Ligue 1 Matchday 3 Odds & Picks: Nice Seeking Third-Straight Victory

• Matchday 3 in Ligue 1 begins on Friday, with Bordeaux facing Lyon
• PSG will take on Marseille in their second match back on Sunday, after beginning their season on Thursday vs Lens
• Find the odds, preview, and best bets for the most intriguing matches below

French football continues to roll on as we head into Matchday 3 in Ligue 1. So far, Nice is the only undefeated side, winning both of their matches and looking quite impressive. PSG will take on Marseille in their second match since losing in the Champions League Final to Bayern Munich.

Lyon, who advanced to the semifinals of Europe’s most prized competition, has played just once domestically thus far, but it was a fine performance, burying Dijon 4-1 behind Memphis Depay’s hat-trick.

Ligue 1 Matchday Three Odds

Odds taken September 9

Pick 1: Bordeaux vs Lyon

This will be the lone match on Friday at 3:00 pm EST. Bordeaux currently sits in second place after two games, winning and drawing once. Despite getting a red card in their opener, Jean Louis Gasset’s men were able to pull out a point against Nantes. Then last weekend, they beat Angers 2-0. Bordeaux has yet to concede a goal as their backline has looked very solid. But their first real test will be on Friday against a Lyon attack full of vibrant players such as Memphis Depay and Moussa Dembele.

Lyon are definitely carrying a boatload of confidence right now after a fantastic run in the Champions League, where they knocked out English giants Manchester City in the quarterfinals. They’ve played just once in Ligue 1 so far after having a bye last weekend, but their lone performance was extremely convincing. Barcelona target Depay, who has been heavily linked with a move to Camp Nou to join former Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman, was brilliant against Dijon, bagging three goals in a span of 30 minutes en route to the full three points.

Lyon is a safe bet here. They simply have more quality than Bordeaux and it will show on Friday. I see Rudi Garcia’s side capturing a two-goal victory on the road while handing the hosts their first defeat of this term.

Pick: Lyon +100

Pick 2: Lille vs Metz

After securing Champions League football last season with a fourth-place finish, Lille has enjoyed a decent start so far. They took away a point against Rennes on Matchday 1 after both sides received red cards then beat Reims 1-0 last weekend. Jonathan Bamba has been productive in the final third, scoring both of their goals. Jonathan David, who came over from Belgian side Gent in the summer, has yet to score for Lille, but the best is yet to come from the young Canadian who became a household name in Belgium thanks to his abilities on the attack.

Metz have won and lost once so far as they head into their third fixture of the season. Despite Monaco getting a red card in the 46th minute, Metz couldn’t equalize even with their opponents down a man short, losing 1-0 on Sunday. But, their first game was a hard-fought victory, beating Strasbourg 3-2.

Lille has been in outstanding form at home, keeping nine clean sheets since the beginning of last season. But, they’ve also won just once in their last five home matches against Metz, drawing the other four. With this trend in mind, I’m going with a one-goal draw in this fixture.

Pick: Draw +275

Pick 3: Montpellier vs Nice

It’s hard to make any assumptions of Montpellier, after playing just one match so far. But, it was a negative result, losing 2-1 to Rennes after French starlet Eduardo Camavinga scored the winner in the 77th minute. Montpellier was dominated from a possession standpoint, holding the ball just 33% of the time in this match. A red card in the 43rd minute certainly didn’t help their case either.

Nice has gone undefeated so far and if they can win this weekend, it will be the first time since the 1976/77 season they win three straight fixtures to begin a campaign. Nice beat RC Lens 2-1 on Matchday 1, then kept Strasbourg at bay last weekend, winning 2-0. Danish international Kasper Dolberg has scored two goals in as many games, grabbing a double on the weekend.

Montpellier has lost four of their last five in Ligue 1 and Nice has enjoyed a ton of success against them. Given their current form, it’s a safe bet that Ligue 1’s top side currently wins convincingly on Saturday. I’m giving Nice a two-goal victory while keeping the hosts scoreless.

Pick: Nice +225