Last test for Paris before the clash against City, duel for Europe Lille-Nice

Paris SG returns to Lens for the third time since November, Saturday at Bollaert (5:00 p.m.), a last test before the Champions League shock against Manchester City, and Lille welcomes Nice in the fight for Europe on Friday (9:05 p.m.) during of the 18th day of Ligue 1.

. The match: Lens-PSG, how we meet again

The Parisians (1st, 43 points) and the Lensois (7th, 27 points) never leave each other. They have already crossed swords twice at the end of 2024. Two bitter and close matches during which Luis Enrique’s men struggled to enforce their status (1-0 victory at 11 against 10 at the Parc des Princes on November 2, then qualification for the penalties in the Coupe de France on December 22).

The Spanish coach of PSG will surely point out that he loves these competitive confrontations. But Saturday’s meeting comes in a tense context for the club, since it will give a trend in Parisian form before a crucial Champions League meeting against Manchester City on Wednesday.

. The player: a Gaëtan Laborde found

With Nice, Gaëtan Laborde has so far lacked the efficiency of his years in Bordeaux, Montpellier and Rennes. At 30, the center forward is in the process of repairing the anomaly, having just scored four goals in the last five Ligue 1 matches.

Franck Haise’s Nice owes him a lot in its rise in the standings, which allowed it to steal the 4th place (30 points) from Lille (5th, 29 points), Friday evening’s opponent, in an important game in the race for the European places.

. The derby: Rennes-Brest, in deep waters

On paper, the duel between the two teams on Saturday (7:00 p.m.) is enticing. Rennes has had big ambitions since signing Jorge Sampaoli on the bench, and Brice Samba and Seko Fofana on the player side. Brest for its part, 3rd last year, is one of the surprise teams in the Champions League. But the two clubs are struggling to confirm in Ligue 1.

Not counting the disillusionment in the Coupe de France (elimination by Troyes on Wednesday), Rennes is coming off three defeats in four league matches, against teams that should have motivated it (Nantes, Nice, Marseille) and is in a worrying 14th place (17 points), far from the European objectives at the start of the season.

Brest, faced with an insane schedule between the eight-match Champions League phase, the Coupe de France and the championship, seems to be choosing its matches as a result. Eric Roy’s squad (11th with 22 points) have won one in two Ligue 1 matches since November.

The duel at Roazhon Park is therefore likely to be balanced and tense.

The program for the 18th day:

Friday

(7pm) Montpellier – Monaco

(9:05 p.m.) Lille – Nice

SATURDAY

(17h00) Lens – Paris-SG

(7:00 p.m.) Rennes – Brest

(9:05 p.m.) Lyon – Toulouse

Sunday

(3:00 p.m.) Saint-Étienne – Nantes

(5:15 p.m.) Reims – Le Havre

Angers -Auxerre

(20h45) Marseille – Strasbourg

Classement: Pts J G N P bp bc dif

1. Paris SG 43 17 13 4 0 46 15 31

2. Marseille 36 17 11 3 3 39 20 19

3. Monaco 31 17 9 4 4 28 18 10

4. Nice 30 17 8 6 3 35 23 12

5. Lille 29 17 7 8 2 26 16 10

6. Lyon 28 17 8 4 5 29 22 7

7. Lens 27 17 7 6 4 21 16 5

8. Toulouse 24 17 7 3 7 19 19 0

9. Strasbourg 23 17 6 5 6 30 29 1

10. Auxerre 22 17 6 ​​4 7 24 26 -2

11. Brest 22 17 7 1 9 26 30 -4

12. Reims 20 17 5 5 7 23 25 -2

13. Angers 19 17 5 4 8 19 27 -8

14. Rennes 17 17 5 2 10 23 25 -2

15. Nantes 16 17 3 7 7 20 27 -7

16. Saint-Etienne 16 17 5 1 11 16 37 -21

17. Le Havre 12 17 4 0 13 13 36 -23

18. Montpellier 9 17 2 3 12 16 42 -26

Editor’s note: The first three are directly qualified for the league phase of the Champions League. The fourth is qualified for the 3rd preliminary round of the Champions League. The 5th is qualified for the Europa League. The 6th is qualified for the Conference League play-offs. The last two are relegated to Ligue 2 and the 16th plays a play-off.