Montpellier v Monaco

Montpellier vs Monaco Preview

Montpellier slumped to yet another defeat last weekend in the French top flight when they were handed a heavy 3-1 loss at home to Angers which has left the hosts sitting bottom of the Ligue 1 table and seven points adrift of safety ahead of Friday night's clash against high-flying Monaco.

Monaco's winless run in the domestic top flight was extended to three games overall last Friday when they were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw away from home at Nantes which Adi Hütter's side would have considered it being two points dropped rather than the single point gained but nevertheless, the visitors still remain in third place in the Ligue 1 standings.

It is now six games without a win for Friday night's hosts, Montpellier, as Jean Gasset's side have slumped to four defeats which have outweighed the two points gained by way of stalemates with Lille and Nice, both of which were at home and both resulting in 2-2 score-draws.

However, recent losses at the hands of Saint-Etienne, Lens, Lyon and Angers have done the damage in the past few weeks while the bigger picture shows Montpellier have managed to capture just one win from their last 12 matches overall in Ligue 1.

That rare highlight came in the form of a 3-1 home win against Brest but no fewer than nine defeats within this 12-match period have condemned Montpellier to bottom place of the Ligue 1 table.

Monaco have had to endure a recent run of frustrating and ultimately disappointing results in the domestic top flight as Adi Hütter's side have been involved in two draws and a 4-2 loss at home to PSG.

Points picked up in draws with Reims 0-0 and Nantes 2-2 have resulted in Monaco losing ground on the top two clubs in Ligue 1 and the visitors now trail second placed Marseille by a five-point margin ahead of this upcoming trip to the Stade de la Mosson-Mondial 98 on Friday night.

Nevertheless, Monaco have a great opportunity to return to winning ways away from home against a poorly out of form Montpellier outfit and having won three out of their preceding four games prior to this three-game winless sequence, the visitors will still fancy their chances here.

Previous victories gained over Strasbourg, Brest and Toulouse should still give Monaco plenty of confidence ahead of this upcoming encounter, while goals also look set to feature against Montpellier as the hosts have failed to keep a single clean sheet so far this season, while 12 of Montpellier's 17 games to date have resulted in both teams scoring.

Montpellier v Monaco Verdict

Montpellier need to dig themselves out of trouble while Monaco will be keen to returning to winning ways - both teams to score here.

Therefore, our main bet will be BTTS Yes @ 1.61

Other side bets worth considering:

Draw @ 4.50

Correct Score: 1-1 @ 9.00