Marseille vs AC Ajaccio prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2022-10-07 15:00.
Not many Marseille fans could have dreamt of a start like this to the Ligue 1 season, as they are just one of three teams to remain unbeaten after nine rounds (W7, D2). New manager Igor Tudor has had an immediate impact, and with Les Olympiens coming into this clash just two points adrift of Paris Saint-Germain at the Ligue 1 summit and after a 4-1 thrashing of Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, confidence is bound to be high.
Marseille have now gone ten games without defeat in the league (W8, D2), and having lost just once at the Orange Vélodrome since March, another home win here certainly wouldn’t be a surprise. A victory would also see Marseille move into top spot before PSG kick off later in the day and they can take inspiration from their last four meetings with newly-promoted Ajaccio, which yielded three wins and a draw.
A return to the top flight for the first time in eight years has resulted in a miserable start to the season for Ajaccio, who bring up the rear having claimed just four points from their opening nine games (W1, D1, L7). While that win did come on the road against Brest, the Bears have long struggled on their Ligue 1 travels, coming out victorious in just two of their last 35 road trips at this level (D13, L20).
Finding the back of the net has been the main issue for Olivier Pantaloni’s men, who have failed to score more than one goal in any of their Ligue 1 games so far this season, so it’s little surprise that no side in the division has scored fewer than their five goals. That continues a worrying trend for a goal-shy Ajaccio side who scored just 39 times during their promotion winning campaign, less than any other side within the top seven.
Players to watch: France international Jonathan Clauss has had an immediate impact for Marseille, directly contributing to three goals in his last league outing (G1, A2). Hoping to cause an upset will be veteran Ajaccio midfielder Thomas Mangani, but the 35-year-old boasts just three career wins against Les Olympiens (D9, L7) despite previously netting three goals against Marseille.
Hot stat: Marseille have lost just two of their last eight meetings with newly-promoted sides in Ligue 1 (W4, D2).