Extended Highlights - Brest 1-0 Lyon
Sep 24There’s still plenty to play for at the top and bottom of Ligue 1 and there are more important games to come this weekend.
PSG aim to extend their lead at the summit, while Reims will be looking to continue their remarkable form under Will Still away at Champions League-chasing Monaco.
For the lowdown on the weekend's main storylines, plus information on how you can watch five Ligue 1 games live on BT Sport, read on.
NEW NAME. SAME GAME.
Watch TNT Sports' unbeatable line-up of world-class live sport for just £29.99 a month.
Can PSG refocus on the league after big European night?
With an eight-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 after a run of three straight wins, PSG are now in pole position to secure another league title.
But complacency could still be an issue, particularly if, as expected, the Champions League becomes the club’s main priority in the final weeks of the season.
Christophe Galtier’s side travelled to Germany in midweek for the second leg of their last 16 tie against Bayern Munich, desperate to progress to the latter stages of the competition and make their mark on the biggest stage.
That, after all, is why Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe were brought to the club. But there may be something of comedown for PSG this weekend: after the glamour of Bavaria and the Allianz Arena they travel to Brest’s modest Stade Francis Le Blé.
The league leaders will expect to win comfortably against their lowly opposition but strange things can happen after a big European night.
Will Still faces another test of his credentials
Reims’ Belgian-English manager has been one of the stories of the season in Ligue 1.
His side beat Ajaccio last weekend to make it 18 league games unbeaten, an astonishing run that has taken them to the heights of eighth in the current standings.
They travel to the south coast to face Monaco on Sunday for what will undoubtedly be one of the toughest examinations of Still’s coaching ability so far.
The 30-year-old will know his side are the underdogs against opposition that up until recently looked like an outside bet for the title - although a 3-0 defeat to Nice and a draw at Troyes last time out has left Monaco simply aiming to hold on to third place.
How far Still can take Reims and when this exceptional run will come to an end remains to be seen, but by now they won’t be taken lightly by anyone in the division.
Les rouges et blancs haven’t conceded a goal in their last four Ligue 1 games and those years of obsessing over Football Manager have clearly given Still a tactical edge.
Nantes aim to arrest worrying slide
It’s been a strange season for Nantes. Antoine Kombouaré’s side have impressed in the Europa League and reached the semi-finals of the French Cup with a win over Lens last week.
In the league, though, they have flattered to deceive and after three successive defeats, the latest of which was a 4-2 reversal at PSG, things appear to be heading in the wrong direction.
Nantes are now just six points above the relegation zone and will be targeting Saturday’s home game against Nice as an opportunity to get back on track.
And they will know they are capable of far better; only a few weeks ago the Canaries held Juventus to a draw in Turin and of course, finished ninth last season and won the French Cup.
Nice, meanwhile, are unbeaten in eight league games and head into this contest full of confidence, still hopeful of securing a European place with 12 games to go.
Can Marseille keep the pressure on PSG?
Marseille have had a difficult couple of weeks, knocked out of the cup by minnows Annecy and losing 3-0 at home to PSG in Le Classique.
They might have been forgiven for surrendering the title to their rivals and sulking but Igor Tudor’s side bounced back with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Rennes last time out.
Les Phocéens host Strasbourg on Sunday night, by which point PSG will have already played at Brest.
The gap could be 11 points by kick-off, then, so Marseille will need to win to ensure the lead doesn’t become unassailable.
Your Ligue 1 weekend on BT Sport
Saturday
Brest vs Paris Saint-Germain (8pm on BT Sport 3)
Sunday
Clermont vs Lens (12pm on BT Sport 2)
Nantes vs Nice (2pm on BT Sport 2)
Monaco vs Reims (4.05pm on BT Sport 2)
Marseille vs Strasbourg (7.45pm on BT Sport 2)
