Ligue 1 Preview Gameweek 12

The matches in the French top flight this week include a number of teams battling teams around them, meaning the table could become tighter by the end of the weekend.

Rennes v Paris Saint-Germain
Date 30/10/2015 – Venue – Roazhon Park – Kick Off 19:30 (UK Time)

Two sides who aren’t used to losing meet at Roazhon Park as 7^th place Rennes take on unbeaten leaders PSG. The hosts have lost just twice this season and drew with Lorient last time around but they will need to be on top of their game to get anything out of this game with the reigning champions. Paul-Georges Ntep and Edson Mexer may still be injured for Rennes and Pedro Henrique is doubtful.

PSG will be full of confidence after their thrashing of Saint-Étienne last weekend; one of their possible title contenders come the end of the season. They are currently seven points clear at the top of the table and they will be expected to earn another three points in this match to continue their run. The only concerns for Laurent Blanc are David Luiz and Javier Pastore as they are still trying to overcome injury.

Saint-Étienne v Reims
Date 31/10/2015 – Venue – Stade Geoffroy-Guichard  – Kick Off 16:00 (UK Time)

Saint-Étienne’s poor result last Sunday means they have dropped to 5^th in the league and are now ten points away from the top spot. Despite it being early in the season they need to start performing consistently if they are going to challenge for the title and go one better than their last campaign. Fabien Lemoine is suspended for this match while Vincent Pajot has recently been added to Les Verts’ injury list.

The visitors had a great start to the season but have since lost three successive matches and have fallen to 11^th as a result. This will be a difficult game for Reims at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard but after seeing what PSG did to Saint-Étienne in the last fixture, they can be optimistic going into the game. Hugo Rodriguez, Mohammed Fofana and Aissa Mandi may be sidelined with injuries.

Bastia v Caen
Date 31/10/2015 – Venue – Stade Armand Cesari  – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

Two teams in very different form meet on Saturday as struggling Bastia are at home to high-flying Caen. In spite of the home defeat to Nantes, the visitors are still 3^rd in the league and will be looking to bounce back with another win at the Stade Armand Cesari. On paper this is a fairly straightforward game for Caen but Bastia are due a win and they will need to put in a strong graft to get the three points here. Herve Bazile joins Jonathan Delaplace on the injury list after picking up a knock but there are no further issues for the visitors.

Bastia have lost the joint-most games in Ligue 1 and they need to be at their best to prevent Caen from getting anything out of the match. Ghislain Printant’s men need to pick up points soon as the teams in the relegation zone are starting to win games, dragging Bastia into a relegation battle. The latest team news for Bastia is that Brandao could be ruled out with a thigh injury.

Gazélec Ajaccio v Bordeaux
Date 31/10/2015 – Venue – Stade Ange Casanova – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

Gazélec pulled off the shock of the season last week as they comfortably defeated Nice, who had been in fine form, to move off the bottom of the table for the first time in weeks. The win ensured they were just two points from safety and they stand a great chance of building on this as they face Bordeaux on home soil. The hosts should have Jerome Le Moigne back from suspension but Issiar Dia is still sidelined with his injury.

Although Bordeaux won last weekend, it was only a narrow victory against relegation threatened Troyes and this suggests they could still struggle in the upcoming games. They are only 13^th in the league and if Gazélec get a result, Bordeaux could be pulled back into a dangerous spot in the league table. The away side are without a number of players; the big misses being Cedric Yambere and Nicolas Maurice-Belay. Frederic Guilbert also faces a late fitness test to determine his availability.

Guingamp v Lorient
Date 31/10/2015 – Venue – Stade du Roudourou – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

Guingamp and Lorient were both on the end of draws in the previous round of fixtures, with Angers and Lorient respectively. The hosts are 12^th, one point behind Lorient in 9^th so this is an important game for both sides. Guingamp are unbeaten in four but have won just one of them and they will aim to get another three points on the board in front of their home crowd. The relevant team news for the home side is that Mana Dembele and Christophe Kerbrat could still be missing through injury.

Lorient are undefeated in their last three outings against decent opposition and they could stretch this run at the Stade du Roudourou. They could have Lamine Kone and Francois Bellugou back from suspension for the weekend, as they will serve their bans in the Coupe de la Ligue midweek as Lorient host Montpellier.

Toulouse v Montpellier
Date 31/10/2015 – Venue – Stadium Municipal – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

An early relegation battle takes place at the Stadium Municipal as 17^th place Montpellier travel to 18^th place Toulouse. The visitors will attempt to build on their victory over Bastia with another three points over a Toulouse side who have been consistently poor over a number of weeks. Paul Lasne, Joris Marveaux and Kevin Berigaud are amongst the injured players for Montpellier but there shouldn’t be any forced changes from the side that won last weekend.

Three defeats in four matches has seen Toulouse drop into the bottom three and they can’t afford to lose at home against fellow relegation-threatened Montpellier. Their last two games have been against Angers and Lyon so this is more of a winnable game for Les Pitchouns. Tongo Doumbia is doubtful due to fitness but Toulouse could do with him back for the weekend as he is an influential midfielder and has been involved in ten of his side’s games this season.

Troyes v Lyon
Date 31/10/2015 – Venue – Stade de l’Aube – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

This fixture between Troyes and Lyon looks to have only one possible outcome; a Lyon win, but with Gazélec and Montpellier pulling off the unexpected last week it would be naïve to write off another shock here. Troyes do have the home advantage but Lyon are starting to find a bit of form and with the hosts plummeting to the bottom of the league their confidence will be down. They will be without Quentin Othon and Matthieu Saunier who are still recovering from injuries picked up earlier in the season.

Lyon have risen to 4^th in Ligue 1 after avoiding defeat in their last three matches and they will be looking to put pressure on PSG despite being ten points behind Les Parisians. Samuel Umtiti will be suspended for this match but Lyon will be uplifted by a number of their players slowly recovering from injuries after a number of weeks absent.

Nice v Lille
Date 01/11/2015 – Venue – Allianz Riviera – Kick Off 13:00 (UK Time)

Nice and Lille are both looking to recover from defeats in the previous game as they sit apart in 6^th and 15^th. Nice’s loss was the more disappointing as they offered very little threat and were beaten by Gazélec last week. It is very rare for Nice to score on recent form and they must correct this against Lille’s resilient defence. Mouez Hassen is still out with a hamstring problem for the hosts and he will be missed once again.

Lille’s loss last weekend came against Marseille; nothing to be disheartened about but they will feel they should have taken advantage of a struggling side. Les Dogues are drifting further away from the European spots and will need to start performing better if they stand any chance of making the top six again. Benjamin Pavard Mounir Obbadi and Marko Basa are the only doubts for the visitors.

Monaco v Angers
Date 01/11/2015 – Venue – Stade Louis II – Kick Off 16:00 (UK Time)

One game that has the potential to be a thrilling encounter is at the Stade Louis II where Monaco host Angers. The visitors may have failed to keep their winning streak going in the previous match but there are still 2^nd and unbeaten in six. They are five points above 8^th place Monaco and even a draw would see Angers fairly content. Stephane Moulin has few issues with his squad selection and the majority of his players are available for this trip.

Monaco are unbeaten in their last five matches and their last outing was an impressive victory over Reims. They are 12 points behind PSG so it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to put up a title challenge but a string of positive results may give them hope. The home side are without Bernardo Silva and Wallace for this game as they were dismissed in the last game, while Thomas Lemar has been added to the long list of injuries.

Nantes v Marseille
Date 01/11/2015 – Venue – Stade de la Beaujoire – Kick Off 20:00 (UK Time)

The weekend’s final Ligue 1 match is at the Stade de la Beaujoire where Nantes host Marseille. A win for Marseille won’t even take them above Nantes and the latter even have a game in hand against Nice; a real indication of how poor their start to the season has been. Les Olympiens are 14^th and can only move up to 11^th if results go their way. The win against Lille may be a sign of better things to come for Michel and with no injury or suspension concerns he may well name an unchanged side.

Nantes have done reasonably well at home this season and they will be looking to get another result on Sunday evening. Four points from this game against Marseille and the midweek game in hand versus Nice will put them in a great position ahead of the next few fixtures as the pressure is off for a while. Key absentees may be Valentin Rongier and Kolbeinn Sigborsson; the latter has a groin problem whereas the former may miss the majority of the season due to a cruciate ligament injury. Rongier has participated in ten of Nantes’ Ligue 1 games this season and his presence will be missed.