Ligue 1 Betting: Another PSG late show to steal the points

Troyes v Montpellier (15th v 17th)
Sat, 19:00 BST

The price of 1.80 on Under 2.5 Goals is surprising given how these two teams have played so far this season.

Troyes' five matches have averaged 1.8 goals a game, with only two of their five fixtures featuring three goals or more. Montpellier's five matches have averaged 1.6 goals a game, with only one of their five fixtures featuring three goals or more.

Montpellier are winless since the opening day of the season (W0-D1-L3) and would be happy with a draw here. That suggests they'll look to shut this game down. Manager Michel Der Zakarian is a pragmatist at the best of times and may take an even more cautious approach than usual to secure a point this weekend.

There are also doubts over the finishing ability of players on both sides. Troyes' top striker Adama Niane netted 23 times en route to promotion last season but has yet to adapt to Ligue 1 level and will be a lot less prolific this season. Montpellier's squad lacks a 10-goal-a-season striker, a major flaw in their make-up.

Recommended Bet
Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.80

Rennes v Nice (14th v 11th)
Sun, 16:00 BST
Live on BT Sport 3

This should be an absorbing and entertaining encounter between two sides that head into the game in fantastic form.

Rennes clinched their first win of the season with an impressive performance at Marseille (3-1) last weekend. They comprehensively outplayed their hosts, with debutant Wahbi Khazri scoring a second-minute opener and Rennes dominating the game from that point onwards.

On the back of that win the Bretons will enter this game full of confidence, and are certain to trouble the Nice back four.

Yet the visitors are the more appealing selection. Nice are 3.30 underdogs, which makes little sense given how they've performed over the past seven days.

They were spectacular in beating local rivals and defending Ligue 1 champions Monaco 4-0 last weekend, and followed up with a 5-1 win at Belgian side Zulte Waregem in the Europa League on Thursday night.

After a relentlessly draining transfer window that saw several players come and go and others (e.g. Jean-Michel Seri) involved in distracting transfer sagas, the squad is finally settling down and a revamped but highly effective starting line-up, with the potential to challenge for a second consecutive top-three finish, is beginning to emerge.

Rennes will be dangerous opponents but it would be a surprise to see Nice lose given how they've played over the past week and their strong Ligue 1 pedigree over the past 12 months.

For a full guide to Asian Handicap betting, click here.

Recommended Bet
Nice +0&+0.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.90

PSG v Lyon (1st v 3rd)
Sun, 20:00 BST
Live on BT Sport 1

PSG are providing some sensational entertainment in Ligue 1 but the question for bettors is how to make the runaway title favourites pay.

Unai Emery's hosts are as short as 1.18 to collect all three points this weekend and those odds are entirely justified given the manner in which PSG have blown away the opposition in all games this season.

PSG have won seven out of seven fixtures in all competitions, scoring 26 times and conceding just four times. All seven of their victories have come by at least a two-goal margin. A three-goal (or bigger) margin of victory has occurred five times, including twice in the past week or so (5-1 at Metz last weekend, 5-0 at Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday night).

One clear trend in the opening weeks of the season is that PSG are far more prolific in front of goal in the second-halves of games.

Of the 19 Ligue 1 goals they've scored, 15 have come after the interval (79%), with just four (21%) netted in the opening 45 minutes of matches. Four of their five games have had more goals in the first-half than in the second-half.

This is partly down to the way PSG and their opponents play: while Neymar and co. dominate possession from the start of matches, the opposition focus almost exclusively on putting up resistance, and do so successfully for some time, only to eventually be ground down by PSG's relentlessly superior technical skills.

Given how their games have unfolded to date, backing the 2nd half to have most goals looks the smart play.

Recommended Bet
2nd Half in Half With Most Goals market @ 1.90