The International break is behind us. Portugal, Belgium, Italy and France excited everyone with their performances. Premier League and La Liga return this weekend, while fans of Bundesliga and Serie A have to wait for another week.
French Ligue 1 has us covered for the time being. The third round of fixtures commence this Friday and it promises to be exciting. The matches are still limited and teams are have shown signs of rust, but the number of fixtures will surely entice bettors.
Paris Saint-Germain suffered a shock loss against newly promoted Lens yesterday. However, given the reigning champions lineup, the result didn’t come as a surprise.
In the other top fixture, Bordeaux welcome Olympique Lyon to the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux later today.
It promises to be a tough fixture but we have some valuable tips for you to bank over the weekend. Without much ado, let’s get straight to the action of the day, shall we?
11/09/20: Featured Match: Bordeaux vs Lyon
Preview
Olympique Lyon had their first matchday postponed due to their extended stay in the UEFA Champions League. Les Gones were abysmal by their high standards in Ligue 1 during the cut-short 2019/20 campaign but gave a good account of themselves in the elite European club competition.
They knocked out Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus and Pep Guardiola’s favorites Manchester City from the competition. In their Ligue 1 season opener, they comfortably got past relegation-threatened Dijon. Memphis Depay was their hero on the night with a hattrick.
Depay’s heroics in Champions League and Ligue have caught the attention of Barcelona. The Catalan club wants to pair him with Lionel Messi under Ronald Koeman. With Houssem Aouar and Bertrand Traore linked with moves away, Rudi Garcia will have to ensure the squad’s focus is on the fixture ahead.
However, they have a far stiffer task in their first away fixture. OL take on Bordeaux, who are in an impressive run in French top-flight football. Les Girondins have only lost on their last ten league outings (W3, D6, L1).
In their two Ligue 1 outings, they have put up solid defensive showings and are yet to concede thus far. They have not kept three clean sheets in a row for two years and this makes for an interesting match-up.
The two French giants are evenly matched in head-to-head encounters. Lyon have a slender one match win advantage with 39 wins, with 35 out of their 112 meetings ending in a draw.
Lyon to win
Both Bordeaux and Lyon suffered from consistency last season. But this is a new season and both start with a clean slate. They have begun impressively but it is these fixtures that separate the best from the rest.
Lyon will have Aouar returning to the first team and their midfield ticks more with him in the middle. Depay and Dembele should continue up front, and they can trouble anyone on their day.
Matmut Atlantique can witness an upset especially if the home side can get an early goal. Lyon will be vulnerable given the sale of Marcial to Wolves but will hope Dayot Upamecano keep things tidy at the back.
There is going to be a winner in the game as Lyon’s last ten opening trips have resulted in a result (W6, L4).
Regardless, there is enough quality in Garcia’s men to return with the three points on offer. Bet9ja have pegged OL are favorites with odds of 2.0. Bordeaux meanwhile are underdogs at 4.0 odds with the same bookmaker.
Goals – Over 2.5
Looking back at trends, Bordeaux tend to score early. Both of their goals against Angers came in the first half-hour. Meanwhile, OL have shown that they can keep coming at you, especially in the early exchanges.
The hosts had the most goals in first 15 minutes last season. Similarly, Lyon managed over 1.5 goals in 60% of their domestic trips.
Bet9ja has odds of 2.06 for O2.5 goals and there is a great value there to take advantage off.
Anytime goal-scorer – Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay is the favorite to keep his goal scoring form. He is Lyon’s designated penalty taker, which makes this bet even more enticing with odds of 2.75 with Bet9ja. Meanwhile, Lyon’s favorite number 9, Moussa Dembele, has odds of 2.50 to hit the back of the net.
Josh Maja is odds favorites from Bordeaux to hit the back of the net. Bet9ja believe he can trouble with the scorers with odds of 3.75. However, it looks unlikely given the forward’s poor xG record. Depay is our pick for getting his name on the scoreboard. He offers value at 2.75 and Lyon will want him to add to his tally in hope of increasing
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
