PSG vs Montpellier prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2024-08-22 18:45.
[p]PSG needed the entirety of their 90 minutes against Le Havre to get their title defence off to a winning start (4-1), but they nonetheless sent a statement out to the competition with a ten-minute spell of dominance that showed what they can be capable of in 2024/25. Manager Luis Enrique suggested after the match that his team took their foot off the gas a little after their third-minute opening goal, an issue he’ll no doubt set out to address ahead of the visit of Montpellier.[/p]
[p]At the scene where they lifted their 12th Ligue 1 trophy, they’ll be hoping to deliver their home fans at the Parc des Princes even more joy than they did last term. PSG were comfortable title winners even despite winning only a slim majority of their Ligue 1 home games (W9, D6, L2), giving them a success rate as a home favourite that was only marginally above the league average of 50%. [/p]
[p]Montpellier were one of the two clubs that lost to PSG by a 3+ goal margin twice last Ligue 1 season, accounting for nearly 20% of the league goals they conceded on the way to their inevitable mid-table finish. It was certainly nothing new for La Paillade, who are on a ten-game Ligue 1 H2H losing streak, conceding a hefty average of 3.8 goals per match during that period. [/p]
[p]Failing to defeat Strasbourg last weekend (1-1) was a disappointing way to set themselves up for this difficult encounter, particularly as they were unable to score from open play. Montpellier proved themselves capable of the occasional upset away from home last season however, winning at top-six outfits Lyon (4-1) and Nice (2-1), but their dreadful record in this fixture suggests they’ll need perhaps their finest performance in years to win this.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Lee Kang-in delivered PSG’s season opener last week and has fond memories of this opposition, scoring in both Ligue 1 H2Hs last season. Montpellier captain Téji Savanier was one of Montpellier’s two scorers in a 6-2 loss to PSG in the previous campaign, and last weekend completed his tenth goalscoring appearance for the club since the start of last season.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: 65% of PSG’s Ligue 1 home matches last season produced over 3.5 total goals. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]