Ligue 1 Betting: Marseille can bounce back from nightmare week and beat Lens

Andre-Pierre Gignac should lead the Marseille attack on Sunday

Marcelo Bielsa's side face their first stiff test of the season this weekend - and should come through in style, while St Etienne's visit to Lille will be a tight encounter, says Ligue 1 man James Eastham...

Lille v St Etienne (11th v 4th)
Sat, 19:00 GMT

Lille may have finished third last season but scoring goals was never their strong point, and they're more limited than ever in front of goal now. The summer sale of Salomon Kalou to Hertha Berlin has robbed the team of good movement and the ability to nick a goal without necessarily playing well or dominating games.

St Etienne have also had scoring problems. Their best striker is Turkey international Mevlut Erding and when he was recently sidelined by injury for a month understudy Ricky van Wolfswinkel failed to impress. Les Verts have been a little more successful in front of goal than their opponents this weekend, scoring 11 goals to Lille's eight, but the fact these two sides between them have averaged just 0.86 goals a game tells you everything you need to know.

Throw in the fact two of Ligue 1's best goalkeepers and central defensive partnerships will be on show - Vincent Enyeama, Simon Kjaer and Marko Basa for Lille, Stephane Ruffier, Moustapha Bayal Sall and Loic Perrin - and under goals becomes a strong selection. The price of 1.548/15 may look and feel a little too short, but statistically speaking it offers some value: 29/34 (85%) games involving these two sides in all competitions have featured under 2.5 goals, and 85% expressed as odds would be closer to 1.21/5. For that reason, Unders is the selection.

Recommended Bet
Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.548/15

Marseille v Lens (1st v 16th)
Sun, 20:00 GMT
Live on BT Sport 2

Lens produced one of the most remarkable performances of the season last weekend: with a team featuring six players under the age of 21, three of whom were making their first-ever starts in the first-team, the Sang et Or went to Toulouse, defended magnificently and nicked a 2-0 win.

Having been stung by that Lens victory - we were on Toulouse - I'm slightly reluctant to oppose Antoine Kombouare's side again but I expect them to endure a far more difficult evening at Stade Velodrome on Sunday.

It's been a challenging week for Marseille: their eight-game winning streak ended when they lost 1-0 at Lyon in the league last weekend and they suffered a second consecutive defeat when they conceded an injury-time winner and lost 2-1 at Rennes in the League Cup on Wednesday night. This is the first serious test of character Marcelo Bielsa's side have faced this season - but given the energy, drive and attacking commitment of the team I expect it to be a test Marseille overcome.

Lens will have a bit more experience in their team this weekend - centre-back Ahmed Kantari and central midfielder Jerome Le Moigne return from the suspensions that kept them out at Toulouse - but there will still be a callow edge to the starting XI. Playing in front of 50,000+ fans at the revamped Velodrome can be an inspiring experience, but it can also petrify and intimidate. For some of Lens' youngsters this game may have come a little too soon.

As you'd expect, leaders Marseille are a short price (1.330/100) to collect all 3pts. With our Asian handicap wager, you'll make a profit as long as the hosts win by two goals or more (for a rundown on how Asian handicap betting works, click here).

Recommended bet
Marseille -1.5&-2.0 Asian handicap @ 2.05n/a

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

Staked: 34pts
Returned: 35.86pts
P/L: +1.86pts