Ligue 1 Betting: Why warring Bielsa can lead his revamped Marseille to another thrilling victory

Bielsa has made headlines for off-field arguments this month

The fiery Argentinian boss has fallen out with his superiors but Marseille are still a good bet this weekend, writes James Eastham...

St Etienne v Caen (8th v 9th)
Sat, 19:00 BST

Don't let St Etienne's 5-0 defeat at PSG a fortnight ago put you off backing them this weekend. Two things must be taken into account when assessing that defeat - first, St Etienne goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier made a huge error to gift PSG their opening goal after St Etienne had actually played well in the opening 23 minutes; and second, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, scorer of a hat-trick that day, is so much better than every other player in France that results recorded when playing against him ought to be considered outliers.

St Etienne have the quality and mental strength to bounce back from that heavy loss. They will be able to count on tremendous support as their fans are totally behind coach Christophe Galtier and his players. Caen have failed to score in two of their last three games and influential midfielder Ngolo Kante is suspended.

If the 1.738/11 on St Etienne winning is too short, back them -0.5&-1.0 Asian Handicap. With the Asian Handicap wager you'll make a small profit if St Etienne win by a single goal and a bigger profit if the hosts win by two goals or more.

Recommended Bet
St Etienne -0.5&-1.0 Asian Handicap @ 1.9520/21

Guingamp v Bordeaux (18th v 1st)
Sun, 16:00 BST
Live on BT Sport 2

The season is only four games old but Bordeaux are already a breath of fresh air. New manager Willy Sagnol has introduced a style of play rarely seen in France - a high-intensity, high-pressing football that sees Bordeaux take the game to their opponents rather than indulging in the cat-and-mouse nothingness that characterises the opening 20 minutes of so many Ligue 1 games.

It's working: with three wins and a draw Bordeaux are top of the table and look capable of mounting a prolonged top-six challenge. So it's surprising they're as big as 2.915/8 to win this weekend. Guingamp narrowly escaped relegation last season and are likely to be a bottom-six side this season. There are injury concerns in midfield (first-choice duo Lionel Mathis and Younousse Sankhare are doubts at the time of writing) and last season's 11-goal top scorer Mustapha Yatabare left for Trabzonspor hours before the transfer window shut.

The visitors are too big based on how the two teams have played and the team news going into the game. Either back Bordeaux to win or Draw No Bet.

Recommended Bet:
Bordeaux Draw No Bet @ 2.01/1

Evian v Marseille (20th v 4th)
Sun, 20:00 BST
Live on BT Sport 2

A civil war has been waging in the corridors of power at Marseille over the past fortnight, but while volcanic manager Marcelo Bielsa erupts in the face of club president Vincent Labrune over what he sees as the failures of the summer transfer market, events on the pitch are actually turning out rather well. There are signs that Marseille's young, impressionable players are beginning to understand what Bielsa demands of them, and the way Marseille ripped apart Nice (4-0 win) a fortnight ago suggests there could be some thrilling football for OM followers to feast on in the weeks ahead.

Evian are one of Ligue 1's weakest sides. They have failed to score in three of their opening four games and their ideal starting XI contains several players performing really poorly at the moment so it's hard to see how they stop the Marseille juggernaut that has clicked into gear. Either back Marseille to win or -0&-0.25 Asian Handicap. With the Asian Handicap selection half your stakes will be returned if the game ends all-square.

Recommended Bet
Marseille @ 2.25n/a

2014-15 P/L (1pt per bet)

Staked: 12pts
Returned: 10.96pts
P/L: -1.04pts