Marseille vs Monaco Odds and Preview Ligue 1 Matchday 14
- This Saturday, December 12th, 2020 in France, Marseille hosts Monaco in a tightly contested Ligue 1 fixture, at the Stade Velodrome
- 2020 Ligue 1 runners-up, Marseille, currently sit in fourth place, just one point above Monaco with two games in hand on last year’s ninth-place side
- See the odds for this Ligue 1 match, along with a betting analysis and our best bet below
With two games in hand on the rest of the Ligue 1 table, Marseille has enough points available to take away first place from Paris Saint-Germain. However, to keep these precious points intact, they will need to beat a tough and improved Monaco team at the weekend.
Monaco lost last weekend to second-place Lille, but have managed to win their last four Ligue 1 games before that. On the other hand, Marseille have also been impressive but have been challenged by balancing domestic and Champions League play.
During the midweek, Marseille was dismantled by Manchester City, losing 3-0 at the Etihad in North West England. Their only other loss in their last five matches came at the hands of another European team, FC Porto. With three wins in between these two losses, Marseille has proven their quality but, fatigue could be a significant factor in this match.
Marseille vs Monaco Odds
| Matchup | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marseille vs Monaco | MAR +0.5 (-177) | MON -0.5 (+140) | MAR +175 | MON +140 | DRAW +250 | Ov 2.5 (-124) | Un 2.5 (+100) |
All odds taken Dec. 11 at DraftKings
Will Monaco’s Fresh Legs be Their Advantage?
Despite being a point below Marseille in the Ligue 1 table, Monaco are somehow the favorites for this match by a very slim margin. Both sides have plus odds, and for Monaco to win this their electric offense will have to be above par. Niko Kovač’s side have scored 24 Ligue 1 goals, a record only bettered by Thomas Tuchel’s PSG side. Much of this praise can go in the direction of Wissam Ben Yedder. The former Sevilla striker has eight goal contributions to start the season and is averaging 2.6 chances per contest.
Wissam Ben Yedder has been incredible this season🔥@WissBenYedder https://t.co/6qZCVSDmYa
— Ulrik (@Ulroud) April 14, 2020
When you pair Ben Yedder with Kevin Volland, you have a very versatile attack that can create a lot of scoring chances. Nonetheless, they will be tested by Marseille’s defense that has only conceded nine goals in Ligue 1 this season. We have seen Manchester City and Porto pick apart Marseille’s wide formation, the question is can Monaco now do it? The least we know is that they will be fresher as they did not play a game in the midweek.
Marseille vs Monaco Statistics
| 1.5 | Goals per game | 1.8 |
| 10 | Shots per game | 15.4 |
| 51.7% | Possession % | 55.9% |
| 80.1% | Passing % | 84.7% |
Marseille’s Defense Will be Their Best Tool
Marseille are repeating exactly what they managed to do last year, outperform people’s expectations. They are actually the underdogs to a team one point below them when Marseille still has two games to play to catch up to them. André Villas-Boas might not have the most exciting offense, but they get very positive results and are consistent. Sakai and Amavi have been great this season on the outskirts of their defense, and with veteran Steve Mandanda in the net, the defense is in good hands.
“We have to recover. Monaco is a big match, and we must keep our heads held high.”
👊 AVB pic.twitter.com/sOGw4r6osB
— Olympique de Marseille 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 (@OM_English) December 10, 2020
Backing up the plus odds, the last six matches between these sides have featured two wins for Monaco, two wins for Marseille, and two stalemates. Another trend is that this specific matchup tends to see more goals than not. In those six aforementioned, games the average total goal count was 4.6, so do not expect these managers to hold anything back. With Marseille falling out of the Champions League, they will want to bounce back in a big way this weekend.
Best Bet
The best bet for this match is Monaco at +148. This bet has tremendous value, and it is the right pick strictly because of fitness. Already this season, we have witnessed muscle injuries more than ever because players are being run completely dry. Marseille played during the week against a side that loves getting up and down the pitch, and that will not help them.
Additionally, I favor Monaco’s attack more than Marseille’s defense. Marseille have won five straight Ligue 1 games, but every streak has to end eventually. Monaco have several sides right behind them in the Ligue 1 table, which I believe will help spur them on to victory come Saturday in Marseille.
My Pick: Monaco Moneyline (+148)
Josh Ricker is a freelance sports journalist, currently attending the University of Southern Maine (Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and Marketing). He has recently interned with the AA Portland Sea Dogs, and his work has been featured on Fansided, as well as now here on SBD.
