OM, Rennes, Monaco, Nice… the calendar of candidates for the podium
Four days from the end of the championship, the race for the podium is still undecided. If Marseille seems on track to finish in second place, it is very tight between third place, occupied by Rennes, and sixth.
The race for the podium is still in full swing after a weekend full of twists and turns. While Rennes, Monaco and Nice won, Strasbourg lost on the lawn of Lille, while Marseille is slowly approaching direct qualification in the Champions League. Four days before the end of the championship, here is the calendar of the contenders for the podium.
>> Ligue 1 live: information before the 35th day
– Marseille (2nd, 65pts)
Winners in pain in Reims on Sunday (1-0), Jorge Sampaoli’s men have the busiest schedule at the end of the season, with the championship and the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League against Feyenoord Rotterdam. In Ligue 1, OM face three direct competitors, starting on Sunday with Olympico.
D35: Marseille-Lyon
D36: Lorient-Marseille
D37: Rennes-Marseille
D38: Marseille-Strasbourg
– Rennes (3rd, 59 pts)
Revived after two consecutive defeats by a manite against Lorient (5-0), the Rennais and their fiery attack (75 goals scored) intervene this end of the season with the same number of points as Monaco, but a much higher goal difference ( +39 against +20), and a slightly more complicated schedule than the Principality team.
D35: Rennes-Saint-Etienne
D36: Nantes-Rennes
D37: Rennes-Marseille
D38: Lille-Rennes
– Monaco (4th, 59 pts)
Will ASM achieve the Grand Slam until the end of the season? On a series of six consecutive victories since the elimination in the Europa League against Braga, the Monegasques have notably offered themselves the scalp of PSG, Rennes and Nice, and remain on a logical victory against ASSE (4-1) . In the fight with the Rennais, Monaco seems to have a slightly more advantageous calendar.
D35: Monaco-Angers
D36: Lille-Monaco
D37: Monaco-Brest
D38: Lens-Monaco
– Nice (5th, 57 pts)
Sluggish in the game, the Aiglons remain on two consecutive victories at home which allow them to stay in the game for the podium. With a Coupe de France final to play against Nantes on May 7, Christophe Galtier’s men have a busy end to the season, with two teams struggling to stay on the menu.
D35: Bordeaux-Nice
D36: Nice-Saint-Etienne
D37: Nice-Lille
D38: Reims-Nice
– Strasbourg (6th, 56pts)
In the course of recent weeks, Strasbourg seems out of breath after a very good start to the season. Weakened by numerous draws (11), Julien Stéphan’s men remain on a setback in Lille, after having won brilliantly against Rennes. Racing faces two big pieces in the last four days, including PSG, freshly crowned champion of France.
D35: Strasbourg-PSG
D36: Brest-Strasbourg
D37: Strasbourg-Clermont
D38: Marseille-Strasbourg
– Lens (7th, 54 pts), Lyon (8th, 52 pts) and Lille (9th, 51 pts) still have hope
If all is not lost from an accounting point of view to grab third place, Lens, Lyon and Lille are starting from a very long way, especially Losc, which has a very generous schedule to manage (Troyes, Monaco, Nice, Rennes ). For their part, the Lyonnais want to hang a ticket for Europe after the failure in the Europa League.
With an Olympico as a starter, the main course and dessert (Metz, Nantes, Clermont) look a priori more affordable, even if nothing is simple in the long Lyon season. After missing the European train by a hair last season, the Lensois want to believe in their luck, especially since the calendar offers them a big chunk and three teams that have almost nothing left to play (Nantes, Reims, Troyes, Monaco).