French Ligue 1 Match Predictions, Picks and Odds for Matchday 33

Betting Preview for French Ligue 1 Matchday 33

WagerTalk French Ligue 1 handicapper Kevin Dolan presents his French Ligue 1 Matchday 33 predictions and picks around key matches including Strasbourg vs Lyon as well as PSG vs Lorient. Which teams is he looking to pick up points and which will have goal scoring? Read his betting preview now!

Strasbourg vs Lyon | Friday 4/28 | 3:00pm ET

Strasbourg +200 | Lyon +135 | Draw +250

Lyon travel over to the Stade de la Meinau on Friday night looking to rebound after a disastrous own goal last weekend against Marseille handed them their first loss in Ligue 1 since February.

That means a chance at Europe looks increasingly unlikely for Les Gones as they currently sit six points off the pace for a Europa League spot this season along with having an inferior goal difference to the two teams in those spots Lille and Monaco as well.

Strasbourg meanwhile have found a rich vein of form of late, winning four of their last five games at home, but can’t quite rest on their laurels just yet as they remain squarely entrenched in the relegation dogfight with three teams all tied on 32 points.

Another victory will be essential for Strasbourg in this one if they’re going to continue to try and put some daylight between themselves and the relegation pack. Owning the league’s third best defensive xGA since March 1st is going a long way towards fulfilling that goal and Strasbourg will feel confident of another positive result at home here on Friday against a Lyon side who they’ve already enjoyed success against this season, beating them 2-1 on the road back in January.

Prediction: Strasbourg +0.25 (-125)

PSG vs Lorient | Sunday 4/30 | 11:05am ET

PSG -505 | Lorient +1155 | Draw +655

After a small hiccup across March and the early part of April in which Christophe Galtier’s men dropped three of their four games overall both domestically and in Europe, the Parisian giants have since responded with three straight victories against Nice, Lens and Angers across recent games.

That’s extended their lead at the top of the table to eight points currently, with the title race now all but assured bar a seismic level collapse, but PSG will still want to finish the season strong with so much uncertainty surrounding their top stars for next season.

Lionel Messi will be gone from the club as he winds down his current contract with Neymar potentially on the move also, so the French league leaders will be busy in the summer transfer window looking to shore up those absences in attack.

Lorient for their part are currently on a five game winless run in the league, and have effectively little else to play for this campaign nestled safely in mid-table as they are.

A huge part of that recent winless streak for Lorient has been their defense which has allowed six goals across just their last two games, and ranks as the second worst defensive xGA side on the road over 2023 also.

Both teams should play fairly loose in this one as the pressure remains off both sides here and we’re expecting an exciting encounter in the Parc des Princes on Sunday as a result in a game both teams likely find the back of the net in multiple times.

Prediction: Over 3.5 (-120)

Brest vs Nantes | Wednesday 5/3 | 3:00pm ET

Brest +120 | Nantes +230 | Draw +240

One of the historic French Derby de Breton matchups takes place next Wednesday as current Coupe de France finalists Nantes travel over to the Stade Francis-Le Ble to take on local rivals Brest who have been in some really solid form of late.

The Pirates were mired in the bottom three in the table as recently as March 1st, but thanks to the efforts of manager Eric Roy, now find themselves on a current five game unbeaten streak, with their only loss over their last seven league games coming against league leaders PSG.

However, Brest will need to maintain that same momentum here as they remain locked in the relegation zone and will no doubt be disappointed in the manner of their 0-0 draw against AC Ajaccio last weekend also.

Nantes meanwhile are sitting right alongside them, level on points overall with a slightly superior goal difference, so they too will know the importance of a positive result in this game against one of their Breton rivals.

Nantes play Toulouse in the Coupe de France final on Saturday in what is no doubt their biggest game of the season so far as they aim to win back-to-back crowns for the first time in their history after winning the competition last year against Nice.

That likely means win or lose (we’re previewing this matchup before Saturday’s final) that Nantes will likely be depleted here regardless of the eventual outcome, and with extra time to prepare for this one, as well as being in the better form of the two as well, we’re happy to side with Brest on the quarter goal handicap line here on Wednesday.

Prediction: Brest -0.25 (-118)