Marseille vs Reims Prediction: Olympians to lose points

The first round of the French Ligue 1 will end with the match between Marseille and Reims. Bookmakers have a clear preference for the vice-champion of the country, and the odds on their victory have risen nicely. Should we take advantage of it and bet on a win for Marseille? 

After 2nd place in the last French championship, it seemed that Marseille took the path of stability. However, the departure of Jorge Sampaoli as the head coach showed that things are not so optimistic. The Argentine did not find common ground with the club's transfer management: Sampaoli wanted Renato Sanches and Antoine Griezmann. Igor Tudor, who finished ninth with Verona in the previous Serie A competition, became the new manager. At the same time, the club retained the central core of players by buying out Matteo Guendouzi, Pau Lopez, and Arkadiusz Milik, while newcomers to Marseille were Jordan Veretout, Luis Suarez (not the one), Cengiz Under, Isaak Toure, and Jonathan Clauss. The Olympians have virtually no severe losses: only the participation of Pau Lopez is in question.

Marseille's stats are not yet encouraging: in 5 games, the team suffered three defeats. After losing to Norwich (0-3) and Middlesbrough (0-2), Igor Tudor's players drew with Betis (1-1) and lost to AC Milan 0-2. By halftime, the game with the Rossoneri could have come to a header, but the opponents failed to convert a one hundred percent chance. In the 2nd half, Marseille seized the initiative and could have scored 1-2 goals, but the opponents nearly extended the lead again in the end.

In the last Ligue 1, Reims finished 12th and had no chance to climb up the standings. The club does not intend to rest on its laurels and will try to climb higher in the current championship. Reims have kept most of their key players, but the significant loss was the departure of goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic. Patrick Pentz took over for the Serbian, and the team strengthened the center of defense by getting Emmanuel Agbadou. The primary summer acquisition was Junya Ito, who previously played for Genk. The Japanese midfielder scored eight goals and made 16 assists in the last Belgian championship; such a creative player can be a serious reinforcement for the team. Kaj Sierhuis and N'Dri Koffi are currently out. Moreto Cassama's participation is questionable.

Oscar Garcia's players have won three of their six friendly matches this summer, and a 2-2 draw was recorded in the friendly with Sassuolo. Reims led 2-0 against the Italian club but conceded two goals in three minutes. In the closing stages of the match, Emmanuel Agbadou could have put the Red-Whites ahead again but shot straight at the keeper from a clearance position.

In their last six head-to-head encounters, the teams scored two wins each. Last season Marseille registered a 1-1 draw at home before claiming a 1-0 home win. Reims could have hoped for more in a losing encounter, and it was Reims who had the initiative for a long time. Only in the 2nd half did Marseille start to create something at the Red and White goal, and eventually, Gerson scored the decisive goal on 83 minutes.

• Marseille had 6 wins in 10 home games;
• Reims won 6 of the last 10 away matches;
• Reims won the last 7 games on the road, keeping a clean sheet once.

Marseille has a lot of problems in this off-season. First of all, the defense is lame. Yes, it is difficult to conclude a match with a club of Milan's level, but the Olympians have already lost to weaker opponents this summer. Reims have looked good in friendly games, they have become more creative in attack with the emergence of Junya Ito, and Emmanuel Agbadou is a good addition to the attacking ranks. Reims looked at least as good as Marseille in their last encounter, and now the visitors have a chance to get points. I suggest betting on the following outcomes:

• Total Over (2.5) for 2.00;
• 2X for 2.45;
• H2 (+1) for 1.80.

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