avoid the drop could well turn out to again be the most exciting and unpredictable aspect of the league. But a bizarre ruling by French football bosses means only two sides will suffer demotion and that makes our task even tougher when searching for decent drop-zone value.
Tiny GFC Ajaccio (2.25) won promotion from Ligue 2 with the league’s lowest budget and a campaign built around an imperious home record at their atmospheric Stade Ange-Casanova stadium. Their incredible rise to the top tier from the National divisions in France is a fairy-tale story that will most likely turn sour though as they struggle to bridge the huge gap. Survival would be a remarkable achievement.
And of the rest, Bastia look most likely to dip this time around. The club is riddled with financial problems and have lost the bulk of last season’s stars. Alphonse Areola and Giovanni Sio’s loans have expired whilst Ryad Boudebouz was let go on the cheap to keep their Ligue 1 status intact.
Ghislain Printant’s troops will rely on their home form but a lack of goals coupled with a shoddy defence has the recipe for disaster. 188BET are offering 5.50 on Les Blues ending their four-year stay in the top tier when May rolls around and that’s certainly of interest.
Finally, the Top Goalscorer market makes Zlatan Ibrahimovic the hot 1.70 favourite but having missed out on the top honour last season, age and injuries are catching up on the Swede and he’s best off deserted. Edison Cavani even trumped Zlatan as PSG’s top striker last term and is a wiser alternative at 8.00 – the Uruguayan marksman is likely to be used as the Parisians central striker more often this season, which should work in his favour.
However, there is a 41.00 shot worth sharing. Monaco’s Anthony Martial made an excellent breakthrough into the principality’s first XI, netting eight league goals in 2014/15 from a wide starting berth. Martial is more than likely to be handed the lead striking role this time around and with the extra creativity in the Les Rouges et Blancs ranks plus the impression that Jardim is looking to be more clinical in the final third, the France U21 striker should benefit.
Premier League clubs have been watching Martial’s progress at Monaco and should he continue where he left off from last season, the 41.00 quotes may look hugely generous when the end of season awards are being handed out.
Odds correct at time of writing - 188BET
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