Ligue 1 Betting: Lyon the smart bet to continue thrilling charge up the table

Exciting attacker Nabil Fekir is part of an improving Lyon side

On a superb run of eight winners from his last 11 Ligue 1 recommendations, James Eastham picks out this weekend's smartest bets from the French top tier and takes a look at the title odds...

Ligue 1 title analysis

Regular readers may recall that before the season kicked-off we backed Marseille in the "Without PSG" market at a price of 4.03/1. That price has been smashed now - after a run of seven straight wins Marseille are now as short as 1.041/25 - and some observers are wondering whether l'OM may actually end up challenging PSG for the title.

PSG remain short odds-on favourites to lift a third consecutive crown - they're 1.282/7- but they continue to stumble: a fortnight ago they conceded an injury-time equaliser against Monaco (1-1), which means going into this weekend's games they trail Marseille by seven points. Not an insurmountable gap, obviously - but it's worth remembering Marseille don't have the distraction of European football so can focus all their energies on domestic affairs.

We'll monitor the odds, and if and when PSG reach a price worth backing in the outright market, we'll let you know. 

This weekend's games:

Metz v Rennes (9th v 12th)
Sat, 19:00 BST

Team news is the main reason I'm happy opposing Metz this weekend. Albert Cartier's side have made an excellent start in Ligue 1 following promotion last May but will be below-strength at Stade Saint Symphorien on Saturday night.

Four-goal top scorer Juan Falcon has been ruled out after picking up an injury on international duty for Venezuela. That's a serious blow as he's developed into a talismanic figure in attack. Experienced midfielder Romain Rocchi has been out for several weeks and the team is starting to feel the strain without him in the middle of the pitch. This weekend right-back Romain Metanire is missing as well - and, while Metz have an excellent understudy in Jonathan Rivierez, picked up on a free transfer from Le Havre over the summer, Metanire's understanding with the other members of the back four will be missed.

On their day Rennes are one of Ligue 1's most devastating counter-attacking sides. Winger Paul-Georges Ntep's individualistic approach can frustrate, but his pace and skill make him exciting to watch and his stats are excellent (four goals at a rate of a goal every 156 minutes).

With our tip, you'll get your stakes back if the game ends in a draw and make a profit if Rennes win.

Recommended Bet
Back Rennes Draw No Bet @ 2.166/5

Lyon v Montpellier (6th v 7th)
Sun, 20:00 BST
Live on BT Sport 2

Lyon started the season poorly but that was because they had an incredibly long list of injuries and suspensions. Since the team has started to get back to something approaching full strength results and performances have improved, culminating in a 3-0 win over Lille a fortnight ago in which Alexandre Lacazette scored a hat-trick.

Lyon should be too strong for a hard-working and well-organised but limited Montpellier. The visitors' preparations for the game have been disrupted, too - flooding in Languedoc-Roussillon has rendered their training pitch and stadium unusable, which is why this fixture - originally scheduled for Montpelier - has been switched to Lyon. Coach Rolland Courbis has tried to keep his players' minds on the game but uncertainty over where Montpellier will train and play home matches in the coming months has been an unwanted distraction.

Lyon's odds have crept in all week - they were 1.910/11 when I first noted the prices, and will go off shorter than that - but at anything better than 1.758/11, I'd back them.

Recommended Bet
Back Lyon to win @ 1.824/5

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

Staked: 29pts
Returned: 33.04pts
P/L: +4.04pts