Five things to watch during Ligue 1 Matchday 34 as Paris Saint-Germain look to get back on track at Troyes without Lionel Messi - live on BT Sport!

The Ligue 1 title conversation looked set to have ended, but Paris Saint-Germain's surprise 3-1 defeat at the hands of Lorient has left the door ajar for both Marseille and Lens.

Franck Haise's men host L'OM on Saturday night, while the following day offers PSG a chance to make amends at relegation-threatened Troyes.

Elsewhere over the weekend, Champions League-chasing Monaco travel to already-down Angers, Lille face Will Still's Reims and Nice play host to sixth-placed Rennes. 

Read on for the main Matchday 34 storylines, plus information on how you can watch SEVEN of the games exclusively live on BT Sport.

PSG aim to react after conceding Troyes

Sunday's defeat against Lorient represented Paris Saint-Germain's ninth loss already in 2023, along with their third home league reverse in four.

There were mitigating circumstances in this latest loss - they were down to 10 men for more than 70 minutes after Achraf Hakimi's two quickfire bookings - but the visitors' opener, which saw Enzo Le Fee find himself in acres of space to convert Romain Favire, happened when the reigning champions had their full complement of players on the field. 

After the game, Christophe Galtier claimed there were "too many players unfocused" and criticised Hakimi for his "very stupid" sending-off which sees him suspended for one match, while the club's football advisor Luis Campos revealed he visited the dressing room again and expects a "reaction".

Any response though will have to be mounted without Lionel Messi, who was suspended on Wednesday for two weeks after travelling to Saudi Arabia without the club's permission - for which he has now apologised publicly - to all but end chances of the World Cup winner staying in the French capital beyond this summer, when his contract expires. 

The defeat to Lorient also means that PSG have kept just three Ligue 1 clean sheets since the turn of the year. However, they might fancy making that four this weekend. 

Upcoming opponents Troyes could well be relegated on Sunday if they lose and results elsewhere go against them. 

They have the second-worst defence in the division - behind only bottom side Angers - and have not won in the league for 16 matches, the worst current run in Europe's top-five leagues, with a second-minute strike all that Nice needed to see off L'ESTAC last time out.

Going into this contest, Patrick Kisnorbo will perhaps look to utilise the pace of star striker Mama Balde against Sergio Ramos on the counter-attack, while the left side of PSG's defence looks vulnerable and there is now no recognised right-back due to Hakimi's suspension and injuries for Nordi Mukiele, Timothee Pembele and Nuno Mendes, with the Portugal international out for the rest of the season along with his fellow defenders and Neymar after pulling up against Lorient.

Warren Zaire-Emery, still just 16, will deputise in Hakimi's absence, and Kisnorbo will also have influential central midfielder Rominigue Kouame back from a yellow-card ban. That said, the Malian's return is unlikely to prevent PSG picking up all three points at Stade de l'Aube. 

Will there be a victor in second vs third?

Lens eked out a 1-0 victory at Toulouse on Tuesday to remain a point behind Marseille heading into this weekend - and it was Lois Openda who once again proved the difference-maker with his 18th goal of the league campaign, creating space for himself before flicking home Massadio Haidara's inviting left-wing cross. 

The overreliance on Openda - with Florian Sotoca misfiring and Wesley Said injured - is perhaps a concern for Franck Haise, but the Blood and Gold have now won six of their last seven matches and host Igor Tudor's men on Saturday evening, having beaten them 1-0 in the reverse fixture last October.

Marseille meanwhile looked in real danger of slipping to a costly defeat against relegation-threatened Auxerre last time out as Vitinha twice missed the target and was punished when Pau Lopez's punch out was guided back into his top right-hand corner courtesy of a sensational cushioned volley from Birama Toure. 

Nuno Tavares was thwarted by Ionut Radu after the break, but the Romanian could do nothing about Cengiz Under's precise 75th-minute finish before Alexis Sanchez converted Matteo Guendouzi's exquisite through-ball two minutes later to complete the comeback. 

Marseille will be just two points behind Paris Saint-Germain if they win at Stade Bollaert-Delelis and their extremely wealthy rivals lose at Troyes, while Lens' best-case scenario is cutting the gap at the top to three points. It's starting to get very, very serious. 

Monaco hope to control Angers

Just as it looked like Monaco would put serious pressure on Lens and Marseille for a top-three finish, Philippe Clement's men suffered heavy back-to-back defeats to the Blood and Gold and Montpellier.

The second of those losses - 4-0 at home - was especially shocking and resulted in a post-match crisis meeting involving players and staff, with Axel Disasi's loose pass to Arnaud Nordin for the game's opener proving to be just the start of an extremely ragged defensive display. 

An horrendously high line then cost the hosts as Faitout Maouassa doubled La Paillade's lead. 

Christian Matsima allowed the ball to run for Stephy Mavididi to set up Nordin for his second and Montpellier's third, before Mavididi rounded off the scoring, exploiting the space left by Ruben Aguilar to thump past Alexander Nubel. 

Clement's job is not thought to be under threat just yet, despite Monaco having now conceded 31 times at home in the league this season - the second-worst figure in the division.

Luckily for them however, it is Sunday afternoon's opponents Angers who hold top spot in that regard. 

Relegation was confirmed last weekend for Alexandre Dujeux's men, who took a surprise lead at Rennes through a Nabil Bentaleb penalty before trailing after 35 minutes following Amine Gouiri's clever flick and Cedric Hountondji's comical backpass that beat his own goalkeeper Paul Bernardoni and trickled agonisingly into the net. 

Ibrahima Niane's far-post header came at a crucial time just before the break to get Angers back level, but the visitors were the architects of their own downfall as Jeremy Doku was left unmarked to gorgeously guide in a volley from Gouiri's cross, with Doku dancing infield to slam home for the fourth and ensure that Les Noirs et Blancs' eight-year stay in France's top flight had come to an end. 

Dujeux had to contend with 11 absentees through injury or suspension at Roazhon Park and the situation is unlikely to improve greatly (if at all). 

Were Monaco not to win at Stade Raymond Kopa, Clement's job would come under serious scrutiny, with their position in the top five now looking in jeopardy ahead of tough-looking fixtures against Lille, Lyon, Rennes and Toulouse.

Lille have real hope of UEL qualification

Lille's comfortable win over Ajaccio maintained the faintest of hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, but Les Dogues' only realistic chance of improving their league position is by leapfrogging Monaco - two points ahead of them - into fourth. 

Their latest victory saw them score three times in 15 first-half minutes to get the job done.

Everton loanee Andre Gomes' classy brace - his first two-goal haul since April 2017 - set Paulo Fonseca's men on their way before Remy Cabella made it three, backing up his two assists for Gomes by ghosting in to tuck home from Jonathan Bamba's cut-back. 

Reims' aura of invincibility under Will Still has certainly disappeared in recent weeks. 

Les Rouges et Blancs have lost their last three games, the latest a 1-0 defeat at in-form Clermont. 

Still's team haven't scored in any of those three defeats, with Folarin Balogun's last goal from open play coming on 19 March in the loss at home to Marseille. 

The defence has also been guilty of slack marking on several occasions in the last few weeks, with Grejohn Kyei's winner last Sunday the most recent example. 

However, Reims do have positive memories of facing Lille in the reverse fixture after coming from behind to secure an impressive draw at Stade Pierre-Mauroy four months ago. 

A repeat result would be most welcome to stop the rot for Reims, who now sit 11th and are well and truly out of the race for Europe, with Cheick Keita likely to come in for suspended centre-back Emmanuel Agbadou. 

Gouiri returns to Allianz Riviera

During his two years at Nice, Amine Gouiri lit up the south-east coast with his dazzling skill. 

After moving to Rennes last summer, he has continued to play in the same joyful style, with his latest contributions against Angers coming in the form of an impudent flick to equalise and a lovely floated cross for Jeremy Doku to volley home wonderfully. 

Doku's nippy run and arrowed finish for Rennes' fourth and final goal was also very pleasing on the eye as the pair look to take that vibrancy to the Allianz Riviera. 

Hicham Boudaoui's excellent second-minute strike proved the difference at Troyes, ending a frustrating spell for Didier Digard's men that saw them surprisingly exit the Europa Conference League to Basel and lose to both Brest and Clermont domestically. 

At the other end of the age spectrum to 23-year-old Boudaoui, captain Dante has signed a contract extension until the summer of 2024, which would see him play for Nice beyond his 40th birthday. 

Benjamin Bourigeaud hasn't scored in the league since bagging the winner in the reverse fixture back in January. Can the 29-year-old clip the Eagles' wings once more and keep Rennes right on Lille's tail?

Your Ligue 1 weekend on BT Sport

Saturday

Nice vs Rennes (4pm on BT Sport 4)

Reims vs Lille (6pm on BT Sport 4)

Lens vs Marseille (7.45pm on BT Sport 2)

Sunday

Angers vs Monaco (12pm on BT Sport 3)

Nantes vs Strasbourg (2pm on BT Sport 3)

Lyon vs Montpellier (4pm on BT Sport 3)

Troyes vs Paris Saint-Germain (7.30pm on BT Sport 3)