Club football is set to return to France after two long weeks of international football, with the fifth round of matches in the 2021/22 French Ligue 1 season set to take place from Friday September 10.
The matches have been previewed and tips have been given by our in-house experts ahead of the commencement of the games.
- Lorient vs Lille: Champions Lille have lost their way a bit since their French Super Cup win over Paris Saint Germain. They have started their title defence by picking up only five points from the opening four matches, and already find themselves seven points from the top of the table. They would aim to get their season back on track against a Lorient side that has the same number of points as they do after four Ligue 1 matches.
Lorient win- 3.45 odds; Lille win- 2.10 odds; Draw- 3.35 odds.
- Paris Saint Germain vs Clermont Foot: The much anticipated Messi-Neymar-Mbappe trio may receive their first minutes together against high-flying newly-promoted Clermont Foot. The new boys are undefeated after four matches in the league but face a different sort of test against a Paris Saint Germain outfit that has picked up maximum points from all of their opening matches.
PSG win- 1.25 odds; Clermont win- 10.75 odds; Draw- 6.00 odds.
- Monaco vs Olympique Marseille: Monaco and Marseille are separated by only three points on the Ligue 1 table, with both sides facing quite dissimilar conditions. Monaco only picked up their first win of the season before the international break and would be hoping that the break has not interfered with their projected upturn in fortune. Marseille are yet to lose this season after playing three matches and would be looking to extend the record against this Monaco side.
Monaco win- 2.05 odds; Marseille win- 3.40 odds; Draw- 3.45 odds.
- Montpellier vs Saint Etienne: Saint Etienne will face a tough task when they have to visit Montpellier on matchday four as both sides are in a similar position in the league. Montpellier have picked up four points thanks to a win and a draw, while Saint Etienne are still looking for their first win of the season.
Montpellier win- 2.45 odds; Saint Etienne win- 2.80 odds; Draw- 3.30 odds.
- Bordeaux vs Lens: Second-bottom Bordeaux face a Lens side that has picked up six points in the league this season with a win and three draws. Bordeaux have picked up only two points so far this season and would need to produce a good performance to improve on their points tally.
Bordeaux win- 3.05 odds; Lens win- 2.25 odds; Draw- 3.35 odds.
- Brest vs Angers: High-flying Angers will travel to take on Brest in their matchday five encounter, with both sides at different ends of the table. While Angers are in second place with 10 points from 12, Brest have only picked up two points this season in the league.
Brest win- 2.60 odds; Angers win- 2.60 odds; Draw- 3.30 odds.
- Metz vs Troyes: Metz have drawn three matches in the league, only losing to Nantes. They would be facing a Troyes side that is at the bottom of the pile after four rounds of matches with only one point. Metz would be looking to get their first win of the season against Troyes.
Metz win- 2.25 odds; Troyes win- 3.15 odds; Draw- 3.25 odds.
- Rennes vs Reims: 17th place Reims will take on Rennes in a critical match early in the season. Reims have only managed three draws and a loss in their opening four matches and are in search of their first win. Rennes have picked up five points so far and would be hoping to get maximum points against this Reims side.
Rennes win- 1.64 odds; Reims win- 5.50 odds; Draw- 3.60 odds.
- Nantes vs Nice: Nice come into the match against Nantes on the back of a 4-0 drubbing of Bordeaux. Nantes have lost their last two matches in the league, and are desperately in need of an improvement in their fortunes. Nice are undefeated in the league this season and have 7 points from three matches.
Nantes win- 3.20 odds; Nice win- 2.20 odds; Draw- 3.30 odds.
- Olympique Lyonnais vs Strasbourg: Lyon, like Lille, have underwhelmed in the early days of the season as they have only managed to pick up five points in four matches. They lead Strasbourg by only one point in the league, and would be eager to pick up maximum points from the clash.
Lyon win- 1.51 odds; Strasbourg win- 5.75 odds; Draw- 4.35 odds.