Saturday 09/08/2014, 21:00, France Ligue 1, Round 1, Bastia vs Marseille

Bastia vs Marseille Preview

It was obvious from the very beginning that competition will be intense in the French Ligue 1 and that PSG and Monaco will be competing for the title. Marseille was the underdog and it failed to exceed expectations, settling for the sixth place which doesn't send a team in European competitions. This year, they have the chance of bettering that result, but in order to start on the right foot they need to collect all three points on the road that Bastia.

Bastia vs Marseille Odds

At Expekt

Bastia 3.90, Draw 3.10, Marseille 2.05

Bastia vs Marseille Tips

The visitors managed to retain their most effective strikers and the season, they will rely once again on Gignac and Payet who have scored a combined 24 goals last season. Gignac was by far the most effective striker with 16 goals and both of them are expected to play upfront after pairing up together in all the friendly games played in July.

Speaking of which, Marseille was quite effective over the last three weeks and they played four friendly games, winning three out of them and scoring a total of 13 goals. Not surprisingly, all three victories were recorded at the Velodrome while they were unable to triumph on the road at Bari.

The Italians stopped them in their track by fielding a defensive starting formation and this could well be the case tonight when Marseille travels to Bastia. Without being a serious contender for the title or even a placement that insures participation in European competitions, the hosts are a hard nut to crack at home.

Last season they won 10 times at Stade Armand Cesari and drew five times, including the scoreless draw against Marseille. Their strategy for the upcoming season is virtually unchanged, with the hosts simply trying to finish among the top 10 teams. Avoiding relegation should be fairly easy for Bastia, who hase one of the strongest backlines and a decently strong midfield.

Key Facts

• Bastia didn't defeat Marseille in the last decade, but even so they have the better head to head record at home with five victories in 11 games.
• Marseille won five of the last six games and on five occasions they prevailed by the odd goal.

Bastia vs Marseille Prediction

The hosts are under no impression that they start with the first chance tonight and this is showing in their starting formation and defensive strategy. Punters can still extract a lot of value from backing Bastia to win or draw at odds of 1.80 with Expekt, but they should act quickly, before the odds drop.

Bet: Bastia or Draw @ 1.80 with Expekt