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The 2018-19 French Ligue 1 season starts on August 10th, 2018, with the clash between Marseille and Toulouse, and after 38 rounds of the tough battle, we’ll know the winner on May 25th, 2019. The defending champions Paris SG are a runaway favorite to retain the title with the odds at -1000, but the bettors can expect to see plenty of excitement in the race for the second and third spot that both lead to the UEFA Champions League. The fighting against the relegation is always thrilling in the French Ligue 1 so let’s take the closer look at the latest odds update along with some in-depth betting analyses and the latest transfer news.
2018-19 French Ligue 1 Winners Odds
| Paris SG -1000 | Lyon +1200 | AS Monaco +1400 |
| Marseille +1400 | Bordeaux +25000 | Montpellier +35000 |
| Nantes +50000 | Nice +50000 | Lille +50000 |
| Rennes +50000 | Saint Etienne +50000 | Strasbourg +50000 |
| Toulouse +50000 | Nimes +100000 | Caen +100000 |
| Reims +100000 | Dijon +100000 | Guingamp +100000 |
| Angers +100000 | Amiens +100000 |
The Parisians are massive favorites for a reason, as they kept the core from the last season, including the signing of the 19-year old wunderkind Kylian Mbappe on a permanent deal. Neymar has stated he wants to stay in Paris and complete the mission by winning the UEFA Champions League, but the Parisians possess plenty of talent among the squad that almost guarantee them another Ligue 1 title. The legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has joined Paris SG on a free transfer from Juventus, so the new manager Thomas Tuchel will have another great personality in the locker room. The former Borussia Dortmund’s head coach prefers an attacking football which promises some high-scoring affairs throughout the season. Last year, Paris SG dominated its rivals, finishing 13 points ahead of AS Monaco in the second spot, and the bettors can expect more of the same in the 2018-19 French Ligue 1 season.
The defending champions AS Monaco are at +1400 to bring the title to Monte Carlo, but the bettors can also exclude Paris SG from the market and wager on AS Monaco at +225 to finish as the best-placed team, while -125 odds are set on the Monegasques to finish in the top three. Some crucial first-team players left Monaco this summer such as the winger Thomas Lemar and the anchor-man Fabinho, so the manager Leonardo Jardim will a tough job to assemble the starting eleven. The Monesgasques brought the defensive midfielder Pele from Rio Ave to replace Fabinho, while the 16-year old forward Willem Geubbels joined the team from Lyon in a $23.3 million deal. The experienced striker Radamel Falcao stays for another year, and he will be the main weapon in a search for the Champions League place which should be AS Monaco’s realistic goal this season.
The last season third-placed Lyon has a slightly better chance than AS Monaco to beat the Ligue 1 with the odds at +1200, and the Kids could be a potential surprise, particularly if they manage to keep the skillful forward Nabil Fekir. Lyon had some excellent runs in the previous season, showing some remarkable attacking performance with Fekir onwards. The pacey hitman Mariano Diaz had a great year bagging 18 goals in 31 appearances and his contribution in this term could be crucial. This summer, the Kids bought the talented midfielder Tanguy Ndombele from Amiens in a $9.35 million deal, while the defender Mouctar Diakhaby left the team to join Valencia, so the manager Bruno Genesio shouldn’t have too many problems to build up the form. Lyon will be pleased with a top-three finish, but the Kids look keen to take any chance to endanger Paris SG.
Marseille is at +1400 to win the title, and after finishing at the fourth spot last season, the Olympians will give their best to at least grab the Champions League spot, and the price on the top-three finish is set at -125. Last year, Marseille reached the UEFA Europa League Final where they were easily beaten 3-0 by Atletico Madrid, so it was the tragic end of the season for the Olympians who will miss another Champions League edition. Marseille has kept all indispensable players including the winger Florian Thauvin who scored 22 goals in the previous Ligue 1 campaign. However, some heavyweight teams across Europa are interested in Thauvin’s services, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he leaves the Olympians until the end of the transfer window.
All other sides including Bordeaux at +25000 and Montpellier at +35000 will need a miracle to even seriously challenge for the Ligue 1 title. so let’s take a closer look at the Top 3 Finish odds and the markets on teams to be relegated at the end of the 2018-19 Ligue 1 season.
2018-19 French Ligue 1 Top 3 Finish Odds
| Paris SG -6600 | Lyon -110 | AS Monaco -125 |
| Marseille -125 | Bordeaux +1200 | Saint Etienne +1400 |
| Montpellier +1600 | Nantes +2000 | Nice +2000 |
| Caen +2000 | Rennes +2000 | Lille +2000 |
| Toulouse +2800 | Angers +4000 | Guingamp +10000 |
| Strasbourg +12500 | Reims +12500 | Amiens +12500 |
| Dijon +15000 | Nimes +15000 |
No one could jeopardize the Big Four in the 2017-18 season as the fifth-placed Rennes had 19 points behind Marseille in the fourth spot, while the sixth-placed Bordeaux was 22 points behind the Olympians. The bookmakers expect to see a similar story this year, setting +1200 odds on Bordeaux as the fifth strongest contender to earn the Champions League qualification, while five teams are set at +2000 – Nantes, Nice, Caen, Rennes, and Lille.
Keeping the 21-year old forward Malcom will be crucial for Bordeaux, and if the talented Brazilian join Barcelona or AS Roma like some pundits are suggesting these days, it would be a massive blow for the Girondins. Saint Etienne at +1400 and Montpellier at +1600 both maybe seem like nice wagers, but I assume they are capable of finishing in the top three. Montpellier will have to at least replicate the defensive performance from the last season to even stand a chance, while they’ve lost the right-back Nordi Mukiele who’s joined RB Leipzig for an $18.7 million. On the other side, Saint Etienne bought the forward Wahbi Khazri who had a great season with Rennes which could be a nice stimulus in the battle for the European soccer next year.
Nice disappointed in the previous Ligue 1 campaign, finishing at the eight spot of the table, and the Eaglets sold some important first-team players in the last couple of weeks. The dynamic midfielder Jean Michael Seri moved to Fulham in a hefty $35 million deal, while the striker Alassane Plea joined Borussia Monchengladbach in a transfer worth $26.9 million, so the new manager Patrick Vieira will have a difficult task to bring Nice back into the Champions League race. Rennes acquired Reims’ striker Jordan Siebatcheu to make it up for Wahbi Khazri’s departure, while Nantes hasn’t made any significant moves thus far.
The battle for the survival in the French Ligue 1 should be exciting, an according to some off-shore sportsbooks, six teams should struggle to stay alive – Nimes, Amiens, Reims, Dijon, Strasbourg, and Guingamp. Two last-placed sides at the end of the 2018-19 season will be relegated to the Ligue 2, while the 18-placed team will play in the relegation playoffs.
Nimes is back after spending 25 years in the Ligue 2, and the Crocodiles are certainly keen to play more than one season in the top tier, although the bookies consider them as the first pick at +187 to be relegated. Reims are also newcomers, and they’ve lost the best player Jordan Siebatcheu, so the Red and White will have to find the replacement as soon as possible.
Dijon had a nice 2017-18 season, ending at the 11th spot of the table, and this summer, the Mustards brought the playmaker Naim Sliti who should be a great reinforcement. I assume Dijon will battle against the relegation, but Strasbourg could be in big trouble, as Le Racing lost the key player from the previous season Martin Terrier, as the talented forward ended his loan spell from Lyon. Caen and Lille both escaped the relegation last year by one point, and the wages at +2000 seems quite intriguing, while Angers at +1000 and Toulouse at +1400 could also be decent wagers.
2018-19 French Ligue 1 Relegation Odds
| Nimes +187 | Amiens +200 | Reims +200 |
| Dijon +225 | Strasbourg +275 | Guingamp +300 |
| Angers +1000 | Toulouse +1400 | Caen +2000 |
| Lille +2000 | Rennes +2000 | Nantes +2000 |
| Nice +2000 | Montpellier +2500 | Saint Etienne +2500 |
| Bordeaux +3300 | Lyon +50000 | Marseille +50000 |
| AS Monaco +50000 | Paris SG +100000 |
Top Betting Picks
Winner: Paris SG (-1000)
Top Three: Paris SG (-6600), Lyon (-110), Marseille (-125)
Relegation: Amiens (+200) and Strasbourg (+275)
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