Ligue 1 Betting: Falcao the man to revive Monaco's flagging fortunes

Monaco v Caen (2nd v 8th)
Sat, 16:00 BST
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Monaco are a risky bet at the moment but there's a good chance they'll rebound from some poor results against a weak Caen side this weekend.

The Ligue 1 champions are simply not as strong as last season following the summer sales of Benjamin Mendy, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Bernardo Silva and Kylian Mbappe. Although 2nd in the table they're 6pts behind leaders PSG and have lost twice in the past week - 3-2 at Lyon last Friday night and then 2-1 at home to Besiktas in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

There's no sign of Monaco losing focus or determination yet, however, so they ought to be fired-up to collect 3pts this weekend. And Caen are moderate visitors - they lost 2-0 at home to Angers last weekend, and their best striker, Ivan Santini, may be absent for the second week running.

Monaco still have considerable firepower - Radamel Falcao has scored once every 55 minutes in France's top flight this season - so the hosts are a reasonable selection to win by a couple of goals against limited opponents.

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

Recommended Bet
Monaco -1.5 Asian Handicap @ 2.10

Amiens v Bordeaux (17th v 7th)
Sat, 19:00 BST
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This is Amiens' first-ever season in Ligue 1 and they're struggling to adapt to top-flight football.

The Picardie club have lost six of their opening eight games, including their last three. Their main problems are in attack - Amiens have failed to score in six of eight matches,with first-choice strike duo Gael Kakuta and Moussa Konate having little impact in the final third.

Bordeaux lack a cutting edge in attack at times, too, and this is costing them points. Last week was a fine example: they dominated their second-half against Nantes but couldn't add to their 47th-minute goal and the game ended 1-1.

Against more limited opposition, however, Bordeaux stand a better chance of winning. As long as they defend properly against toothless hosts, they ought to collect all 3pts. A further factor in favour of Bordeaux is that this game will take place at the neutral venue of Le Havre, thereby reducing the number of Amiens fans that will attend, and Amiens' home advantage.

Bordeaux are 1.68 to win so we prefer the visitors on the Asian Handicap.

Recommended Bet
Bordeaux -0.5&-1.0 Asian Handicap @ 1.90

Troyes v Lyon (12th v 6th)
Sun, 16:00 BST
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Lyon's fiery 2-1 Europa League win at Everton on Thursday night was the latest sign that Bruno Genesio's side have finally run into form.

They'd already played terrific attacking football against Monaco last Friday, beating the Ligue 1 champions 3-2, and the win at Goodison Park showcased Lyon's tremendous attacking potential in similar style. Captain Nabil Fekir (an injury doubt this weekend) is one of Ligue 1's finest attacking individuals and the supporting cast are playing effectively right now.

Troyes have 12pts from nine games but their performances have not been as good as that tally suggests. They needed an injury-time penalty to claim a barely-deserved point at Lille (2-2) last weekend and have also picked up points against the run of play at Metz (1-0) in the past month.

If Lyon perform with the same energy and quality as they have in their last two outings they should collect all 3pts. They're short odds to win (1.67) so we prefer the Asian Handicap.

Recommended Bet
Lyon -0.5&-1.0 Asian Handicap @ 1.90