Sunday 17/08/2014, 17:00, France Ligue 1, Round 2, Marseille vs Montpellier
Marseille vs Montpellier Preview
Marseille started the regular season in disappointing fashion, after failing to win on the road against the struggling team. They now take another reading opponents, but this time they have home pitch advantage and this is why bookmakers are so optimistic about their chances of prevailing over Montpellier. The visitors lost the opening round and will try to avoid dropping back-to-back games, so their strategy at the Velodrome would be to defend for 90 min. and hope for the best.
Marseille vs Montpellier Odds
Marseille 1.55, Draw 3.70, Montpellier 6.75
Marseille vs Montpellier Tips
Once again, Marseille started as the third favorites to win the championship, although their chances are not that good, with PSG and Monaco being the top dogs. On the bright side, they have a highly offensive starting formation, with plenty of strikers that could score a bucketful of goals against mediocre opponents and Montpellier is an excellent example.
Marseille lost just once in the last 15 games and since the regular season came to a conclusion in May, they played four friendly games and won three of them. Even more impressive, is the fact that they scored an average of three goals per match while limiting opponents to one.
These statistics don't mean much when you allow three goals in the opening match against an otherwise ineffective offensive, such as Bastia. Bolstering their defenses should be a top priority for manager Bielsa, but this is not something that can be achieved overnight, so for the time being, the hosts need to score one more goal than their opponents.
Keeping a clean sheet will be difficult for Marseille, even though the visitors will only field Montano upfront, with Camara closely behind him. On a good day, they pack quite a punch and Montpellier should have enough opportunities to score, especially on the counterattack.
Key Facts
- Marseille scored an average of three goals per match over the last three months, but failed to keep a clean sheet
- The hosts have the better head to head record, but they allowed 29 goals in 27 games against Montpellier
Marseille vs Montpellier Prediction
Marseille is expected to dominate this match from one end to the other, but even so, the odds for a home win are not high enough to warrant the risks.
By comparison, punters would extract plenty of value if they are willing to take a leap of faith with Montpellier. Arguably the safest bet for this fixture is the over 2.5 goals spread, priced at even odds by Pinnacle Sports.
Bet: Over 2.5 goals @ 2.00 with Pinnacle Sports
