Noelle Matthews
Marseille has strengthened considerably over the summer and is in a good position to be the main challenger to the PSG Ligue 1 dominance.
Who do Bettors Favor?
Checking out the best-rated online sportsbooks it is not a surprise to find that bettors favor Paris St Germain to win Ligue 1 at very short odds. The reigning champion is as short as -400 with some bookmakers, while the nearest challenger, Marseille, can be wagered at anything between +900 and +1125. The best of the rest includes Lens, Monaco and Lille, all at around +2000.
| Ligue 1 Winner |  |  |
| PSG | -390 | -400 |
| Marseille | +1125 | +900 |
| Lens | +2000 | +2000 |
| Monaco | +2000 | +2000 |
| Lille | +2100 | +2000 |
| Lyon | +2700 | +2500 |
| Rennes | +2600 | +3300 |
| Nice | +5800 | +5000 |
MTS Ligue 1 Betting Briefing
It is common for top European soccer leagues to be dominated by one or two teams, but in France, the competition is even more unequal, as one team is consistently able to outspend all of its rivals, and most other teams in Europe, at the same time.
Paris St Germain has won Ligue 1 nine times since 2012, and did so again last season, although only by a single point from Lens, which pushed it all the way. Still, five of the last six Ligue 1 titles have gone to Paris, and until other teams in the league are able to match its spending power, that situation is likely to remain unchanged.
One other factor that is important to note is that this season, Ligue 1 will feature 18 teams rather than 20, which means competition will be tougher, particularly at the bottom.
PSG Offers Little Value
Given the enormous disparity in resources between PSG and the rest, the fact that it was only able to win Ligue 1 by one point last season suggests a degree of underperformance.
It may also indicate that PSG could be a little vulnerable this time round, given that the club has embarked on a significant rebuild. Lionel Messi has gone and Luis Enrique is the new head coach. Eleven players have left, and ten have been added, while there is still some doubt over the future of Kylian Mbappe, who has been linked with Real Madrid.
On paper, PSG still has the strongest squad by a distance, but if the margin of victory last season is a fair reflection of where the club is, then the odds on a PSG win in 2023/24 offer no value at all.
Betting on Ligue 1 Main Contenders
So, if PSG are vulnerable this season, which of the main contenders, are best placed to overhaul them? According to the betting markets, Marseille is the most likely alternative Ligue 1 winner and manager Marcelino has been given more weapons to maintain a challenge after last season’s campaign ran out of steam and left them in third place.
Ismaila Sarr, Renan Lodi, Iliman Ndiaye, and Ruslan Malinovsky will all add depth to the Marseille squad, while Pierre Emerick Aubameyang will add top-class European experience and the signing of Geoffrey Kondogbia from Atletico Madrid looks very shrewd.
Marseille still faces a tough challenge to overtake PSG, so bettors have a choice of betting on them in the Ligue 1 Winner Without PSG market to provide some additional insurance.
Betting on Ligue 1 Top Four
The dominance of PSG in French football has inspired other clubs to attempt to gather the resources to reach that level of competition, including Lyon.
In the pre-PSG era, Lyon was the dominant force in French football, winning seven Ligue 1 titles in a row between 2002 and 2008, and going into this season, there is optimism at the club thanks to the arrival of billionaire John Textor from the US.
An overseas billionaire owner is no guarantee of success of course, but it does level the playing field a little, and while Lyon is not yet ready to challenge PSG, it does have a good chance of improving on last season’s seventh-placed finish and breaking into the Ligue 1 Top Four.
At bigger odds it could also pay to consider Strasbourg as an outside chance to make the Top Four. The club has been taken over by English Premier League club Chelsea’s parent company, but continuity has been maintained as president Marc Keller is staying on, and according to Keller, Strasbourg will be more than simply a feeder club.
Bringing in Patrick Vieira as the new head coach is a clear statement of intent, and although there is a lot of work to be done to improve on last season’s poor campaign, this is clearly a club that has big ambitions and high-class European soccer connections, so in a league where the top six is often fluid, it is not impossible to imagine the Strasbourg revolution getting ahead of schedule.
Best Online Sportsbooks to Bet on Ligue 1.
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