Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain v Montpellier Odds and Betting Preview

PARIS, FRANCE - All eyes in France tonight will be glued to the action at the Parc des Princes, as league leaders Paris Saint-Germain entertain second-placed Montpellier in the late kick-off. With just one point separating the sides in the table, a win for either side would significantly enhance their chances of winning the Ligue 1 title.

Despite the sides being so closely matched in the league, PSG go into the match as huge favourites due to their home advantage. Paris can be backed at bet odds of 4/5 (bet £50 to make £40 profit) with Paddy Power and Stan James to win the high-profile clash, whilst a draw is on offer at 13/5 with Bet Victor, which would leave all to play for in the remaining 14 games of the season. Montpellier are chasing the Champions League places and the away win is at 4/1 with bet365 and Coral.

Paris have enjoyed a bright start under new coach Carlo Ancelotti, but lost their 100% win record in Ligue 1 last weekend with a frustrating 0-0 draw at struggling Nice. Nevertheless, they had a good week and won 1-0 at under-rated Dijon in the Coupe de France to book a place in the quarter-finals along with fierce rivals Marseille. Former Chelsea defender Alex picked up an injury in Burgundy, but he is said to be doing better now and is fit to start his second match for the Qatari-owned club, partnering Mamadou Sakho at the back. Both Sakho and Alex will be spending all evening monitoring Olivier Giroud, who has scored three goals in four games against PSG. In other news, Milan Bisevac plays at right back in place of the injured Christopher Jallet, whilst Matuidi replaces Bodmer in the middle of the park. Star player Javier Pastore has been sidelined for a month now, and will probably start on the bench, with the attacking trio Menez-Gamerio-Nene given the rubber stamp by King Carlo before kick-off.

Montpellier have surpassed all expectations this season, and continue to be under-rated by the bookmakers. They have lost just two of their last 10 matches against Paris and have scored the most goals in Ligue 1 with 45, which is seven more than their adversaries tonight. Montpellier’s president Louis Nicollin has done a wonderful job to construct such a bright squad with so much talent, although much of their success is down to Olivier Giroud, who was a bargain buy from Tours in January 2010. They have the 13th budget in the league so are definitely punching above their weight, whilst equivalent clubs elsewhere in Europe such as Grenada, Bologna and Wolves flirt with relegation. Back in September Paris won 3-0 in Montpellier, but René Girard’s troops will be a different proposition tonight. Captain Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa will have to run the show from the back and somehow contain Brazilian playmaker Nene, who has been the star of Ligue 1 this season.

In the correct score betting, the bookies are going with a slender 1-0 win for the hosts, which is at 11/2 with William Hill. If punters are going with a 1-0 prediction, they should probably head over to bet365 for their 5/1 quote, as they will refund losing correct score bets if the game finishes 0-0. A 1-1 draw is best-priced at 13/2 with Coral, just ahead of 2-0 to Paris which trades at 7/1 with Unibet and William Hill. Montpellier cannot afford to be ruled out by punters, and a 1-0 win for the away side makes plenty of appeal at 15/1 on Betfair. Those predicting goals can try 2-2 and 3-3 draws at 18/1 and 100/1 respectively with Bet Victor.

Nene is deemed to be the player most likely to open the scoring, and the Brazilian is at 5/1 with Boylesports and Sky Bet. Nene has 11 goals to his name this season, of which six have been penalties, which is always handy to have on your side when placing a first goalscorer bet. Paris striker Kevin Gameiro is having a fair season, although has not quite fulfilled expectations yet, and could be due a big match. Gameiro is 11/2 with unibet to notch first, but at 7/1 with Paddy Power Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud makes more appeal considering his record against PSG. Pastore is unlikely to start, in which case he can be ruled out of the running at 6/1, whilst at bigger odds midfielder Rémy Cabella looks a good punt for the away side at 14/1 with bet365, having scored three goals in 14 matches.

In other markets, Paris are 19/10 with Stan James to lead at both half-time and full-time, whilst they will be a popular bet to ‘win to nil’ at 7/4 with Bet Victor with the two rocks Sakho and Alex at the back. A red card is 5/2 with unibet and under 2.5 goals looks a good punt at 3/4 with Bet Victor.

The crunch match kicks-off at 9.00pm local time on Sunday 19 February, which is 8.00pm in the UK. UK-based punters can catch the game on the excellent bet365 live streaming service, whilst in France it is on Canal+.

Paris Saint-Germain v Montpellier Match Odds

Paris Saint-Germain v Montpellier First Goalscorer Odds

Paris Saint-Germain v Montpellier HT/FT Odds

Paris Saint-Germain v Montpellier Correct Score Odds

Ligue 1 Winner 2011/12 Odds