what advantages do the french colonists looking for land in the Ohio river valley have over the British American colonists

The French had made alliances with Native American groups in the Ohio River Valley.

Explanation:

The British colonists were entering into conflicts with Native American groups as they started to settle through the Appalachian mountains and more sparsely populated back-country. At the time there were no clear dividing lines separating New France from the British colonies in the east. There were always disagreements about who could claim what land in the regions around the Ohio Valley and near the Great Lakes where the French had many established trading posts. For example the French built a fort in what is today Pittsburgh and the British felt this territory belonged to them. This essentially started the French and Indian War when George Washington was sent to ask the French to surrender Fort Duquesne to the English.