France Ligue 1 betting tips and odds

The 2020/21 season of the French Ligue 1 is here, and the stakes are as high as ever. Considering this is slowly becoming one of the most highly anticipated top-tier national leagues in Europe, betting on Ligue 1 matches is not something you’ll want to miss out on. 

As always, Betting Fellow is here to provide you with the best Ligue 1 betting tips and predictions. However, if you really want to make the most out of Ligue 1 betting, it’s important to understand the ins and outs of the competition. A smart punter knows how to put all relevant information to use – from the league’s history to the dominant teams and players. All of it can make the difference between a winning bet and a bust.

With that in mind, we’ve created this Ligue 1 betting guide to help you get started. It should present a nice introduction to those with little to no experience when it comes to the highest tier of French football

Upcoming Matches

France Ligue 1 Results

Ligue 1 History and General Info

As we’ve already glossed over, the Ligue 1 is the top-tier association league for professional football in France. It is currently ranked as Europes fifth top national league after La Liga, the English Premier League, the German Bundesliga, and Serie A.

Unlike some of its counterparts, Ligue 1 never went through too many name changes. It was founded as the National in 1932 but quickly switched to Division 1 – a name which remained intact until 2002, when the league acquired its current name. Of course, this doesn’t take into account the various sponsorships deals. For instance, the 2020/21 iteration is officially dubbed Ligue 1 Uber Eats.

The founding of Ligue 1 is closely tied to the emergence of professionalism in French football. The adoption of professional teams and leagues came around in the early ‘30s, similarly to most of Europe’s top-flight leagues. However, the move itself was quite controversial at the time. Many important teams of the era such as Strasbourg and Amiens SC refused to go along with the restructuring of France’s league system.

Either way, the first season was held in 1932 and featured 20 teams. The format was a bit different from what we have today, and it was changed a couple of times over the years. Still, relative to some other top-flight national leagues, the competition’s format remained largely consistent over the decades. One notable exception is the years of German occupation during World War 2 and Vichy France. During this time, Division 1 was abolished in favour of regional leagues. Either way, the French Football Federation does not recognize titles and championships in the 1939 – 45 period.

A Ligue 1 season is played between August and May of the following year. It consists of France’s 20 top professional football teams. All the other aspects of the competition are mostly consistent with other leagues of this kind. The teams each face off against every other team twice – once at home and once away. This brings the total number of matches to 38 games per team per season.

As always, the teams are then ranked based on a standard point system – 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and no points for a loss. In cases where teams have the same number of points, they are ranked based on goal difference, then total goals scored.

There are usually no play-offs in Ligue 1. The team with the most points is named champion. However, there are rare exceptions – if two teams are tied for a championship title, qualification to other competition, or relegation, the outcome is decided by a single match on neutral ground.

The two bottom-ranked teams are relegated to Ligue 2, the second tier of French professional football. Since 2016, however, the 18th-placed Ligue 1 team and the 3rd-placed Ligue 2 team face off for a spot in the next season of Ligue 1.

Interestingly, the top two French leagues also have a system called the Attacking Play Table. The table ranks teams based on most goals scored overall. The main idea is to promote more exciting aggressive play, but the table is completely separate from the main league standings and only offers monetary rewards.

Currently, the top 3 ranked teams qualify for the Champions League. The first two teams go directly to the group stage, while the third team enters the third qualifying round. Additionally, the 4th top-ranked team qualifies for the UEFA Europa League.

AS Saint-Étienne currently holds the record for most Ligue 1 titles overall. However, it should be noted that their latest triumph was back in ’81. The second spot is shared by Marseille and reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain with 9 titles each, while the third spot is shared by Monaco FC and FC Nantes with 8 titles. Marseille also hold the record for the most seasons spent in the League, with 71 total seasons in Ligue 1 as of the writing of this article. Paris Saint-Germain, on the other hand, hold the record for most consecutive seasons with 47.

In terms of players, MickaëlLandreau holds the record for most appearances with 618 total games between 1997 and 2004. Most of his career was spent at Nantes, though he also played over 100 matches for both Lille and PSG. Ligue 1’s most prolific goalscorer is Delio Onnis with 299 goals over 449 games between 1972 and 1986.

Ligue 1 Title Challengers

The history and format are important and all – but now it’s time to get into the most important information for Ligue 1 betting predictions. Who are this season’s dominant teams, and why? If you’re completely unfamiliar with the league, one way of going about determining the favourites is looking at the Ligue 1 betting odds at top online bookmakers. Specifically, Ligue 1 outright winner betting odds are a quick way of familiarizing yourself with the balance of power for the coming season.

Of course, this doesn’t always mean the standings will turn out the way top online sportsbooks predict they will. A lot of variables go into determining the final winner – but it’s immediately clear who the favourites are. Unsurprisingly, the odds single out Paris Saint-Germain as the favourites by a considerable margin. At odds of 1.06 to win the Ligue 1 title, PSG almost rule out outright bets as a smart choice. Betting against them is not likely to yield a winning wager – betting on them is not likely to yield profits.

As such, a Top 3 Finish bet might be a more interesting option. For starters, most bookies won’t even offer odds for PSG in this market. The runners-up would be Marseille with 1.3 odds for a Top 3 Finish (but 25.0 odds on an outright win).

Lyon, Lille, and Monaco all have 3.5 odds on a Top 3 Finish (20.0, 50.0, and 66.0 odds on an outright win respectively.) Another interesting standout this season would be Rennes with 2.0 odds for a Top 3 Finish.

Paris Saint-Germain

PSG have won every single Ligue 1 championship title since 2012, with the exception of the 2016-17 season which went to Monaco. Following the purchase by the Qatar Investment Authority in 2011, they went on to dominate the league with sheer star power and financial strength. As such, they are hard favourites in almost every matchup Ligue 1 can throw at them.

Their main asset is currently a star-studded lineup spearheaded by the likes of Neymar andMbappé. They rely on a possession-based style of play which allows their heavy-hitters to shine. Follow our PSG Predictions

Olympique de Marseille

Experts have praised their ability to keep the opposing strikers pinned down and unable to score. On the flip side, their current record for goal-scoring leaves something to be desired. Follow our Olympique Marseille Predictions

AS Monaco FC

Monaco also have a long history of successes in the Ligue 1. For starters, they were the only ones who managed to break PSG’s streak of domination in 2016/17. Their story of foreign investors revitalizing the club is somewhat similar to that of Paris St. Germaine – though Monaco never quite reached the same heights.

They have a strong attacking lineup with the likes of centre-forward Wissam Ben Yedder, right winger Gelson Martins, and attacking midfield Aleksandr Golovin. They fell short of fan expectations in the 2019/20 season by ranking 9th – they were the highest-scoring team after PSG, though they were also 4th in concessions. This season presents a great opportunity for redemption, and they’ve made a number of important changes to their defensive line. Follow our Monaco Predictions

Olympique Lyonnais

Lyon didn’t fare too well in the 2019/20 season with a middling 7th place, Ligue 1 outright betting predictions seem to be relatively optimistic going into 2020/21. They’ve shown a remarkable ability to go toe-to-toe against considerably stronger opponents, earning themselves a spot in the 2019/2020 Champions League semi-finals.

Lyon’s strategy usually relies on a strong mid-field presence and decisive attacks down the flanks. Follow our Olympique Lyonnais Predictions

Stade Rennais F.C.

Although they are one of France’s oldest clubs, Rennes have always been considered the middle of the pack in terms of Ligue 1 teams. They can’t boast any championship titles yet. However, the previous season saw them take an unexpected 3rd position in the standings, earning themselves a Champions League group stage qualification.

They can hardly be considered favourites, and it’s hard to pinpoint what can be expected of Rennes. Still, experts consider their chances of making it into the Top 3 quite solid. Follow our Rennais Predictions

Ligue 1 Relegation Favourites

Now we’ll take a look at the opposite side of the spectrum – which teams are considered the most likely to be relegated to Ligue 2 and why?

FC Metz

Despite 61 seasons in Ligue 1, top online bookmakers give Metz a solid 1.17 odds to be relegated. Their most recent success was back in 1991 when they lost the title to Lyon due to goal difference – and it’s all been downhill from there. Lately, they’ve struggled to stay in the top flight for 2 consecutive seasons, and the cracks of major financial issues are starting to show with disfavourable transfers.

AS Saint-Étienne

Ligue 1’s most decorated team has fallen on hard times. Financial woes seem to be the main problems behind their downward spiral, which they’ve been on since the 80s. While they’ve managed to claw their way backing into France’s top-flight league, they are sadly a shadow of their former selves. Last season saw St. Étienne barely hold on to their spot in Ligue 1, and this year’s predictions aren’t too optimistic either.

Nîmes Olympique

Nimes narrowly avoided relegation in the previous season with an 18th spot placement. Current transfer records seem to indicate that they are more concerned with saving money than making significant lineup improvements. All in all, relegation seems to be very likely for Nimes in the upcoming season.

Ligue 1 Top Players

The following is a quick overview of the league’s most valued and successful players. Unsurprisingly, most of them are part of PSG’s roster – though we’ll try to highlight other club players as well.

Kylian Mbappé

With an estimated value of €180 million, Mbappé is the most highly valued player in Ligue 1 by a considerable margin. In fact, his transfer to PSG in 2018 singled him out as the second most expensive player ever. At just 21, Saint Germain’s centre-forward seems to have all the makings of a living legend – technique, strength, speed, dribbling, you name it.

Despite his youth, the list of Mbappé’s achievments seems too long to count, and his presence on the pitch is unmistakable.

Neymar

There’s only one transfer in history more expensive than Mbappé – and that’s Neymar. Though he remains a controversial figure (and the transfer from Barcelona a controversial topic), Neymar’s goal-scoring ability is without question. Expensive as the transfer was, Neymar is still considered one of the main contributors to PSG’s domination.

Florian Thauvin

Marseille’s right winger Thauvin is one of Ligue 1’s most valued players outside PSG. He was one of the world’s most promising young stars in his youth, and remains a world-class attacker. His disruptive presence and incredible control on the ball have made him an irreplaceable member of the French national team.

Ligue 1 Rising Stars

Moving away from already established football stars, let’s take a look at some young players whose peak is yet to come.

Houssem Aouar

Eduardo Camavinga

This Angolan native first appeared as part of Rennes’ lineup at just 16, becoming the youngest player to ever appear for their first team. He is currently just 17 and remains one of the Ligue 1’s youngest players. Described as a prodigy and a teenage sensation, Camavinga is already being considered by teams such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich.

Ligue 1 Derby Matches

Often the best way to understand the dynamics of a certain league is to look at the most highly anticipated showodowns. So, which classic derbies make up the cannon of Ligue 1?

Le Classique

As the name might imply, the matchup between Marseille and Paris St. Germain is widely considered to be France’s answer to Ei Classico. As is often the case in such matters, the derby predates football and goes back to a traditional city rivalry between Paris and Marseille. Beyond that, these two clubs remain the most well-funded and arguably strongest clubs in France.

Choc des Olympiques

Dubbed the Clash of the Olympics because of the teams’ names, this is the highly anticipated showdown between Marseille and Lyon. Before the rise of PSG to their current heights, these two teams were the dominant clubs in France for years. The derby itself is noted for being based on mutual respect of two representatives of the highest echelons of French football, with very little bad blood between the teams and their supporters.

Ligue 1 Best Stadiums

Stade Vélodrome

Marseille’s home turf is a landmark in the history of sports in France. Built in 1935, the Vélodrome was expanded several times and can currently accept a total of 67,394 spectators. It is the biggest sports stadium in the country and regularly hosts UEFA international competitions, as well as various Rugby events.

Parc Olympique Lyonnais

Scheduled to hold the football events of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Grand Stade de Lyon is the second largest stadium in France with 59,186 seats. It was built relatively recently in 2012 and has served as grounds for various Ice Hockey and Rugby competitions in addition to being Lyon’s home turf.

Parc des Princes

Situated in the 16th arrondissement of Paris within walking distance of the Stade Roland Garros, the Princes’ Park has been PSG’s home turf since 1974. It used to be part of a forested parkland owned by the Royal Family in the far past, though the 47,000+ seats are a relatively recent addition.