Ligue 1 Betting: Leaders Lyon set to triumph again

Lyon players mob Steed Malbranque after his goal v Marseille

James Eastham sees Remi Garde's side as potential title challengers and believes they are a good bet to collect three points against Montpellier on Saturday afternoon.

Lyon v Montpellier (1st v 12th) Sat, 16:00 GMT
Is this a match between last season's and this season's Ligue 1 champions? It would take an almighty effort for Lyon to deprive PSG of the crown, but Remi Garde's side look like the capital club's main rivals. They beat Marseille 4-1 on Wednesday night without Lisandro Lopez and Yoann Gourcuff, and Brazilian Michel Bastos was a substitute. That tells you how much attacking quality there is in this team.

Montpellier are a shadow of the team that clinched the title last May. Without Olivier Giroud, their attack lacks a focal point, and out-of-form playmaker Younes Belhanda was booed by his own supporters last weekend. France U21 star Remi Cabella is a weekly inspiration, but may not be enough here. Lyon are my selection.

Evian v Nancy ( 17th v 20th) Sat, 19:00 GMT
Having watched both teams recently, Evian look too short. They may be ahead of Nancy in the league standings, but there's little difference in quality between the sides. Both are inconsistent at the back and give the ball away too much in midfield, although I'd argue Nancy have slightly better scoring potential than Evian, with former Monaco striker Djamel Bakar in excellent form.

With a draw the most likely result, and Nancy having a slightly better chance of nicking a win than the prices suggest, I'd lay the hosts at 2.166/5.

Nice v PSG (10th v 2nd) Sat, 19:00 GMT
This should be one of the weekend's most entertaining games. PSG travel to the Riviera with their full artillery of attacking talent available, and Nice are one of the division's best footballing sides. The hosts have scored at least once in each of their last 12 league games and even if they eventually lose they stand a good chance of breaching the PSG defence.

With so much attacking talent on view and two coaches that encourage their teams to get forward standing on the touchlines, this is a good odds-against, over 2.5 goals selection. 'Yes' in the Both Teams to Score? market would be a good alternative at 1.845/6.

Valenciennes v Reims (6th v 15th) Sat, 19:00 GMT
The major difference between these teams is in attack. Valenciennes are arguably Ligue 1's finest team going forward - Mathieu Dossevi, Foued Kadir and Gael Danic are wonderful, underrated players across the front line, while coach Daniel Sanchez has the luxury of three good Ligue 1 centre-forwards to pick from in Gregory Pujol, Vincent Aboubakar and Anthony Le Tallec.

Reims lack a single striker of proven Ligue 1 quality. Gaetan Courtet started the season brightly but then picked up an injury. Kamel Ghilas, Julien Toudic and Nicolas Fauvergue have it all to do at this level. Reims have scored just twice in six matches.

If Valenciennes defend properly and their strikers play anywhere near their potential the hosts have the tools to win. I recommend the Asian Handicap.

Brest v Marseille (13th v 3rd) Sun, 13:00 GMT
Marseille suffered a 4-1 home defeat against title rivals Lyon on Wednesday night. The game showed up their current limitations - at the back, Souleymane Diawara is still finding his feet after a seven-month injury lay-off, and the lack of impact and variety in attack, where Andre-Pierre Gignac is injured and Loic Remy out of form, is telling.

Brest are one of Ligue 1's improving sides. Last weekend, they were the better side at Reims (0-0). Their last home game, against Bastia, ended in a 3-0 victory. Looking at how the two sides are performing at the moment, Brest look too big at 3.65n/a. I'd back them on the Asian Handicap.

Troyes v Rennes (19th v 8th) Sun, 16:00 GMT
When these two sides faced each other in the League Cup on Thursday night, Rennes - at home on that occasion - won 2-1. From a betting point of view, the most telling statistic of the night was that both teams had scored within the opening 25 minutes.

I expect both teams to find the net in this league meeting as well, because Troyes have one of the division's weakest back fours and will almost certainly concede against one of France's best counter-attacking sides, for whom winger Romain Alessandrini is in sensational form.

Troyes' leaky defence means they will be obliged to attack. They have scored in five of their last six home games, while Rennes have conceded in six of seven on the road.

Best Bet
Valenciennes -1.0 Asian Handicap v Reims @ 2.1411/10
Other Recommended Bets
Brest +0&+0.5 Asian Handicap v Brest @ 1.9420/21
Lyon to beat Montpellier @ 1.9210/11
Lay Evian at home to Nancy @ 2.166/5
Nice v PSG Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.0421/20
Troyes v Rennes Both Teams to Score @ 1.9010/11

James Eastham has made 32.19pts profit from 388pts staked on Ligue 1 matches and outright markets since August 2008 (8.3% ROI). You can follow him on twitter: @james_eastham