PSG vs. Nice Betting Tips: Lionel Messi backed in 10/1 double

Rumours were rife during the international break that Nice were set to replace Lucien Favre with Mauricio Pochettino. Favre, in his second spell in charge, remains at the helm for the moment at least, but the Swiss coach has been dealt some shocking cards as his side now make the daunting trip to Paris where they face an unbeaten PSG.

PSG top Ligue 1 with 22 points from a possible 24, scoring 26 goals and conceding just four so far this season. Since swapping Nice for PSG in the summer, Christophe Galtier has won 10 and drawn one of his 11 matches. His side have won their last six straight in all competitions and have been handed odds of just 1/6 to record another three points on Saturday.

Over at Nice, as mentioned, Favre is fearing for his future following a stuttering start to the season in which his side have won just two of their opening eight games. Les Aiglons are as long as 19/1 to whip up the first defeat of Galtier’s tenure, while a draw is priced at 15/2.

Below we bring you two tips for the game at the Parc des Princes, which is available to watch on BT Sport 2 this Saturday at 8pm…

PSG’s stellar form, fondness for goals and resolute defence is in complete contrast to Nice’s error-strewn displays, shyness in front of goal and struggle for clean sheets.

As touched upon, PSG have won 10 of their 11 matches this season, six of which have been achieved with a clean sheet. New look Nice have failed to sparkle so far, scoring just five league goals - outscoring only rock-bottom Ajaccio - and have conceded in 10 of their 12 matches in all competitions, so you really do fear for them away to the triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar who are all in cracking form right now.

With the above in mind, I was surprised to find that a PSG win to nil can still be backed at odds-against with Boylesports, who are offering fanciful odds of 21/20 for this outcome.

For the second tip I’ve created a 10/1 double via Paddy Power’s BetBuilder feature, which requires the in-form Lionel Messi to have 3 or more shots on target and Nice defender Jordan Lotomba to be carded.

Messi may have experienced an extremely rare - in fact, unprecedented - off-season in 2021/22, however with the World Cup edging ever closer the Argentine finds himself in sensational form.

Since June, Messi has scored 15 goals in 14 games for PSG and Argentina. He’s found the back of the net in each of his last four games, bagging six goals, including a brace in each of Argentina’s international fixtures. 

On top of that, Messi has had the most shots (39) and most shots on target (22) of any player in Ligue 1 this season, racking up 13 SOT in his last four club outings, including five-figure tallies against Lyon and Toulouse. So watch out Nice.

Nice’s jittery defence is in for a long night in Paris. Remaining composed and focused when Messi, Neymar and Mbappe are running riot is an absolutely daunting task, and one I think could result in a caution for right-back Jordan Lotomba, who has frequented the ref’s black book in two of his last three games.

Combine these two bets together and you get a nice little 10.69/1 with Paddys.