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Genesis is an expert on all things French football and runs an excellent Twitter channel here. There is a whole lot more to Ligue 1 than simply PSG, Messi, Mbappe and Neymar. It is increasingly becoming a highly entertaining league with a wealth of young and exciting talent.
Each week, Genesis will be sharing his inside knowledge on the happenings within French Football and Ligue 1, so you can be well equipped to spot value betting opportunities each week.
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Week 33 – Ligue 1 Betting Tips | French Football Betting
We are back around quickly with the short turnaround from GW32 to GW33! There are some seriously important matches in this game week. Last week I predicted that Rennes and Monaco would draw….Monaco ran out a surprising 3-1 winner in what was a pretty even game. I correctly predicted that Lens would best Lille against the odds. Finally, I was right that PSG v Marseille would not be the walkover for the Parisiens some predicted. Let’s take a look at some of the games from this midweek round.
Check out our mid-season review of the 2022 Ligue 1 season here
Let’s take a look at this week’s focus games for game week 33.
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BORDEAUX vs ST ETIENNE
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Having ended an 8 game winless streak against Metz last week, Bordeaux reverted to type in a 6-1 drilling by Lyon in GW 32. That famously leaky defence could not pretend to be anything else for very long! St Etienne themselves come into this game off an encouraging win against Brest but, before that, they’d lost 4-2 to Marseille and then 6-2 to Lorient. It is clear that we should expect both teams to score, and likely more than one each. Both teams are still fighting for their Ligue 1 lives having both been written off by most (me included). Bordeaux are 4 points behind St Etienne with 5 games to play after this one. Nothing is written in stone yet. It’s a tough one to predict but I’m going with a St Etienne win….the chaos at Bordeaux, likely lack of home fans gives Les Verts the advantage.
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STRASBOURG vs RENNES
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This will be fascinating. It’s a Julian Stephan revenge game. Sacked as Rennes manager with a smattering of acrimony I’d imagine the best young French manager in years will want to prove a point. This game pits Strasbourg as the league’s current draw specialists and a defensive beast against an irresistible attacking force arriving off the back of a shock defeat to Monaco. Rennes are sat pretty but vulnerable in 3rd place. Strasbourg are only three points behind in 5th. However, Rennes goal difference of +35 will keep them ahead of Strasbourg (+19 GD) even in the event of a loss. The fact that Strasbourg are unbeaten in 10 games and are at home should make them a favourite. Yet two disappointing draws against Lyon last weekend and even worse, Troyes most recently are a source of concern. Indeed, of those 10 games unbeaten 6 have been draws. Rennes’ loss to Monaco, on the other hand, was their first in the league since February 11 against PSG. Between those losses Rennes were unbeaten in 7 with 6 wins and 1 draw scoring 24 goals in the process. I think both teams will score, but it’ll remain tight. I’m going for Rennes by one goal.
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MONACO vs OGC NICE
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I’m going to enjoy this one. Monaco are finding some real form. They’re unbeaten in 5 across all competitions. That includes wins against PSG and Rennes. A win here would see Monaco leapfrog Nice into the Europa league spot or even the Champions League qualifying spot. Are they finally finding a rhythm under Clement? I keep asking the question as I am still unsure. Monaco can be scintillating at times but equally frustrating at others. Before their scraped 2-1 win at the weekend against lowly Lorient at the weekend, Nice had not won in 4 games. Galtier’s famed 442 formation was beginning to get some heat as the team stumbled. Don’t let the win at the weekend blind you from the attacking deficiencies the tactical set up is displaying. They’ve only scored 4 goals in their last 5 games. They were lucky to win against Les Merlus. And I think that Monaco could well erase the short lived joy of the weekend this coming week. Home advantage is no real advantage for Monaco as they tend to only pull in about 4000 spectators. And Nice is just down the road. However, momentum is a big factor. Nice are looking ragged after what has been an intense and difficult stretch of fixtures against the top sides in the league. And for that reason I predict that Monaco will win this. It should be a tight one though. Nice should score, Monaco are not immune from defensive brain farts. But Les Monagasques will be celebrating come final whistle.
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Thanks Gonzalo