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Mark O'Haire's weekend best bets and tips

Mark O'Haire's football betting tips, best bets and nap: Lots of goals in France

By Mark O'Haire
Football
Sun November 06, 2022 · 3y ago

Mark O'Haire is 30.2pts in profit in his column this season. Be sure to check out his best bets from across this weekend's action.

  • Mark O'Haire column 21/22: +21.8pts profit | 15% return on investment
  • Mark O'Haire column 22/23: +30.2pts profit | 50% return on investment

Football betting tips: Mark O'Haire

2.5pts Both Teams to Score and Over 2.5 Goals in Lille v Rennes at evens (Boylesports)

2.5pts Both Teams to Score and Over 2.5 Goals in Troyes v Auxerre at 13/10 (William Hill)

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Lille v Rennes

Lille failed to score for the first time under Paolo Fonseca’s tutorship last weekend as Les Dogues fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Lyon. The loss ended LOSC’s three-game winning streak, but the away side deserved more from the match-up, winning the shot count 15-5 and firing in eight attempts from inside the penalty area without reward.

Now back at their Stade Pierre Mauroy base for Sunday’s showdown with Rennes, I’m backing standard service to resume with BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE AND OVER 2.5 GOALS an obvious angle of attack at even money.

Only PSG have notched more Ligue 1 goals this term than Lille. However, Les Dogues have displayed a defensive fragility when facing illustrious opposition; PSG struck seven goals here back in August, Monaco notched three, Nice two, with Lorient and Marseille also getting on the scoresheet twice when Lille were on the road in previous months.

That’s an obvious concern for LOSC as they prepare to welcome bang in-form Rennes (W7-D2-L0). Bruno Genesio’s boys have bagged five successive Ligue 1 victories, plundering 14 goals in the process, to rocket up the standings into third. The Brittany club have gotten on the scoresheet in every encounter since the opening weekend.

Even so, Rennes are far from rock-solid themselves, managing to silence their opponents on three occasions with games averaging 3.08 goals. All six of Les Rouge et Noir’s road trips have seen both sides oblige, whilst nine of their most recent 11 across all venues have broken the Over 2.5 Goals barrier.

Considering Lille have crossed that Over 2.5 Goals line in 10 of their 13 tussles – and BTTS has also banked on 10 occasions too - the ingredients are in place for another Sunday evening thriller from France.

Troyes v Auxerre

When scanning Europe’s big five leagues, you expect to see the likes of Manchester City, PSG and Bayern Munich dominating the goals per-game records across their domestic divisions. You certainly don’t anticipate plucky Troyes featuring alongside the big-hitters.

Troyes were considered a serious relegation concern before a ball was kicked, and although Bruno Irles’ outfit come into Friday night’s Derby de la N77 against Auxerre only three points above the dreaded drop-zone, ESTAC’s proactive performances have produced enough promise to suggest they’re capable of sustaining themselves in mid-table.

ESTAC have already held high-flying Rennes and Lorient at their Stade de l'Aube base, as well as pushing PSG and Lens all the way on the road. Last weekend the Champagne club struck three times in a thrilling 4-3 reverse against the runaway table-toppers, and high-scoring showdowns have tended to be the norm under Irles’ gung-ho system.

Troyes have racked up 24 league goals (1.85 per-game) thus far - the likes of Monaco and Lille have notched just a solitary goal more – with the hosts netting in all bar two of their opening 13 tussles, and striking twice or more on eight occasions. ESTAC comfortably boast the best attack in the bottom-half. However, they’re still searching for their first shutout.

Only rock-bottom Angers have conceded more often than Troyes as eight opponents have managed multiple goals against ESTAC already. Unsurprisingly, Both Teams To Score has proven profitable in 11 of 13 fixtures, with contests averaging a monstrous 4.00 goals per-game (a figure no side in Europe’s leading leagues can better).

Newly-promoted Auxerre sit just one point shy of Troyes ahead of their derby dust-up with the Burgundy boys fresh from a first success since August. AJA overcame shot-shy Ajaccio 1-0 last weekend to earn only their second clean sheet of the campaign, both of which have now arrived on home soil against bottom-four opposition.

I’m certainly not trusting the visitors to repeat the feat here. On their travels, Auxerre have leaked twice or more in five of six away days (W1-D0-L5), shipping 16 goals despite goalkeeper Benoit Costil providing a series of standout efforts between the sticks. Nevertheless, the 1996 champions can play their part in expansive clash.

Christophe Pelissier’s troops have only twice failed to score since returning to the top-flight with 9/13 (69%) rewarding BTTS hunters. Five of their six away days have already paid out for BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE AND OVER 2.5 GOALS backers and 13/10 quotes on a repeat are difficult to dismiss with the same selection landing in 9/13 (69%) Troyes tussles.

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