Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Ligue 1 match.
The previous round in Ligue 1 was the most prolific for many years, with 39 goals, and Lorient played their part by conceding seven to LOSC Lille. Can Olympique de Marseille, another contender, produce something similar?
Olympique de Marseille
With Marseille, you can never be certain what to expect from a frontrunner. On Matchday 3 at the end of August, they might themselves have been well beaten by Olympique Lyonnais, and they were fortunate that the referee overturned his initial decision to award a penalty against Gerónimo Rulli in the 20th minute. Marseille were poor defensively in the first half, and they had a player sent off as early as the 29th minute. They somehow held it at 0:0 until the 88th minute despite facing 16 shots, but they still conceded a scrappy goal.
Lorient
Lorient are a different calibre of opponent. They offered little against UEFA Europa League participants LOSC Lille even on their own patch (1:7). The key in Lorient’s case was that Lille racked up 20 shots, 11 shots on target, and their finishing was ruthless. For the newly promoted side, the opposite happened on Matchday 2, when they beat Stade Rennais (4:0).
Olympique de Marseille vs Lorient Prediction
It is often lively at the Stade Vélodrome. This season began with a comprehensive 5:2 win over Paris Saint-Germain, and each of the last four home games for Olympique de Marseille has produced at least five goals. Unsurprisingly, the hosts won all of them. Therefore, the recommended bet is a combo focusing on Marseille’s attacking strength and high-scoring trend.
