Predictions for the French Ligue 1: Matchday 33, May 10
Auxerre – Nantes
Auxerre is unstable and poorly motivated towards the end of the season, as the team is firmly settled in the middle of the table. However, this match will be their last home game of the current season, and they lost the previous two. They are likely to be seriously motivated to please their fans. Nantes has been performing poorly in recent rounds. They lost at home to Angers in the last match and now risk falling into the relegation zone. In away matches, the "Canaries" allow a lot of opportunities for their opponents near their goal, so it makes sense to believe in goals from the home team.
Match Prediction for Auxerre vs Nantes: Home team individual total over 1 goal
Angers – Strasbourg
Both teams won crucial matches in the last round. Angers defeated a direct competitor, Nantes (1:0), while Strasbourg beat PSG (2:1). The battle is not over for either club, but while a draw might suffice for Angers, Strasbourg needs a win to break into the top 4. The visitors look much more favorable, having only one loss in their last 19 Ligue 1 matches (13-5-1). We suggest betting on a Strasbourg victory.
Match Prediction for Angers vs Strasbourg: Away team victory
Monaco – Lyon
This match could have been even more intriguing if Lyon hadn't lost at home to Lens in the last round (1:2). Now the visitors are 3 points behind the top 4, and their chances of climbing up are slim. Monaco desperately needs a win, as their competitors are not giving them any breathing room. Although the "Monegasques" are in third place, a failure could easily drop them to 6th place. Lyon will likely come in frustrated and will be looking to attack. Both teams have often played high-scoring matches this season. Therefore, we suggest betting on a total over 2.5 goals.
Match Prediction for Monaco vs Lyon: Total over 2.5 goals
Le Havre – Marseille
Le Havre secured a crucial victory in their last away match against Auxerre, which almost guarantees their safety from direct relegation. However, dreaming of escaping the playoff zone is tough, especially with Marseille as their opponent. The "Southerners" are in second place, but if they unexpectedly lose to Le Havre, they could drop to 6th place, so they cannot afford to relax. Marseille hasn't won away in 5 matches (0-1-4), but their opponents were much tougher, so it's time to break this losing streak.
Match Prediction for Le Havre vs Marseille: Away team victory
Montpellier – PSG
Montpellier continues its preparation for the next season in Ligue 2. In the last round, the team played a fairly decent match against Brest (0:1), occasionally showing some resistance and in looked decent overall. However, it's unlikely to be the same against PSG. The "Parisians" were unbeaten in Ligue 1 but have lost twice in a row now, and before that, they drew with Nantes. A fourth consecutive slip-up for the champions seems highly unlikely, even with significant rotation after the Champions League match.
Prediction for Montpellier vs PSG: away win with a handicap (-1.5)
Brest vs Lille
Lille faces a tough and very important away game in Brest, where they haven't won in 4 matches in a row. In the last round, the "dogs" were quite fortunate – they avoided defeat against Marseille only due to a goalkeeper error by the opponent. Brest wasn't overly convincing in their home match against Montpellier (1:0). The upcoming match is difficult to predict in terms of outcome, so let's focus on a pattern in corners: Brest at home and Lille away tend to have very few corners in the first half against teams from the upper half of the table.
Prediction for Brest vs Lille: total corners in the 1st half under 4.5
Reims vs Saint-Étienne
Reims can certainly avoid direct relegation from Ligue 1, but the threat of falling into the playoff zone still looms – the gap is only 2 points. A draw would suit the hosts in this match. However, Saint-Étienne is on the brink of disaster: to avoid direct relegation, the "saints" need to beat Reims and Toulouse, hoping for slip-ups from competitors. With their recent victory over Lyon, Saint-Étienne proved they can handle any opponent, so they might well succeed in Reims.
Prediction for Reims vs Saint-Étienne: guests will not lose
Rennes vs Nice
Rennes has been unstable towards the end of the season – two wins were followed by two losses. This is largely due to a lack of tournament motivation. Nice, on the other hand, is aiming to finish in the top 4. If the "eaglets" beat Rennes and then Brest, they will likely secure a spot in the Champions League. Both teams play quite effectively – the total over 2.5 goals has been hit in 5 of their last 6 matches. This is exactly what we suggest betting on.
Prediction for Rennes vs Nice: total over 2.5 goals
Toulouse vs Lens
Both teams are left without tournament motivation at the end of the championship, which adds unpredictability to their matches. In the last round, Toulouse managed to break a 7-game winless streak with a home victory over Rennes (2:1). Lens, quite unexpectedly, defeated Lyon away (2:1), defending for most of the match. Overall, the "blood and gold" have quite good results in therecent away matches: 3 wins in 4 games – against Lyon, Brest, and Marseille. Therefore, we believe in the visitors.
