Lille are in pole position to seal the final place in the top three of Ligue 1. Is there value in backing Lyon to leapfrog them on the final weekend?PSG and Lens have all but secured the top two positions. The team that finishes third will claim automatic UCL qualification.Ligue 1 – Betting MarketOddsLille to finish inside top 31.22Lyon to finish inside top 312.00Rennes to finish inside top 335.00Odds courtesy of 1xBet. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change..LilleWith a one-point lead on Lyon, Lille are the current favourites to secure third place. They only need to beat Auxerre at home to seal direct passage into the lucrative UCL league stage.On paper, that’s a favourable final fixture. Les Ajaistes are down in 15th place. They have only recorded seven wins all season in the French top flight.However, two of those victories have come in their previous two matches. The visitors will be highly motivated at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy as they fight to avoid the relegation play-off spot.Those two recent wins came at home against fellow strugglers. However, Auxerre have also shown plenty of fighting spirit in tougher fixtures of late.Christophe Pelissier’s team have lost just one of their past seven Ligue 1 matches. That solitary defeat came via a narrow 3-2 margin away to Lyon. They also dented Monaco’s European aspirations with a 2-2 draw at the Stade Louis II in April.These results suggest a Lille win is far from guaranteed on the final weekend. Les Dogues have been in great form overall, but they’ve been held by struggling teams in their past two home games. That suggests backing them to secure a top-three finish may not offer much value at such short odds.LyonLyon are best placed to take advantage of any slip-up from Lille. They’d been on a four-game winning streak before suffering a damaging 2-1 defeat at Toulouse last time out. As a result, Paulo Fonseca’s side are no longer in control of their own destiny.They have a tough final fixture at home to second-placed Lens. However, their opponents could have little left to play for if they fail to beat PSG on Wednesday night. With Les Parisiens not facing any immediate European assignments, Luis Enrique’s side should be at their best. Even if Lens were to win, their title hopes would remain very slim. They’d still be dependent on PSG losing their final fixture, as well as a large goal difference swing. At the end of a fantastic campaign, Pierre Sage’s team may well lose momentum at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.That already seems to be the case. Lens have not won any of their previous five away league fixtures in a run that stretches back to February. They were beaten 3-0 at Lille only last month.Unlike Lens, Lyon head into the clash following a free midweek. They can take confidence from an impressive average of 2.31 points per home game this season. Les Gones have netted 30 times in the league in front of their own fans, conceding only 14 goals. Their home defensive record is the third best in the division. They’ve won three out of four in their own stadium against teams currently in the top six.That suggests Lyon are capable of getting the job done on Sunday night as Ligue 1 concludes. With Lille potentially vulnerable against Auxerre, backing Fonseca’s team to finish in the top three appears to offer value.RennesIn the event that the two teams above them slip up, Rennes could take advantage. A victory against Marseille would see them finish above Lyon should Les Gones drop points. That would be enough for at least a place in the Champions League third qualifying round.In order for Rennes to finish third, Lille would also likely need to lose at home to Auxerre. That’s because Bruno Genesio’s side currently boast a superior goal difference.To add more complexity to the race for European places, Marseille only need to beat Rennes to finish above their opponents. Habib Beye’s side can no longer qualify for the Champions League. However, they’ll still be very motivated as they bid to secure a Europa League place.Rennes have been in terrific form, with five wins from their last six games. Despite that, they were beaten 4-2 by Lyon in their last road match. It won’t be any easier at the Stade Velodrome, where Marseille have lost just twice in the league.Overall, it’s very hard to see all of the results going Rennes’ way on Sunday. They don’t seem to be worth backing in the top-three market, with fifth place a more realistic target. +
