Dermo has three selections this weekend with PSG on the handicap market being the pick of the bunch
Ligue 1 returns after a break for Coupe de France.The game of the weekend is Marseille v Monaco on Saturday evening. Igor Tudor has been abrasive when compared to his predecessor but he has calmed an OM side which lost it’s cool too much last season. They could be facing the Monégasque side with a chance to leapfrog Lens into 2nd, who have a tricky trip to Troyes in the game before.
At the other of the table there are two key relegation battles taking place. Auxerre (19th) host Montpellier (15th) and Angers (20th) travel to Brest (17th). Leaders PSG entertain Reims which gives everyone a chance to see just how good Will Still’s defensive masterclass really is. In his 9 games in charge of Les Rouges et Blancs, they have only conceded 4 goals and no team has put more than 1 goal past them. Mbappé comes into the game off a record breaking 5 goal game in the Coupe de France.
Auxerre Vs Montpellier
Sun 29th 14:00 GMT
Only 1 win between the two teams in the last 10 combined games. That was by Montpellier back on December 29th at Troyes. The key to picking an away win here is that when Toulouse visited the home side, midfield maestro Branco van den Boomen was given the freedom of the park. La Paillade have their own maestro in Teji Savanier who will fancy his chances of a similar performance against the worst defence in Ligue 1.
Brest Vs Angers
Sun 29th 14:00 GMT
Time is almost up for Le SCO after a disastrous 11 game losing run. Brest on the other hand haven’t been very good this season either. However, 13 of the 15 points accumulated by Eric Roy’s side have come against those in the bottom 10 (Clermont were in the bottom 10 when they beat them 3-1 in October). The quality of Franck Honorat should be enough to lead Les Pirates to a home victory.
PSG Vs Reims
Sun 29th 19:45 GMT
Reims defensive record since Will Still has been appointed head coach has been nothing short of phenomenal. 9 games and only 4 goals conceded. As mentioned earlier, no team has put more than one goal past the side from Grand Est in that run either. The price of 4/6 on PSG -1 looks to be based off this record but the away side haven’t faced anything like Christophe Galtiers attack. Verratti is the only notable absentee for the Parisiens. It could be a while before the home side are this price with a -1 handicap for quite some time.
Smart Bets
Montpellier to Win @ 19/10 (1pt win)
Brest to Win @ 23/20 (1pt win)
PSG to Win -1 @ 4/6 (3pt win)
Above in treble (best priced): 8/1 (2pt win)