Montpellier preview
- Solid enough start to the season, without being spectacular.
- Scored in every match so far and only lost once.
- Squad in perfect condition with no injuries or suspensions.
- Veteran captain at the back Hilton might return to the starting XI.
Nice preview
- One of just two teams remaining who are unbeaten in Ligue 1.
- Won a pulsating clash against Marseille last week 3-2.
- Played on Thursday night in the Europa League and were beaten at home by Schalke.
- Nice aren’t a team used to dealing with European matches so it could be a struggle to recover, especially with this being an earlier kick off time.
- Key midfielder Jean Michael Sewri is injured and Mario Balotelli is rested.
Conclusion & betting analysis
- Two teams, who under normal circumstances would be very evenly matched up in a south coast derby.
- Montpellier surely have to have an edge here, both in terms of actual physical fitness and match preparation.
- Mario Balotelli had a great debut last week but is left out to rest and will be missed, reducing the threat Nice have upfront.
- I’m not sure what they’ll have left in the tank and Montpellier -0.25 looks appealing @ around the 2.0 mark.
- Difficult to say if this will be an open or tight match, anything is possible.
- But over the course of the 90 mins I think Montpellier will do enough to win so I’m happy to back them on this handicap.
Prediction: 2-0
Recommended bet 1 unit: Montpellier -0.25 @ 2.0