Ligue 1 preview and tips: Lille and Marseille looking to cement European qualifying spots
- Sergiu Baltuta
- 20 May 2023
Marseille visit Lille on Saturday with both teams hungry for points in their respective challenges for European football next term. Tipstrr football expert Sergiu Baltuta weighs up their chances.
Lille kick off in fifth place with a Conference League place within their grasp, and a win on Saturday night give them a four-point cushion above Reims, and bring them within two points of fourth-placed Monaco, who lost 3-1 at Lyon on Friday.
Meanwhile, three points for third-placed Marseille would see them leapfrog their way into the second automatic Champions League qualifying spot, putting pressure on Lens, who visit Lorient on Sunday.
The Northern team return home after failing to find the back of the net in their two away trips to Reims (0-1) and Monaco (0-0).
The team led by Paulo Fonseca has only one win in their last four games, 3-0 at home against Ajaccio, but nevertheless, "Les Dogues" will hope to capitalise on home advantage, where they have picked up 37 points in 17 games.
Suggested bet: Lille to win
Lille have suffered just two home league defeats this season, both of which occurred in August last year, since when they have won 10 and drawn four of their subsequent 14 home outings.
Marseille lost their crucial encounter at Lens two weeks ago, when their 2-1 defeat put Lens in the driving seat for the automatic UCL qualification spot.
Last round the team led by Igor Tudor bounced back with a 3-1 home win against Angers, extending their sequence of games producing over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring to five.
It's also notable that OM have picked up more points on their travels than on their own turf, with 39 points of their 73 points won away from home.
Suggested bet: Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals
