Rennes – Marseille for the stars, Bordeaux which plays its history… A penultimate day full of suspense
Rennes Marseille face each other in a final for qualification for the next Champions League on Saturday (9 p.m.) during the 37th and penultimate day of the French Ligue 1 championship, which can seal the descent of Bordeaux, opposed to Lorient.
Rennes Marseille face each other in a final for qualification for the next Champions League on Saturday (9 p.m.) during the 37th and penultimate day of the French Ligue 1 championship, which can seal the descent of Bordeaux, opposed to Lorient.
A decisive shock
Two days before the end of a marathon season, Marseille (2nd, 68 pts) holds the rope in the race for second place, allowing them to accompany Paris SG, champion, in the group stage of the Champions League the next season. “We don’t need to talk about it among ourselves to know how important the Champions League is for the club, its finances, the supporters, the players.
It can change a lot of things,” admitted Marseille midfielder Valentin Rongier. But the Olympians stick their tongues out when moving to Rennes (5th, 62 pts), a major obstacle for a team deprived, in particular, of its master to play Dimitri Payet, injured.
“Our qualification depends only on us, not on the results of the other teams. We will have to win in Rennes,” said coach Jorge Sampaoli.
The Marseille supporters meanwhile, are visibly annoyed with the refereeing corps:
Benoit Bastien main referee of Rennes – OM and Stéphanie Frappart at the VAR. Might as well give 2nd place to Rennes directly huh lol
—?? ??????? u2b50ufe0f (@jo_massilia13) May 10, 2022
Beaten in Nantes on Wednesday (2-1), the Bretons still hope to clinch 2nd place, in “a very bizarre championship” which gives rise to the wildest dreams, according to Rennes technician Bruno Genesio.
Monaco, on the lookout behind OM (3rd, 65 pts), will also keep an eye on this decisive clash. Against Brest, the Monegasques were aiming for a ninth consecutive success which would allow them to increase the pressure on their competitors.
A collapsing monument
Red lantern (20th, 27 pts), Bordeaux can be demoted to Ligue 2 in the event of a defeat against Lorient. A victory may not be enough for the Girondins, if Saint-Etienne (18th, 31 pts) beats Reims at the same time.
The club’s last descent to the scapular dates back 31 years, in 1991, and it was because of too large a budget deficit. The previous one, for sporting reasons, had taken place… 31 years before, in 1960. The cycle risked repeating itself for a team that was too fragile in defense, which had won only one of its last 14 games.
“We are far from Ligue 1,” conceded coach David Guion on Sunday after the heavy setback in Angers (4-1).