French Ligue 1
Fixture: Nancy 4-0 Monaco
Venue: Stade Marcel Picot (Nancy home)
Kick-off: 7pm BST (Sat)
Verdict: Monaco are going to be a very interesting proposition this season. They have a new coach in Guy Lacombe (former Rennes) who will be looking to reverse the stagnation of the once-great French side. Their two major pluses are an exceptionally strong defence and some interesting youngsters. A 1-0 win at home to Toulouse (home not being their strongest point in the ghost-like Stade Louis II and Toulouse being one of the stronger sides in the league) was a big positive, but backing them so early may prove risky.
However, Nancy just avoided the drop last season and had an appalling home record on the way. They lost their first game of the season last week when their heads dropped against Valenciennes so on top of Monaco's preference for away games this may not be the surprise everyone expects it to be.
Betting Advice: 2pts Monaco to win at 13/5 (3.6 at expekt.com)
Fixture: PSG 3-1 Le Mans
Venue: Parcs des Princes (PSG home)
Kick-off: 6pm BST (Sat)
Verdict: While many tipsters do not start until the beginning of September citing the need to see some form develop (and I can see their reasoning, it's very sound) footbet has been slaving away in the close season so that our tips can take advantage of the fact that the bookies are a bit rusty, too. Remember, they've had summer off as well. Anyway, PSG are a sound bet this season having bought again in close season after a much better year last year. Their strength is in Paris, so expect a strong showing against a less-than-mediocre Le Mans side.
Betting Advice: 5pts PSG to win at 4/6 (1.67 at BlueSq and 888sport)
Fixture: Marseille 1-0 Lille
Venue: Stade Velodrome (Marseille home)
Kick-off: 8pm BST (Sun)
Verdict: There is one thing of which I can be certain of in the French Ligue 1 this season Marseille are going to win the title. OM choked at the last hurdle last season, but are much stronger this year, have the talismanic Didier Deschamps in charge and have an irresistible squad. They have started well enough and can put down a marker for the season against last season's fifth place side. Back at a decent price while you can.
Betting Advice: 4pts Marseille to win at 8/11 (1.73 at Bet365)
German Bundesliga
Fixture: Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Hoffenheim
Venue: BayArena (Bayer Leverkusen home)
Kick-off: 2.30pm BST (Sat)
Verdict: Most people are tipping a goal-fest in this game as both sides have a reputation for going at it hammer and tongs. However, I have sensed a change in Bayer Leverkusen since the arrival of the vastly experienced Jupp Heynckes as coach. The 64-year-old coach does not like getting mugged over and he has solved the problem of an inexperienced and scratchy defence in one fell swoop with the acquisition of Sami Hyypia from Liverpool. The price on more than 2.5 goals in the match is as low as 4/7, but we like Bayer Leverkusen this season and are tipping them to do well by backing the home win here.
Betting Advice: 2pts Bayer Leverkusen to win at 11/10 (2.1 at Stan James)
