Montpellier host Marseille in a French Ligue 1 clash at the Stade de la Mosson with both teams hoping to strengthen their quest for a European finish. Marseille have been hampered by a dodgy away form this season and are likely to struggle against Montpellier who often do their best work at home.
Montpellier were held to a 1-1 draw at Angers last time in Ligue 1. Stephy Mavididi gave them the lead two minutes after the restart but were pegged back midway through the second half.
Michel Der Zakarian’s men are making a late push for a continental finish and head into Saturday’s clash unbeaten in their last nine Ligue 1 matches. That run has propelled them up the table and they are now just four points behind Lens in the final Europa League spot.
Montpellier appear to be turning the Stade de la Mosson into a fortress and have won three of their last four matches there. Among their results in that run is a 2-1 victory over Rennes while they also knocked off Bordeaux 3-1.
Marseille were victorious in their last Ligue 1 fixture as they triumphed 2-0 over bottom side Dijon. Goals in each half from Leonardo Balerdi and Alvaro Gonzalez were enough to earn them the win.
Jorge Sampaoli’s men appear to be turning a corner following a run of three victories in their last four Ligue 1 matches, although all three wins have come at home. That run has put them in the mix for a European finish as they sit just one point behind fifth place Lens.
The problem for Marseille is a poor record on their travels as they are winless in their last eight away matches. They have lost the last two fixtures in that run and were beaten 3-0 by Nice in their last outing on the road.
How the bookies view it
Montpellier are priced at 18/11 by SBK to win on Saturday. A victory for Marseille is valued at 15/8 by betfair while Vbet is offering 37/15 for a draw.
With Montpellier often impressive at home and Marseille struggling on the road, I am leaning towards a home win here.
Head to head
Marseille have the upper hand in this fixture with 20 wins from 40 previous matches. Montpellier have claimed 10 victories while both teams have battled to 10 draws.
Marseille claimed a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture in January.
Players to watch
Montpellier have plenty of quality in attack with Andy Delort, Gaetan Laborde and Stephy Mavididi all among the goals this season. Bet365 has Delort at 2/1 to score anytime, Unibet has Laborde at 41/20 while also backing Mavididi at 9/4 in the same market.
Arkadiusz Milik has impressed for Marseille since joining in January and is priced at 9/5 by Unibet to score anytime. Top scorer Florian Thauvin is also worth keeping an eye on in the same market at 7/5 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been first half goals in Montpellier’s last eight home matches, so the first half is likely to be the highest scoring half at 23/10 with Paddy Power. It might also be worth a punt backing both teams to score in the first half at 18/5 with Unibet.
Montpellier could also be backed to score in both halves at 14/5 with William Hill.
This French Ligue 1 match between Montpellier and Marseille will be played on Apr 10, 2021 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Montpellier vs Marseille prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
