Toulouse vs Montpellier prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2025-01-25 16:15.
[p]Toulouse have slipped only slightly out of European contention after dropping points to nearby-ranked pair Strasbourg (L 2-1 home) and Lyon (D 0-0 away) in their last two Ligue 1 outings. It’s therefore imperative that they don’t waste this opportunity to take three points against last-placed Montpellier, after comfortably winning the reverse fixture 3-0 in October to end a four-game run without victory. [/p]
[p]There will be some concern that Toulouse lost to fellow mid-table club Strasbourg in their last home outing, while manager Carles MartĂnez Novell was encouraged by the degree of disappointment among his players after drawing at Lyon, interpreting it as a genuine belief that they can do better. What should give them confidence is that they’ve won six of their nine Ligue 1 games this season against teams starting this round in the bottom half (D2, L1), something they can build on here. [/p]
[p]Montpellier by contrast kept their hopes of survival alive with a surprise 2-1 win at home to UEFA Champions League participants Monaco last weekend, with their 71-year-old head coach Jean-Louis Gasset believing that the victory could unlock the confidence that the squad has been lacking after spending a lengthy period at the bottom of the table.[/p]
[p]The result ended a seven-game winless run in all competitions (D2, L5), but Montpellier still haven’t collected a Ligue 1 point away from home this season (L8), despite half of those matches being against direct relegation rivals. They certainly can’t get carried away therefore until improving their record on the road, although they can be quietly optimistic about travelling to Toulouse, having won on two of their last three visits there. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Zakaria Aboukhlal has been key to Toulouse’s recent success, having scored in four of their last six league victories, including twice in the reverse H2H. Toulouse are the only team against whom 20-year-old Montpellier midfielder Khalil Fayad has netted twice, doing so across both of his two H2Hs – including from off the bench in last season’s corresponding fixture. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Just two of Toulouse’s last ten Ligue 1 games have seen both teams on the day score. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]