The opening day of Ligue 1 gets underway this weekend, as PSG look to regain their French top-flight title. It also promises to be an interesting season in the race for Champions League qualification, with Lyon, Marseille, and Monaco in the hunt.
Lyon vs Ajaccio
The Ligue 1 season gets underway on Friday evening, as Lyon look to make a solid start to the season when they take on newly promoted Ajaccio. Lyon endured a miserable 2021-22 season, as they finished down in eighth place, and five points off the European spots. They have certainly improved across the pitch over the summer, with Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso arriving at the club.
Ajaccio were promoted after finishing second in Ligue 2 last season and will compete in Ligue 1 for the first time since 2014 this term. They are yet to make a signing this summer, and that could mean that they may struggle throughout the season. It could be unwise to look past the hosts on opening night.
Pick: Lyon at 4/10 with BetXchange.
Strasbourg vs AS Monaco
A very interesting fixture on the opening weekend will see Monaco come up against Strasbourg. An excellent end to the campaign saw Monaco finish third last term, while Strasbourg’s disappointing form to close the campaign saw them miss out on a place in the top five. Strasbourg will need to start this campaign well once again if they are to find themselves in a position to challenge for a European place.
This season, Monaco will be looking to start much quicker, and their forward line should be boosted following the signings of Breel Embolo and Takumi Minamino. Pre-season hasn’t exactly gone well for the visitors this weekend, but we’d expect them to get off to a winning start.
Pick: AS Monaco at 33/20 with BetXchange.
Clermont Foot vs PSG
Last season’s champions will be looking to get off to the perfect start this weekend, as they look to win a second straight Ligue 1 title. Clermont Foot ended the previous campaign in very disappointing form, as they eventually finished down in 17th place and just four points clear of the relegation places.
PSG have already started life under Christophe Galtier in a winning fashion, as the Parisians captured the Trophee des Champions last weekend. It has been a relatively quiet summer for the club, with the only notable additions from last seasons squad being Nordi Mukiele, Vitinha, and Hugo Ekitike. But, they still should have more than enough to get maximum points on opening weekend.
Pick: PSG at 3/10 with BetXchange.
Toulouse vs Nice
The final game that we will look at on opening weekend comes as Toulouse makes their return to Ligue 1. After a two season away from the top-flight, they were promoted back to the French top-flight last season. They secured the league title as they finished four points clear of Ajaccio, having lost just five games throughout the season.
It promises to be a big season for Nice this year, as they look to get back into the mix for a Champions League position. They finished in the European Conference League spot last season, but have added quality with the additions of Aaron Ramsey, Alexis Beka Beka, and Rares Iie. However, we could see a happy homecoming for Toulouse this weekend.
