Ligue 1 Tips: Back champions PSG to turn on style in Saturday thriller | OneFootball

French Ligue 1

Gianluigi Donnarumma has taken a starring role for PSG this week

With a 22% ROI for the season, James Eastham reveals the smartest picks on the penultimate weekend of 2024-25 in France's top-flight...

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Reims vs St Etienne - Expect all-out attack

Saturday, 20:00 GMTLive on Ligue 1 Pass

We predict a high-scoring encounter between two relegation-threatened teams when St Etienne travel to face Reims on Saturday night.

Reims are in the more comfortable position of the two: the hosts head into the penultimate weekend of the Ligue 1 season two points and three places above the relegation play off position (16th).

The bottom of the table is so tight, however - just two points separate four teams, from 13th to 16th - that Reims need to win to be sure of having their fate in their hands when they face top-four contenders Lille on the final day next weekend.

For St Etienne, the situation is far graver. Sitting second from bottom (17th), they are four points from safety with only two games to go. In other words, they could be relegated this weekend even if they win.

So the visitors will go all-out to win, which should create spaces for the hosts to attack intently as well.

Our selection is Over 2.5 Goals. As well as the specific reasons outlined above why we believe this will be an open and entertaining encounter, the general 2024-25 Ligue 1 trends point towards goals as well.

The average number of goals per game in the French top flight this season is 2.95. Sixty-four per cent of all games across the past six matchdays have had Over 2.5 Goals.

Montpellier vs PSG - Make visitors your Handicap pick

Saturday, 20:00 GMTLive on Ligue 1 Pass

Even though there is nothing at stake, we believe PSG are a good bet to win big when bottom meets top in Ligue 1 on Saturday night.

Luis Enrique's visitors will be buzzing as they head towards Stade de la Mosson thanks to their Champions League semi-final win over Arsenal in midweek.

The club from the French capital have nothing tangible to play for. Having already secured the Ligue 1 title, their Coupe de France Final vs Reims on May 24 and Champions League Final against Inter in Munich on May 31 are bigger concerns.

We might see heavy rotation, too, as Luis Enrique saves some of his more important players for those upcoming fixtures.

Let us not forget, however, that when PSG rotate, the names coming into the starting line-up include high-calibre performers such as Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaire-Emery, Kang-in Lee, and Goncalo Ramos.

And, even in first or second gear, PSG should be good enough to win by a couple of goals, because Montpellier are so poor.

In a season riven with problems on and off the pitch, the Languedoc-Roussillon side - relegated on Matchday 31 - are on course for an historically bad season.

Montpellier are cut adrift at the bottom of the table. Their points tally of 16 is 11 worse than any other side in the division. They have lost 24 of 32 Ligue 1 fixtures.

The hosts' form has got worse as the season has gone on: they have lost 12 of their last 13 games (W0-D1-L12), and failed to score in 11 of those 13 matches.

PSG are an understandably short 1.32 to win the game, so we prefer to back the visitors on the Asian Handicap.

With our selection, you will make a profit as long as PSG win by two or more goals.

Recommended bets

Back Reims vs St Etienne Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.75Back PSG -1.5 & -2.0 Asian Handicap at Montpellier @ 1.9

James' 2024-25 Ligue 1 P/L

Staked: 77ptsReturned: +94.08ptsP/L: +17.08pts (22.2% ROI)