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Lille vs Marseille Odds & Pick on Ligue 1 Matchday 25: Draw Offers Tempting Value

Gary Gowers

by Gary Gowers in Soccer News

Updated Apr 3, 2020 · 11:03 AM PDT

Marseille
Marseille will be hoping to keep the pressure on PSG with a win in Lille but the home team are looking for four wins on the spin. Photo by Anthony Bibard/FEP/Panoramic/Icon Sportswire
  • Lille host Marseille in France’s Ligue 1 on Sunday, February 16
  • Lille defensively sound with six clean sheets in last nine home games
  • See the odds, analysis and best bet for Sunday’s Ligue 1 match

It’s second versus fourth in Ligue 1 this weekend on Matchday 25, as Marseille travel to Lille on Sunday, February 16, KO at 3:00 pm EST. Lille come into this one off the back of three straight wins but Marseille will be tough opponents and will put Les Dogues’ top three credentials to the test.

Marseille are a whopping 12 points behind leaders PSG but will be keen to consolidate their second place and go another step closer to Champions League soccer for next season. This has all the makings of a good one, so we’ll preview the game and see if we can identify some good bets.

Lille vs Marseille Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Odds Total
Lille pk -0.5   -112 +128 O 2.0, 2.5   +105
Marseille pk +0.5   -108 +220 U 2.0, 2.5   -125
Draw N/A +205 N/A

All odds taken Feb. 14

Lille on a Charge

Lille had a terrible January but have bounced back in great style with three wins on the bounce. In doing so they have resurrected their chance of making the top four and getting themselves in the qualifying phase of next season’s Champions League.

While their most recent win was against a fairly ordinary Angers team – one they would expect to win – the other two wins, against Strasbourg and third-placed Rennes, were impressive and the mark of a team that has found some great form. This makes the Marseille game a winnable one for them.

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Fortress Pierre-Mauroy

Home advantage could be significant here, with Lille having recently turned the Stade Pierre-Mauroy into a fortress, winning five of their last six in front of their home fans. The only time they dropped points in this run was in the 2-0 defeat by the mighty PSG.

The only other home game they have lost in the last two and bit months was their game with Ajax in the Champions League, but generally, they have been as solid as a rock at the back with six clean sheets in their last nine home games. That defensive solidity will be needed again on Sunday if they are to beat Marseille.

Lille vs Marseille Head-to-Head Stats

Lille
VS
Marseillle
4th Position in Ligue 1 table 2nd
12/24 Wins/games played 14/24
8 Losses 3
29 Goals scored 33
25 Goals conceded 21
40 Ligue 1 points 49
287 Shots 326
102 Shots on target 98

Cup Setback for Les Olympiens

Marseille’s season has been an excellent one, but they suffered a setback in midweek when they were beaten 1-0 by Lyon at the Groupama in the Coupe de France quarterfinal. Given they have virtually no chance of catching PSG in the league and the cup offered them their best chance of silverware, this was a bitter blow.

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But, to put that defeat into perspective, it was their first defeat since October, having been on a sensational run of 13 wins in 16 games. Les Olympiens will see the Lyon defeat as a blip and nothing more but will be desperate to avoid defeat in Lille and back-to-back losses.

Home advantage could be significant here, with Lille having recently turned the Stade Pierre-Mauroy into a fortress

The bettors should, however, note that Marseille, for all their quality throughout this fine run, remains a better team on their home patch and struggle to reproduce that same unbeatable aura on the road. While they have won six of their last 14 games away from home, two of these were in the cup against lower league opposition and two were against lowly Ligue 1 opposition – 15th placed Saint-Étienne and bottom team, Toulouse.

Both With Plenty to Lose

So, we have a team who have a great season but who have wobbled a little on the road, against a team who are on a great run of form and looking for their fourth win on the spin. Marseille are sound at the back though and have conceded just two goals in their last eight games in all competitions; something that has also been a feature of Lille’s recent upturn.

As a result, the draw comes into play here, particularly a low-scoring one. So too the fact that Marseille will not want to lose two on the spin. Lille’s success has been based on a pragmatic approach and they’d be happy with a draw here too.

Pick: Lille and Marseille to draw (+205)

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