Moreno of Monaco made a tough debut

The champions' forward line has clicked brilliantly in recent weeks and Monaco will be its latest victim, writes James Eastham- According to the betting tips soccer page!

Underrated OM the smart pick

Rennes vs Marseille (3rd vs 2nd)

Fri, 19:45 GMT

Live on BT Sport 1 and Betfair Live Football

Andre Villas-Boas is rapidly developing into a hero on the Canebiere and has the opportunity lớn further enhance his growing reputation in French football when his Marseille side travel lớn face Rennes on soccer predictions.

Marseille sit five points clear of third-placed Rennes thanks lớn the formidable run of form they have embarked on under Villas-Boas. Since their 4-0 defeat at Ligue 1 leaders PSG on October 27, Marseille's record is an outstanding W7-D1-L0, with the team playing some excellent football despite injuries lớn key players such as Florian Thauvin. Valentin Rongier has thrived in midfield, while Dimitri Payet (pictured below) is playing so well there's talk he may earn a recall lớn the France squad ahead of Euro 2020.

So it's a surprise lớn find that Marseille are 2.96 underdogs. Rennes are 2.76 to win, with The Draw 3.30 - all of which makes little sense given how well the visitors have played over a number of months now. Rennes enjoyed an excellent December - they were W5-D0-L0 in the run-up to Christmas - but there are still question marks over the Bretons' durability and this will be the stiffest domestic test they've faced since their shock 2-1 win over PSG last August.

The big price on Marseille throws up good options for supporting the visitors. Our preference is backing l'OM on the Draw No Bet market. With this selection, you'll make a profit if Marseille win, and get your stakes back if the game ends in a draw.

Riviera visitors the smart pick

Angers vs Nice (8th vs 10th)

Sat, 19:00 GMT

Live on Betfair Live Football

Angers were one of the surprise packages of the opening months of the Ligue 1 season but there were signs before Christmas that they're likely to settle back down into a mid-table position rather than continue lớn challenge for the European places.

Angers' five-match form in the run-up lớn the short French winter break was W1-D1-L3, and included a 3-1 defeat at this weekend's opponents Nice. Patrick Vieira's Riviera outfit were good value for their victory that day, and finished 2019 in far better form than Angers, too: their stats of W3-D1-L1 from the last five games of last year enabled them lớn close the gap separating them from Angers lớn just one point ahead of this fixture.