Ligue 1 Preview: Can Monaco put one hand on the title this weekend?

Saint Etienne-Bordeaux

The first match of the 36th fixture, and the only to one to be played on Friday, will have Saint-Etienne host direct rivals Bordeaux at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. Both teams, located at the top half of the table, are eager for points. Saint Etienne come into the game with a 2-2-1 record in their previous 5, having lost to Marseille by a staggering 4-0. Most of their wins come at home, so they will be looking to trouble Bordeaux and maybe ruin their Europa League race. The away side possess a positive 3-1-1 in their last 5, with their last loss in Ligue 1 dating back to April 2nd when they visited 3rd place Nice.

Saint Etienne are 7th with 49 points, while Bordeaux are 5th with 56 points. The home side, however, have a game to play.

Paris Saint Germain-SC Bastia

The first game on Saturday will have French giants PSG face last-place Bastia. The home side, seriously hurt by their outing last weekend, have a near impossible journey to win the league. With Monaco winning just 2 of their next 4, the team from ‘El Principado’ would take the trophy home. They lost last weekend against Nice, in a frustrating game where two players for the Parisian squad were sent off. Bastia, most likely to be in Ligue 2 next season, hold a surprising 2 wins in their last 3, holding a 2-0-3 record in their previous 5 matches. PSG hold a 4-0-1 record in their last 5, with their only loss coming to, as previously stated, Nice over the weekend.

The home side are 2nd with 80 points while SC Bastia are 20th with just 31 points.

Nancy-Monaco

This game will have the league leaders visit relegation zone Nancy after their match against Juventus at home during the week. Due to the fact that many Monaco players will be experiencing fatigue, and Nancy desperately needing points, the home side might take points from the league leaders, however this event is highly unlikely. Nancy hold a 1-1-3 record in their previous 5, with their only win coming against Rennes by a score of 3-0. The away club are 4-0-1 in their last 5, with their only loss coming to PSG in the Coupe de France semi-finals.

Nancy are 19th with 32 points, while the league leaders have 83 points. Monaco just need 2 victories from their last 4 matches to be crowned champions. They possess a very accessible schedule to do so, since their remaining matches are Nancy and Rennes away and Saint-Etienne and Lille at home.

Lorient-Angers

The next match will have Lorient host direct rivals Angers in a ‘bottom-half of the league battle’.

The game will be played at the Stade du Moustoir, and will see recently improved Lorient hope to stay in Ligue 1 by winning at home in front of their crowd. Lorient possess a positive 3-0-2 record in their last 5. They are currently 16th with 34 points, while Angers are 14th with 39 points. The away team hold just one win in their previous, accounting for a 1-0-4 record.

Lille-Metz

The next matchup will have Lille host Metz at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Both teams, located in the bottom half of the table, will probably not be very motivated due to the fact that they have no further goals they can accomplish. Lille, and most likely Metz, will both stay in Ligue 1 next season, with Lille looking for a top-half of the table finish. Lille are 11th with 43 points, while Metz hold the 15th spot with 39. The home team hold a 2-game winning streak, however they managed to lose all 3 games before that. They have a 2-0-3 record in their last 5, while Metz have only one win in their last 5, which came last weekend against Nancy by a score of 2-1.

Toulouse-Caen

The following game will see Caen visit Toulouse at the Stadium Municipal on Saturday. The home side are negative run, as they are winless in their previous 4. They hold a 1-2-2 record in their previous 5 games, which has them positioned in 12th place in Ligue 1. Caen, on the other hand, are facing relegation. Their winless 5 game streak has them at the 18th place in the league, as they hold a 0-1-4 record.

Guingamp-Dijon

The last match on Saturday will include Guingamp and Dijon battling for 3 points at the Municipal du Roudourou. The home team have lost 3 straight games, having a 1-0-4 record in their previous 5. Dijon are dancing with the relegation zone as they are 17th in the league with the same amount of points as 18th place Caen. They have 33 points, while Guingamp are 10th in the league with 44 points.

Rennes-Montpellier

The first match to be played on Sunday, May 7th will be between Rennes and Montpellier at the Roazhon Park. The home team have a 1-2-2 record in their last 5 games, with their only win coming against Lille by a score of 2-0. The away side hold a 2-0-3 record in their last 5, winning two consecutive games against Lorient and Caen.

Rennes are 9th in the table with 44 points, while Montpellier’s 39 points has them at 13th place.

Lyon-Nantes

The next game of the weekend will have Lyon host Nantes at the Stade des Lumieres. The home team have a 2-1-2 record in their last 5, while Nantes hold a positive 3-1-1 record, having won their last 2 matches against Caen and Lorient. The home team lost 4-1 to Ajax during the week in the Europa League, a match that will obviously have an impact on their mental state. They are 4th with 57 points while Nantes are 8th with 48 points.

Marseille-Nice

The last match of the weekend, and by far the most entertaining, will have Marseille host Nice at the Stade Orange Velodrome. The irregular home side hold a positive 2-0-3 record in their last 5, holding an unbeaten run of 8 games. Nice come from a quality win over PSG that might have decided the title race this year in France. They too hold a unbeaten streak, as they are undefeated in their previous 5 (4-1-0). Marseille are 6th with 55 points, while Nice are 3rd with 77 points.