Monaco are seeking their first win of the new French Ligue 1 season as they travel to the Stade Yves Allainment-Le Moustoir to face Lorient. Monaco have been in fine form in preseason and should have too much for Lorient.
Lorient began their Ligue 1 campaign with a 1-1 draw against Saint-Etienne. They took the lead just after the restart through Vincent Le Goff before conceding in the second half.
It was an extension of a solid preseason campaign for Lorient where they went unbeaten in five matches. Coincidentally, it was also a continuation of their poor Ligue 1 form towards the end of last season that saw them pick up just one win in their last four matches.
The problem for manager Christophe Pelissier is a vulnerable defence that has seen them keep just one clean sheet in their last eight Ligue 1 matches. They have suffered some heavy defeats in that run, including a 4-1 loss to Lyon.
Monaco were held to a 1-1 draw by Nantes in their opening fixture in Ligue 1. They failed to build on Gelson Martins’ early opener despite dominating the possession and creating more chances and conceded the equaliser just before the break.
It is a different case in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers where Monaco progressed comfortably to the playoffs after doing the double over Czech side Sparta Prague. They claimed a 3-1 victory in the second leg on Tuesday with Gelson Martins once again on target while Aleksandr Golovin and Sofiane Diop also got on the score sheet.
Monaco had a fine away record last term and will be keen to carry that form into their first road game of the season. They are unbeaten in their last five away matches in Ligue 1, claiming four wins in that run.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Monaco as favourites with a win valued at 77/100 by Sporting Index. Lorient are considered outsiders at home at 41/10 with SBK while bet365 is offering 14/5 for a draw.
Monaco’s fine displays on the road should give them the edge here and I am backing them to claim the win.
Head to head
Monaco have a 15-5 advantage with seven draws from 27 previous matches against Lorient. They were unbeaten in this fixture last season and triumphed 5-2 in the meeting at the Stade Yves Allainment-Le Moustoir.
Players to watch
Striker Terem Moffi is still seeking his first goal of the season but was the top scorer for Lorient last term with 14 goals. He could be worth a punt in the anytime goalscorer market at 29/10 with Unibet, who are also offering 8/1 for the first goal.
Monaco have multiple attacking threats and winger Gelson Martins could be worth a punt to score anytime at 61/20 with Sporting Index having scored in his last two matches. Last season’s top scorer Wissam Ben Yedder could also be considered in the same market at 7/4 with Paddy Power as the striker seeks his first goal of the campaign.
Anything else catch the eye?
Monaco saw over 3.5 goals in their midweek Champions League fixture and could be tipped for a similar outcome at 5/2 with BetVictor. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at odds of 19/20 with Vbet.
There have been second half goals for both teams in their last two meetings and a repeat is priced at 13/5 with betfair. Monaco could also be tipped to earn a win and over 2.5 goals at 7/4 with bet365.
This French Ligue 1 match between Lorient and Monaco will be played on Aug 13, 2021 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Lorient vs Monaco prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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