Nice vs Marseille
French Ligue 1
Date: 12th September 2016
Kick Off: 01:45 GMT+7
Venue: Allianz Riviera (Nice).
Nice enjoyed a fantastic season last term as they kept pace with the likes of Monaco and Lyon throughout the season, massively improving on their 11th place finish in the 2014/15 campaign to finish 4th. They did just miss out on the Champions League qualification points as they finished two points behind Monaco and Lyon, but a clean passage through to the Europa League group stages can be considered a big success for them.
Their main asset during last season was the inform Hatem Ben Arfa who bagged 17 Ligue 1 goals for them, whilst Valere Germain netted 14 times in the league. Both of these players have left during the summer, but that hasn’t stopped Nice getting off to a good start in the league.
They beat Rennes 1-0 in their opener and followed that up with an away victory by the same scoreline against Angers. Just before the international break they dropped their first points as Lille earned a 1-1 draw in Nice, but it’s still a fairly good start to the campaign.
Marseille had a torrid time last season as they finished all the way down in 13th place after coming in 3rd the season before. The French giants were actually under threat of being dragged into the relegation battle until they picked up the pace at the end of the season, but they still finished just nine points clear of the drop spots.
Their one saving grace was Michy Batshuayi, who matched Ben Arfa’s goals tally with 17 league goals. He has since left for Chelsea, whilst Benjamin Mendy, Georges Kevin N’oudou, and Mario Lemina have all abandoned the club as well. The likes of Clinton N’Jie, Tomas Hubocan, Remy Cabella, and Bafetimbi Gomis have been brought in as replacements.
Marseille opened the new season with a goalless draw at home to last season’s relegation candidates Toulouse and then lost 2-1 away to Guingamp. They managed to get their first win on the board before the international break with a 2-0 win over Lorient, but it hasn’t been the most convincing of starts to the season.
Nice have won four of their last six matches against Marseille as well, and considering their form at the beginning of this season, I think they’ve got a great chance on Sunday. They’ve won six of their last seven home games in Ligue 1 as well, whilst Marseille have lost three of their last five on the road in the league. This makes odds of 7/5 for a Nice win on Sunday look excellent value for money, and I’m going for that along with a 2-0 correct score prediction at 10/1.
Nice vs Marseille: Head-to-Head
It’s been 3 games and 4 years since Marseille recorded a victory here and there is nothing that suggests that this will be broken. Last season this fixture ended 1-1. Marseille have won just one match from the past six fixtures against Nice.
Nice vs Marseille: Prediction
Nice have a really good defence and will try to control all aspects of this game. Marseille look like they are feeling a little sorry for themselves. They need to pick up but it’s very hard for us to trust them right now. Everything points advantage to Nice in this game.
Nice vs Marseille: Bet Tips
Nice to be leading at Half Time at 21/10
Alassane Plea to score anytime for Nice at 23/10.
