Dermo has a three Ligue 1 selections this week that amount to a tantalising 17/2 treble
Marseille’s title charge probably ended last week after being blitzed on the counter attack by PSG. Lens and Monaco will look to leapfrog them into 2nd place as OM finish the game week with a tough trip to Rennes. The champions-in-waiting welcome Nantes to Parc des Princes on Saturday evening. The first selection is a rare Friday night one for the column when Nice take on Auxerre.
Nice Vs Auxerre
Fri 3rd 20:00 GMT
After Auxerre ruined a 5pt selection last week it would be easy to think this pick is chasing losses. Having watched the game last week however, Lorient should have had the game won by halftime. Between non-existent VAR calls and missed chances, the home side beat themselves more than the visitors. After back-to-back wins in Ligue 1, the away side seem to have been over-priced. The simple line would be to choose a Nice win but I think they will win this a easily.
In Nice’s two home games against bottom 10 opposition under Didier Digard they have won 6-1 and 3-0. Given Auxerre are both a bottom 10 team (16th) and are only behind Troyes in the away goals conceded table, Les Aiglons are in a good spot to rack up a score. They have one of the best groups of forwards in Ligue 1 with established stars Moffi, Diop, Laborde and Pepe being joined by up-and-comers Brahimi and Bouanani. Nice -1 at 15/8 looks over-priced.
Lens Vs Lille
Sat 4th 16:00 GMT
Two evenly matched sidess play the early game on Saturday. Lens inability to finish teams off and Lille’s ability to score in almost every game should mean both teams to score gets over the line here.
Toulouse Vs Clermont
Sun 5th 14:00 GMT
It’s a clash of 11th Vs 12th in Haute-Garonne when Toulouse entertain Clermont. The visitors are on a 6-game winless run that includes 3 draws and 3 losses. The home side appear to be coming to terms with the demands of Ligue 1 after a slow start. When the two sides met in early September, Les Lanciers won 2-0. On that day Toulouse were toothless in attack, something that can’t be said of the current side. Thijs Dallinga is 12th in the goalscoring charts with 9 goals (13 in all comps). Les Violets have lost three home games this season. The victors in those games were PSG (1st), Monaco (3rd) and Marseille (2nd). Clermont are not of the same calibre and a home win looks on the cards in a reversal of their previous meeting.
Smart Bets
Nice to Win -1 @ 15/8 (1 pt win)
Lens Vs Lille BTTS @ 3/4 (1 pt win)
Toulouse to Win @ 4/5 (1 pt win)
Above in treble (best priced): 17/2 (2pt win)
