Ligue 1 Tips: Back in-form Dembele to inspire latest PSG victory

Betting.Betfair.com

·13 February 2025

Ligue 1 Tips: Back in-form Dembele to inspire latest PSG victory

French Ligue 1

Ousmane Dembele is in sensational scoring form for PSG

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On a sensational run of 15 winners from his last 20 Ligue 1 selections, James Eastham reveals the smart picks ahead of this weekend's French top-flight action...

PSG to triumph yet again
Fonseca to mastermind Lyon win
Lens to pay price for January sales

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Toulouse vs PSG - Saturday, 20:05

Playing perhaps the best football in Europe right now, Paris-Saint-Germain are a strong selection to win at Toulouse this weekend.

PSG are on a five-game winning streak in all competitions, with all five victories secured by a margin of two or more goals. They were excellent in their 3-0 midweek triumph at Brest in the Champions League playoffs, and there is no reason to believe they will ease off this weekend.

Reconfigured into a centre-forward, Ousmane Dembele is their stand-out performer: the erstwhile winger has 10 goals in his last four starts and has already netted as many goals in 2025 (15) as he did in the whole of last year. If you are looking for a contender in the player markets, Dembele at 13/10 in the Anytime Goalscorer market should be considered. Those odds are extremely generous given the form he is in.

Mid-table Toulouse are without a win in five in Ligue 1 (W0-D3-L2), and clearly inferior to the visitors all over the pitch. It would be an enormous shock if they prevented another Paris win.

With our selection, your stakes will be returned if PSG win by a single goal, and you will make a profit if Luis Enrique's visitors win by two or more goals.

Montpellier vs Lyon - Sunday, 14:00

The obvious gulf in class between these sides makes the visitors an excellent choice to win on Sunday.

Under new manager Paulo Fonseca, Lyon romped to a 4-0 win over Reims last weekend in a game that showcased their attacking prowess. Rayan Cherki, an excellent Corentin Tolisso and Georges Mikautadze were on target in a win that was all the more impressive as talismanic striker Alexandre Lacazette was absent through injury.

When Fonseca replaces sacked Pierre Sage last month, Lyon owner John Textor reiterated the club's ambition to finish in the top three this season. A renewed focus on that objective will be a clear motivating factor for Lyon this weekend.

Scarred by a difficult transfer window, Montpellier lost 2-0 at Strasbourg last weekend (a second consecutive defeat to nil). We flagged up Strasbourg as a side to support in last week's column, with Montpellier's January player sales a primary reason why we believed they would lose.

The same argument can be applied this weekend. Montpellier will be much less potent in the opposition half this weekend and in the coming weeks because of the recent sales of striker Akor Adams, and wingers Moussa Al Tamari and Arnaud Nordin. There is bad news at the other end of the pitch now, too: their best defender, Switzerland international Becir Omeragic, will be absent through injury this weekend.

Lyon are 1.7 to win. To support the visitors at bigger odds, we suggest backing Lyon on the Asian Handicap. With our selection, you will make a small profit if Lyon win by a single goal, and a bigger profit if they win by two or more goals.

Lens vs Strasbourg - Sunday, 16:15

Another side greatly weakened by the recent transfer window are Lens, and that is one reason we are opposing them this weekend.

Very publicly a selling club while the window was open, Lens let goalkeeper Brice Samba (for Rennes) and centre-backs Kevin Danso (Tottenham Hotspur) and Kodir Khusanov (Manchester City) leave. Right wing-back Przemyslaw Frankowski became the fourth important Lens player to fly the nest this week, joining Galatasaray.

These player sales raised £75 million but have left the team seriously depleted. It was no surprise that Lens produced arguably their worst performance of the season in losing 2-0 at Nice last weekend.

What is surprising given their transfer window activity is that Lens are odds-on to win this weekend. The 1.72 on the hosts collecting all three points looks far too short; it is more a reflection of the side they were during the first-half of the season, rather than how they are now.

Visitors Strasbourg are capable of exploiting Lens' weaknesses. They are only two places and three points below Lens in the Ligue 1 table. And in Netherlands U21 striker Emanuel Emegha they have one of the most promising young centre-forwards in the division. With six goals in six starts in 2025, Emegha will be champing at the bit to take on a Lens defence shorn of Danso and Khusanov. He is 13/5 in the Anytime Goalscorer market on the Sportsbook.

We would recommend laying Lens on the Exchange at 1.74 or backing Strasbourg on the Draw No Bet market on the Sportsbook at 23/10. With the first selection, you will make a profit as long as Lens fail to win. With the second, you will make a profit if Strasbourg win and have your stakes returned if the game ends in a draw.