Montpellier vs Marseille Odds & Prediction – Ligue 1 Matchday 1

• Montpellier and Marseille lock horns in the opening weekend of Ligue 1 action
• The visitors enter as a slim +135 favorite
• Get the odds, preview, and prediction below

The Ligue 1 campaign officially got underway on Friday, with Monaco and Nantes playing to a 1-1 draw. Sunday, however, will bring an intriguing match between Montpellier and Marseille at the Stade de la Mosson. Kick-off is scheduled for 2:45pm ET.

Marseille won the first clash between these two sides last term, but the reverse fixture was a goal-filled 3-3 draw. In fact, Montpellier is unbeaten in their last four games against Les Olympiens on home soil.

Montpellier vs Marseille Odds

All odds as of August 6th at DraftKings.

New Boss at The Helm For Montpellier

Olivier Dall’Oglio has taken over the reins for La Paillade after two seasons in charge at Ligue 1 rivals, Brest. Coincidentally enough, ex-Montpellier boss Michel Der Zakarian switched jobs with Dall’Oglio, now in the dugout at his former club.

Entraînement J-2 ⏳

🔜 #MHSCOM pic.twitter.com/oakYt6ShpF

— MHSC (@MontpellierHSC) August 6, 2021

Montpellier is coming off a respectable campaign, finishing in eighth place in the top-flight, scoring 60 goals while conceding 62. The side also showed well in the French Cup, making it all the way to the semifinals where they lost to PSG in spot-kicks.

The arrival of an attacking-minded coach in Dall’Oglio should be beneficial to their productivity in the final third, but his Brest squad last term did allow 66 goals, which was fourth-worst in the league. Gaetan Laborde and Andy Delort formed a fantastic partnership in 2020/21, combining for 31 goals and 17 assists. The success of the squad will ultimately come down to just how clinical the duo can be this season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKHiJGdGbKc

Preseason action was nothing special for Montpellier though, with the exception of an impressive 2-1 victory over Bundesliga standouts RB Leipzig. Aside from that result, La Paillade tasted defeat against a pair of lower-tier sides and Metz.

Nevertheless, Dall’Oglio’s men will have a chance to collect some crucial points before August ends. Following Sunday’s tough clash with Marseille, Montpellier takes on Reims and Lorient, two teams they should beat. Their last game of the month however is vs title-holders Lille, which will certainly be a huge task.

Busy Summer for Marseille

Jorge Sampaoli’s side was extremely active in the transfer window, bringing in some key players to bolster their squad. Marseille signed two Arsenal youngsters on loan in William Saliba and Matteo Guendouzi, giving them more experience and solidity in important areas of the pitch.

𝗪𝗥𝗞 𝗦𝗭𝗡 ⚪️🔵 pic.twitter.com/8HnkRRb7fq

— Olympique de Marseille 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 (@OM_English) August 4, 2021

The pre-season was fantastic for Les Olympiens, going undefeated in seven matches. Their most recent encounter was a 2-1 victory over Europa League winners Villarreal, while also putting together respectable showings against Portuguese sides Braga and Benfica.

Sampaoli replaced Andre Villas-Boas in February and helped the team secure a fifth-place finish and a spot in Europa. While it’s not the superior competition on the continent like the Champions League, it could be only a matter of time until Marseille is back on Europe’s biggest stage given their reinforcements and decorated history as a club.

Nothing friendly about this pre-season match between Villarreal and Marseille 😳

Unai Emery was sent off and Jorge Sampaoli had to be held back 😂 pic.twitter.com/kfkHr9dkCb

— Relevent Sports (@releventsports) July 31, 2021

Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik arrived at the Stade Velodrome on loan from Napoli last season in the January window and bagged nine goals in just 15 appearances, which led the side. However, he’s dealing with a knee injury and it’s unlikely to feature in Sunday’s opener.

Expect Dimitri Payet to be a key figure in the attack as always after netting seven times and notching 10 assists last term. Winger Cengiz Under, who is on loan from Roma, should also play a vital part after gaining valuable experience in the Premier League with Leicester City.

Montpellier vs Marseille Key Stats

Montpellier vs Marseille Prediction

The hosts have been impressive on home soil even dating back to last season and they always play well against Marseille when at the Stade de la Mosson. However, Sampaoli’s team was absolutely dominant in pre-season and even though it’s hard to base anything off tune-up matches, Montpellier was the polar opposite.

I expect the visitors to secure the three points here on the road with their rejuvenated squad looking to get started on the right foot. The Moneyline offers more than enough value.

Pick: Marseille (+135)