Ligue 1 Scoring Race Odds – Value in Betting Against PSG Players?

• Several players are in the running to be the Ligue 1 top scorer
• All three of PSG’s star strikers are among the league leaders
• Is there value in betting a non-PSG player to win the title for the first time since 2015?

At 18-2-1 Paris Saint-Germain have built a commanding lead in Ligue 1 with 56 points and a 10-point lead over second place Lille. Their 67 goals scored are also 27 more than any other team (also Lille), and has placed all three of their frontline men among the favorites to be the Ligue 1 top scorer.

Could the scoring title go to anyone not playing for Les Parisiens?

Odds to Score Most Ligue 1 Goals

Mbappé’s Star Continues to Shine

The 20-year-old sensation joined PSG last season and finished with 13 goals in 24 matches. For anyone who wasn’t following French soccer, he announced himself to the world during last summer’s World Cup win with France and by winning the FIFA Young Player Award.

Mbappé joined PSG last season and finished with 13 goals in 24 matches.

This year, despite only playing in 16 Ligue 1 matches, he’s already scored 18. That’s puts him two clear in the scoring race ahead of teammate Edinson Cavani and Lille’s Nicolas Pépé. Only Mbappé and Cavani are scoring at above a goal-per-game pace in Ligue 1.

PSG can’t be stopped (via @brfootball) pic.twitter.com/SlttGTwlbJ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 12, 2019

It’s rare for a non-PSG player to win the scoring title in a league in which they are far superior to most of their opponents. In the last six seasons it’s only happened once. That came in 2014-15 when Alexander Lacazette netted 27 for Lyon.

Zlatan Ibrahimović won it three times in that time frame, while Cavani won it each of the last two seasons with 28 goals last year and 35 the year before.

On a team with so many mouths to feed the issue with picking a PSG player will be them cancelling each other out. However, with Neymar’s metatarsal injury keeping him out for at least 10 weeks, Mbappé and Cavani should have plenty of opportunities.

Mbappé will have the disadvantage of not taking penalties. Those opportunities are usually reserved for the likes of Neymar who has four goals from penalties, or Cavani who has three.

9 – Edinson Cavani is the player involved in the most goals in the top 5 leagues in 2019 (9 – 6 goals, 3 assists). Salto. @PSG_English @ECavaniOfficial pic.twitter.com/qvl49gCrDD

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) February 6, 2019

None of Mbappé’s goals have come from the spot, meaning his goal tally is more impressive, but also that he’s missing out on the extra chances to add to his total.

The Best of the Rest

Though currently not listed in the Ligue 1 top scorer odds, be sure to monitor the progress of St. Etienne’s attacking midfielder Wahbi Khazri. Khazri is fifth in league scoring with 12 goals.

Marseille’s Florian Thauvin doesn’t get much hype and failed to crack The Guardian’s 100 Best Male Footballers in the World 2018 list. However, of players in the top five leagues he scored the fifth-most goals in the calendar year for 2018.

https://twitter.com/sfsofo/status/962411622173208576

Thauvin was second in Ligue 1 scoring last season with 22 goals and fifth the year before with 15. However, he’s missed Marseille’s last two matches due to red card suspension and hasn’t scored in Ligue 1 since December 5th.

The player who’s taken France by storm this year has to be Lille’s Nicolas Pépé, who leads the team with 16 goals already, after scoring 13 all of last season. Pépé has formed a great partnership with fellow winger Jonathan Bamba to pace Lille to second in the league.

https://twitter.com/HalfwaySports/status/1093173845211729923

Pépé doesn’t look to be slowing down and the chances to score seem likely to continue. He’s a shooting machine this year with 79 shots and 40 on target. That is far and away more than any of the league’s other top scorers. Even Mbappé only has 65 shots and 37 on target.

Value On PSG Dominance to End

For my money, Pepé is the best value. He’s clearly the main man for Lille and has scored 40% of the team’s goals. He also takes penalties, having already scored seven.

Will we need to update this Nicolas Pépé 2018/19 goals compilation video after tonight 🤔? 🤞 #LOSCOGCN pic.twitter.com/6rrJ37ujTU

— LOSC (@LOSC_EN) February 1, 2019

Mbappé or even Cavani may very well win. But with bigger Champions League aspirations to pursue in the coming weeks and possibly months, the door could be open for a +1000 bet on Pepé to be the Ligue 1 top scorer.

Best Bet: Nicolas Pepé (+1000)