Ligue 1 Betting: Monaco to trip up on opening weekend

Nantes vs Monaco
Sat, 16:00 BST
Live on Betfair Live Video

Monaco will be top-three contenders this season but this game appears to have come to soon for the Principality outfit, throwing up the opportunity to oppose them.

Around 30 players have come and gone during an incredible summer of transfer activity and that means manager Leonardo Jardim has no idea what his best team is heading into the campaign.

Having fielded a weakened line-up Monaco were all over the place at times during their 4-0 Champions Trophy defeat to PSG last weekend and it's unlikely Jardim will have got his players into anything resembling winning order ahead of this game.

Star summer signing Alexander Golovin will sit the game out through injury, while key marksman Falcao is also a doubt. France World Cup winner Djibril Sidibe may be given the weekend off having only recently returned to full training, while Monaco are still coming to terms with the summer sales of Fabinho and Thomas Lemar, who have been so important over the past couple of seasons.

Nantes look primed to take advantage. New manager Miguel Cardoso has come in over the summer and reinvigorated a squad that had grown stale under his predecessor Claudio Ranieri.

The arrival of Matt Miazga (Chelsea), Lucas Evangelista (Udinese), Gabriel Boschilia (Monaco) and Majeed Waris (FC Porto) represents good business, and improves a squad that finish ninth last season.

Nantes can also count on some of the noisiest fans in France. With good support from the stands and Monaco still in the midst of a rebuilding progress, the hosts will be confident of avoiding defeat.

Rennes set to make strong start

Lille vs Rennes
Sat, 19:00 BST
Live on Betfair Live Video

It's been another chaotic summer at Lille, with the club situated in the north-eastern corner of France looking anything but ready for the opening weekend.

Financial problems mean that Lille promised to raise €90 million through player sales to balance the books, but as the Premier League transfer window slammed firmly shut on Thursday night they were some way from having met that target.

The sales of Kevin Malcuit (Napoli), Ibrahim Amadou (Sevilla), Yves Bissouma (Brighton) and Eder (Lokomotiv Moscow) have raised around £40 million, which means Lille's future remains uncertain.

They've signed Portugal defender Jose Fonte, ex-Chelsea striker Loic Remy and promising France youth internationals Jonathan Bamba and Jonathan Ikone, but manager Christophe Galtier will have his work cut out to pick through the squad and field a competitive side on Saturday night.

Rennes finished fifth last season and look a sound bet to finish in a similar position this season. Manager Sabri Lamouchi is one of the most promising in the business and Rennes' transfer activity has been ambitiously smart over the summer.

The spine of the side looks stronger thanks to the addition of Damien Da Silva (Caen), ex-Lyon schemer Clement Grenier (Guingamp) and £10.5 million striker Jordan Siebatcheu (Reims), arguably the best all-round front player in Ligue 2 last season.

Given the relative strength of the two likely starting line-ups and the events these two clubs have had to deal with over the summer, it's a minor surprise to find that Rennes are underdogs. Take advantage by backing the visitors to avoid defeat.

RECOMMENDED BETS

Nantes Draw No Bet vs Monaco @ 2.30

Rennes Draw No Bet at Lille @ 2.14