Olympique de Marseille vs AS Monaco
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Today’s free tip is in the southern France derby between Olympique de Marseille and AS Monaco. They’re two teams that promise a lot but both have massively disappointed this season, particularly the latter. I’ve not seen anything to suggest that tonight’s meeting will be any different.
Given the impatient nature of Olympique de Marseille, I have to admit that I was surprised to see Rudi Garcia kept his job after Olympique de Marseille’s embarrassing Coupe de France exit versus part-timers Andrezieux. I’m not suggesting it’s necessarily his fault, mind you. I don’t really know whose fault it is. However, it cannot be denied that Olympique de Marseille is struggling, and has been for a while now. Against Andrezieux, they created boatloads of opportunities but were far too casual when it came to converting them. That’s just it – Olympique de Marseille is a very casual team, full of mercenaries. That’s probably why the Olympique de Marseille owner was furious with the players rather than the manager, although I’m suffering from no illusions as to which one of the two parties would be leaving if this were to continue.
I don’t think anyone can really deny that Olympique de Marseille possess excellent footballers, particularly for Ligue 1 level. However, it’s creator Thauvin that is the only one who always looks like he cares, and because of that Olympique de Marseille struggle to score goals. I don’t know what has happened to N’Jie but he’s become a liability. Germain has never been a natural poacher so his lack of goals is not a surprise to me. Mitroglou’s head has dropped, and he’s the kind of striker that only does well with confidence. Radonjic has been hot and cold. Payet still has flashes of brilliance but not enough of them. Ocampos is the same. It’s sad, more than anything, because Olympique de Marseille is capable of so much more than has been apparent of late. That said, the fact that Sarr plays in most games for Olympique de Marseille tells you there isn’t much depth in this squad, really – he’s not good enough to play for this club.
Despite the above, I’d have still backed Olympique de Marseille if this game was being played in November last year. However, it’s not, and AS Monaco now have a new manager – Thierry Henry. He’s not magically resolved all of the principality club’s issues (who could?) but he has made them better organised and play with more pride too, which is an essential step for the team to take. Before his arrival, the team had no “Plan B”, they’d lost faith in Jardim, and they lost a lot of experienced players in the transfer window too, leaving a lot of kids behind. Talented kids, for sure, but they still need somebody to learn from. Thierry Henry knows that, though – why do you think he’s brought in stable, solid players like Naldo, Fabregas, and Vainqueuer this month? He’s not looking for flair players or fancy attackers because he already has those. What he needs are maintainers and organisers, which is precisely what he’s got in that trio.
In due course, I expect AS Monaco to keep the ball even better, and maybe even start beating teams again. That should be made easier because Portuguese star Rony Lopes is back from injury, and everything good goes through him. Without him in the squad, Falcao struggled like crazy to get any kind of service. Lopes should see more of the ball now AS Monaco have players that can hold the fort better, players that have patience too. I honestly can’t believe they’ve not gone for want-away midfielder Diarra at Paris Saint-Germain, though – he’s precisely what they need right now. Still, Henry has done the right things – that’s the point I want to make here. They’re still missing lots of players, AS Monaco, so I doubt they’ll be springing any surprises at the Stade Velodrome tonight. However, Andrezieux didn’t have to spring any in order to beat Olympique de Marseille either so I’m not really prepared to go near the 1×2 market for this game.
I do like the available odds on under 2.5 goals though. Ordinarily, this match would be a high-tempo encounter between two teams that excel at attacking rather than defending. At the present time, though, it’s a game between two teams with attackers that are extremely low on confidence. AS Monaco are a lot more cautious under Henry too, and whether they’re playing brilliantly or not, a draw at this stadium is a positive result for the visitors. The onus is on Olympique de Marseille to break their opponents down and they don’t look up for that kind of fight right now. It doesn’t usually take long for their fans to turn on them either. So, yeah – I think we’ll see a low-scoring game between these two under-performing juggernauts of Ligue 1.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 6/5.
Sunday’s Thoughts
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
Asian Cup:
North Korea vs Qatar
Oman vs Japan
Turkmenistan vs Uzbekistan
Australian A-League:
Sydney FC vs Adelaide United
Perth Glory vs Western Sydney Wanderers
English Premier League:
Everton vs Bournemouth
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United
French Ligue 1:
Nantes Atlantique vs Stade Rennais
Dijon FCO vs Montpellier HSC
Toulouse vs Racing Club Strasbourg
Olympique de Marseille vs AS Monaco
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Beitar Jerusalem vs Ironi Kiryat Shmona
Italian Coppa Italia:
Torino vs ACF Fiorentina
Internazionale vs Benevento
SSC Napoli vs Sassuolo
Portuguese Liga 1:
CD Nacional de Madeira vs Belenenses
Chaves vs Tondela
Rio Ave vs Vitoria Setubal
Portuguese Liga 2:
SL Benfica II vs Sporting Braga II
Cova Piedade vs Pacos de Ferreira
Academico Viseu vs Farense
FC Porto II vs Vitoria Guimaraes II
Mafra vs Sporting Covilha
Academica de Coimbra vs Varzim
Arouca vs UD Oliveirense
Spanish Primera Liga:
Atletico Madrid vs Levante CF
Athletic Club vs Sevilla CF
Barcelona CF vs Eibar
Real Betis Balompie vs Real Madrid
Enjoy your free betting tips!