Marseille Open Season At Brest After Busy Summer
Ligue 1 Matchday 1: Brest vs Marseille Odds, Preview
Brest Making First-Ever Champions League Appearance in 2024-25
Ligue 1 action kicks off this weekend as Brest, the surprises of the 2023-24 season, take on Marseille.
Marseille had a disappointing campaign last season but Roberto De Zerbi has taken over as coach and OM have been aggressive in the transfer market.
Marseille aren’t in European competition for the first time since 2019-20 and will put all of their focus on their Ligue 1 campaign. In an intriguing season opener, we’ll cover the Brest vs Marseille odds and preview Saturday’s Ligue 1 match.
Brest vs Marseille
⏰Day/Time:
📍Location: Stade Francis Le-Blé, Brest, France
📺Streaming: Live Soccer TV
Head-to-Head:
Pierre Lees-Melou scored the game’s only goal as Brest took down Marseille back in February. The pregame Brest vs Marseille odds priced victors Brest at +155.
- Marseille ended up winning the reverse fixture, 2-0, but Brest have lost only two of the last six meetings. Still, Marseille are 3-1-1 in their last five matches on the road at Brest.
Brest Coming off Best-Ever Season
2023-24 Season:
- Ligue 1: 17-7-10 (3rd)
- Coupe de France: Round of 16, lost 3-1 at PSG
Injuries/Absences:
M Pierre Lees-Melou (Leg)
Before the 2023-24 season, Brest had never finished above eighth in Ligue 1. Eric Roy sensationally guided the Bretons to the Champions League last season as they finished in third place behind a solid defense.
Brest conceded one goal per game and lost just two matches at home as they beat Lille to the third and final automatic Champions League place on the season’s final day.
Attacking midfielder Romain del Castillo had an excellent season, with eight goals and eight assists, the latter of which was joint-best in the Ligue 1 stats.
Meanwhile, left back Bradley Locko and midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou made the Ligue 1 team of the season. Lees-Melou broke his fibula in May and has returned to training but Brest are cautious with his return.
Loan players were key for Brest last season, but Martin Satriano and Kamory Doumbia are back with their respective clubs.
Brest brought in Ludovic Ajorque and Abdoulaye Ndiaye this season, and Ajorque has had a couple of ten-goal seasons in Ligue 1.
Marseille Bring in Plenty of Talent
2023-24 Season:
- Ligue 1: 13-11-10 (8th)
- Europa League: Semifinals, lost 4-1 (agg.) to Atalanta
- Coupe de France: Round of 32, lost 1-1 (8-9 p) at Rennes
Injuries/Absences:
M Valentin Rongier (Knee), F Bilal Nadir (Knee)
- New Marseille signing Lilian Brassier’s first game comes against his former club. The defender earned widespread recognition for his performances in 2023-24.
With former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi at the helm, Marseille have also signed Mason Greenwood, Ismael Kone, Bamo Meite, Geronimo Rulli, Jeffrey de Lange, Valentin Carboni and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and are closing a deal for striker Elye Wahi.
They’ve retooled after a season where they won only 13 Ligue 1 games but advanced to the Europa League semis.
Replacing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goals is going to be the most difficult thing OM have to do, as he bailed them out on countless occasions.
Although Greenwood brings controversy, it’s hard to argue against him being an effective player. At Getafe last season, on loan from Manchester United, he scored eight goals and provided six assists. He’ll be a key winger next to Wahi.
Carboni is another exciting signing, and he’s on loan from Inter Milan with an option to buy. The left-footed 19-year-old attacking midfielder carved out a key role on loan at Monza last season.
Marseille had four managers last season and they should flourish with more stability.
First stop in Marseille for 𝗝𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 🎡🏐
📍 Escale Borely pic.twitter.com/XUw6uB8vbm
— Olympique de Marseille 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 (@OM_English) August 12, 2024
Match Analysis & Odds
- Saturday’s match seems to be a tricky one to predict, as Brest as slight +155 favorites. Meanwhile, visitors Marseille come in at +165.
The Brest vs Marseille odds also list a draw at +240, but only one of the last 12 matches between these Ligue 1 teams has finished all square.
De Zerbi’s teams are known for scoring, and conceding, quite a few goals. Here, over 2.5 goals sit at -120 odds, while both teams to score is priced at -145.
While Brest pk shows -120 France Ligue 1 odds, bettors can also consider Marseille pk at even odds.
While Marseille have won their last four Ligue 1 openers, the Ligue 1 scores show the last time Brest lost their home opener was in 2020, to Marseille.
For Ligue 1 betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
