It is time for Match 23 of the Ligue 1 season. PSG opened up an eight-point gap on Marseille as the Parisians won and Marseille lost last weekend. It is getting critical for anyone wanting to run down the league leaders to put together a strong run of games as soon as possible.
Here is a look at some of the games with odds from BetXchange.
Nice VS Ajaccio – Allianz Riviera, Nice
This one is easy if you go purely by form. Nice is eighth in the league and has picked up 13 points from their last possible 15. Ajaccio sits second from the bottom and has just one win in its last five matches. Add in that this game will be played in Nice, and it is no surprise that the home side is 6/10 to win here.
Nice will also be riding on a wave of confidence after being another in-form side – Marseille – 3-1 on Saturday. It was a statement win for the side undergoing a serious revival under Didier Digard. Terem Moffi is expected to start after picking up a knock against Marseille, but Arsenal loanee Nicolas Pepe is out with a knee issue.
Ajaccio will be without fullback Ismael Diallo after his stoppage time red card for stopping a shot on goal against Nantes. Don’t overthink this and take Nice to win by a couple of goals.
Monaco VS PSG – Stade Louis II, Monaco
This is about as tough a test as PSG has left on its fixture list this season. The Parisians have picked up 10 points from their last 15 to sit top of the log, while Monaco has been even better and is undefeated – three wins and two draws – across its last five matches.
Monaco beat PSG 3-0 in this fixture last season and with the form they are in they could win again here. They are the second-best scoring team in the league behind PSG, having netted 48 times to 54 for their visits. With that in mind, don’t be afraid of backing both sides to score in this one as a prop bet. If you are going for a winner, I would shade toward the visitors, but no result here would be a shock.
Clermont Foot VS Marseille – Gabriel Montpied, Clermont
Marseille has to win to keep any sort o pressure on PSG after falling flat against Nice last time out. Clermont is stuck in mid-table, sitting 11th out of the 20 teams with 30 points. They also lost at the weekend, giving them eight points from their last 15.
This is another one not to overthink. Marseille got hit hard by a Nice team in fine form last time out, but they are simply the better team here. I expect them to find a way to win and hope to close the gap on PSG should Monaco spring a surprise.
