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Remind me next time

The 2021-22 French Ligue 1 season kicks off on Friday, August 6. This season's domestic competition will see Lille attempt to hang onto the league title. The French football league is one of the top five football competitions in the world. It regularly features some of the world's best teams including Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, Lille, AS Monaco, and Lyon.

We take a look at the betting markets to find the value in Ligue 1. Don't miss our Ligue 1 predictions, betting tips, free bets.

French Ligue 1 Season Preview

It won't be easy for Lille to retain their title after losing manager Christophe Galtier to rivals Nice and selling several key players. Paris Saint-Germain are stack and are the Ligue 1 odds favourites to lift the title once more. Based on the spending of the Qatari petrol-backed club, it is likely punters will bet on the Parisians to regain the championship.

Plenty of contenders and pretenders will have their sights set on qualifying for the Champions League. Just three teams from the division will qualify for the UCL 2022-23. The French league will be exciting once more this season as traditional heavyweights Marseille and Lyon strive for a top-three finish. Meanwhile, big-spending Nice will hope this season finishes better under Galtier compared to last term's poor campaign.

Ligue 1 Betting Odds Odds

 

 

Sportsbooks expect PSG to stroll to the title this season after a massive spend during the offseason. The Parisians spent over £60 million to land full-back Achraf Hakimi from Inter Milan and played the free transfer market wisely, signing Georginio Wijnaldum, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Sergio Ramos. No team in the division has the firepower that PSG do. Bookies Ligue 1 odds for PSG to win the league are at 1/5.

 

The Parisians' nearest rivals are likely to be Lyon, Monaco, and Lille. Although Lille's title win last term may have been a once-in-a-blue-moon triumph. Lille are at Ligue 1 odds of 20/1 to lift the trophy this term. Les Monégasques, who played brilliantly under Niko Kovac in 2020-21 to make the European Cup, are at sports betting odds of 20/1. Former Bayer Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz has arrived at Lyon to oversee improvement. Les Gones are at Ligue 1 odds of 13/1 to win the competition.

Ligue 1 Winner Prediction

PSG to win Ligue 1 @ 1/5 - BET NOW

The first of our Ligue 1 predictions should come as no surprise to anyone.

PSG have the division's best squad and this season should be a return to form for the capital club. The French top-flight heavyweights have an incredible group of players and truly look more impressive than the Galacticos Real Madrid signed over a decade ago.

Mauricio Pochettinho and company have benefitted from UEFA's relaxed rules over Financial Fair Play this offseason. It has allowed the club to spend heavily on transfers.

While other clubs have been unable to strengthen due to financial strain, PSG have benefitted from Qatar Sports Investments' deep pockets. The capital club should claim the title, come the end of the league season.

French Ligue 1 betting odds favour PSG for a reason. They are simply too good to lose the title this term. Punters should bet accordingly. You can back the Parisians are football betting odds of 1/5 to win the title.

Ligue 1 Top 3 Finish - Who Will Get Champions League football?

 

 

The top three teams in the first division qualify for the UCL. Unlike the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, or Premier League, Ligue 1 currently has just three qualifying places. The lack of European Cup places makes the first division incredibly competitive.

Last season, Lille won the title while PSG and Les Monégasques claimed the two available European Cup places. Just one Europa League place is up for grabs in the French top flight and that goes to fourth place. Meanwhile, the league's fifth-place finisher qualifies for the Europa Conference League.

Ligue 1 Top 3 Finish Prediction

Nice to finish top 3 @ 6/1 - BET NOW

With PSG the bookies' sports betting favourite to win the competition, the fight for second and third will be incredibly difficult. Lyon, AS Monaco, Lille, and Marseille will all have their eyes on gaining UCL qualification. Lyon and Lille go into the new campaign with new managers, why Les Monégasques will have to deal with the league and UCL tournament this campaign. Due to AS Monaco's commitments, it is unlikely that they will be the winner. Yet, a top-three finish is possible.

Perhaps the biggest threat to the top three will be Nice, who finished disappointingly ninth in 2020-21. Nice hired Christoph Galtier in the offseason fresh off of leading Lille to the title. He overachieved with a good squad and could do the same at Nice. The Southern French team has money behind it and Galtier could be the man to achieve a top-three finish at the club. French Ligue 1 betting punters shouldn't sleep on Nice. The Eagles could be a future league winner.

Ligue 1 Relegation Betting Odds

 

 

Two newly promoted teams will battle to solidify their places in the French top flight this season. Troyes and Clermont were promoted from Ligue 2 at the end of 2020-21. Now, the two sides will fight to stay in the division despite being the early bet favourites to be relegated.

Ligue 1 betting odds will be very good on both Troyes and Clermont to go back down. However, Brest, Reims, and Lorient will all be looking over their shoulders this term. Nantes came scarily close to the drop last term. The Canaries finished 18th which forced them to play a two-game play off against Ligue 2's Toulouse. They retained their top-flight status and will now hope to end the new season away from the drop. You can bet it will be a fascinating fight at the bottom of the standings.

Ligue 1 Relegation Prediction

Clermont to be relegated @ 6/5 - BET NOW

Nantes cannot be as bad this season as they were in 2020-21. Can they? Ligue 1 sports betting is likely to be strong on Nantes being a possible relegation candidate, but they should finish in midtable.

Meanwhile, Brest, Strasbourg, Lorient, and the two newly promoted teams, Troyes and Clermont, should all face relegation. Punters will bet accordingly on those sides going down.

On paper, Clermont should have a difficult time while Troyes won't have a walk in the park. One of the two sides - possibly both - could drop straight back to Ligue 2.

Ligue 1 Top Goalscorer Betting Odds

 

 

PSG's Kylian Mbappe finished the 2020-21 season as top goalscorer. The Frenchman finished the campaign with 27 goals. Based on the attacking firepower PSG possess, it is possible that Mbappe will return to the top of the league's goalscoring charts. You may want to bet on the Frenchman to score a ton of goals once more. Ligue 1 odds for Mbappe to win the Golden Boot are in his favour. Compare to teammate Neymar, Mbappe players far more matches and is likely to be on the pitch more than the Brazilian.

 

AS Monaco's Wissam Ben Yedder is another sports betting odds favourite to finish as top scorer. The Ligue 1 odds say that the top scorer will be the ASM man are strong thanks to last season's 27 goals. Fellow Les Monégasques man Kevin Volland is another strong favourite to finish high on the goalscoring charts. Volland scored 16 goals in 2020-21, the third-most.

Ligue 1 Top Goalscorer Prediction

Kylian Mbappe to be top goalscorer in Ligue 1 @ 8/11 - BET NOW

The odds Ligue 1 top goalscorer won't be Kylian Mbappe are slim. The Frenchman is just too good and reports continue to circulate that he will leave PSG in the 2022 offseason. Mbappe's departure from the France Ligue 1 competition would greatly weaken its appeal to fans. The young Frenchman is the most important player PSG have in the squad - not Neymar. If Mbappe finishes as the top goalscorer once more, perhaps the team's hierarchy will realise just how vital the Frenchman is.

While Ben Yedder is a brilliant player, he won't have the goalscoring opportunities Mbappe receives. Monaco are not as attacking and don't have the ability to hurt teams quite like PSG. Monaco did score the league's third-most goals a season ago with 76. Yet, it will be difficult for the Frenchman to equal the same number of goals. The Ligue 1 betting odds are in favour of Mbappe winning the Golden Boot he one of our Ligue 1 predictions in this market.

Ligue 1 Players To Watch

Of course, Mbappe is a player to keep your eyes on and bets on this campaign as is teammate Neymar. Yet, those two superstars are obvious. Less obvious players to watch out for at PSG include Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Georginio Wijnaldum. All three arrived on free transfers. In the case of Ramos, he fought injury at Real Madrid last term before being released. The veteran defender has been brilliant throughout his career, but it looks like father time has caught up with him. He is not a sure bet to succeed at PSG.

Outside of the French capital, Lille's Jonathan David is one to watch. The striker started slowly after joining the club for a record fee in the summer of 2020. He got things together in the second half of the campaign and helped Lille win the title. Odds are David will be even better this term despite Ligue 1 winner odds not favouring Les Dogues. It would be foolish to bet against David having a successful season.

Rennes No. 10 Edouardo Camavinga is one of the top young players in the world. The Black and Red will play in the Europa Conference League this term and hope to finish higher up the table in May. Camavinga is a creative player that can play box-to-box. Plenty of pundits bet Camavinga will join another club soon as the world's elite are tracking him.

Ligue 1 Flop Prediction

Which team will fail to meet expectations? Which teams will shock for the wrong reasons? Last term, Nantes shocked onlookers by finishing in the relegation playoff place. Plenty of punters laid down a bet or two that the Canaries would be relegated. Yet, Nantes defied expectations and bets to retain their place. Nantes should be better in 2021-22, but the same may not be said about Saint Étienne. Claude Puel's team finished midtable after facing some early difficulties. Could a trip to Ligue 2 be on the cards? Bet wisely on Les Verts?

A Ligue 1 match to watch will be when Saint Étienne play local rival Lyon. Of course, PSG and Marseille is another Ligue 1 match to watch, and it could be a campaign in which the port city club experience difficulties. It always seems Marseille are not far from a crisis.

While they started well last term under Andre Villas-Boas, things turned sour after Christmas. Sportsbook odds have Marseille at 33/1 to win the title. It would be a fool's bet to wager on the southern club to win the title. Marseille are not that good of a team and their match versus Montpellier to open the campaign may demonstrate it.

Unfortunately, Lille are likely to flop this season. Playing in the UCL and on the domestic front, Les Dogues won't have the ability to compete at a high level in both. After losing Galtier, life will be difficult despite sportsbook having Les Dogues at the third-best odds to win France Ligue 1.

Their matchday 1 game against Metz will show how good the team are this term. A loss in the opening match would be worrying.

Ligue 1 Teams

The following teams will take part in Ligue 1 in the 2021/22 season:

  • Angers
  • Bordeaux
  • Brest
  • Clermont Foot
  • Lens
  • Lille
  • Lorient
  • Lyon
  • Marseille
  • Metz
  • Monaco
  • Montpellier
  • Nantes
  • Nice
  • PSG
  • Reims
  • Rennes
  • St Etienne
  • Strasbourg
  • Troyes

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