Ligue 1 Preview Gameweek 17

The Ligue 1 table is closer than ever and results are becoming more and more difficult to predict as the teams near the bottom start winning and the European teams are showing signs of uncertainty.

Nice v Paris Saint-Germain Date 04/12/2015 – Venue – Allianz Riviera – Kick Off 19:30 (UK Time)

PSG are on the road again and they won’t fancy this match after the goalless draw at Angers midweek. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was rested for the last match, but he was called upon later in the second half as Les Parisians pushed for a winner; he will be expected to return to the starting line-up on Friday evening. Nice are a hit and miss side this season so PSG will be hoping to catch them on a bad day. Layvin Kurzawa may miss this one through lumbago, joining Javier Pastore, Gregory van der Wiel and Marco Verratti on the absentee list, while Blaise Matuidi received a knock to the hip in the last game and he is awaiting assessment.

The hosts are 5^th after two disappointing results; a loss to Toulouse and a draw with Lorient, failing to score in both games. They will be looking to recover their fierce goal scoring form and will have to if they stand any chance of overturning PSG. Mouez Hassen may be missing this game with a suspension, while Hatem Ben Arfa is doubtful and Ricardo Pereira’s ankle injury may keep him sidelined for Les Aiglons.

Lyon v Angers Date 05/12/2015 – Venue – Stade de Gerland – Kick Off 16:00 (UK Time)

Lyon’s form has been pretty poor over the last few of games, but after a loss to Nice, a home loss to Montpellier and a draw with Nantes, they are fortunate to not slip any further down in the table than 4^th. With Angers one place above Les Gones in 3^rd, Lyon know a loss will leave them four points behind and they may even drop out of the European places, so it is a big game for Hubert Fournier’s side. Their list of injuries and suspensions isn’t a confidence booster however; Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa is still suspended while Anthony Lopes, Christophe Jallet and Samuel Umtiti could be out.

Angers face another huge test of character and ability after their home draw with leaders PSG. This will be a very different kind of game away from home but given Lyon’s recent form, Angers could quite easily achieve maximum points from this one. There are no forced changes to the team that played in the week, so Stephane Moulin may name an unchanged side to stick with the same formula.

Bastia v Monaco Date 05/12/2015 – Venue – Stade Armand Cesari – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

Bastia are playing host once again and will look to build on the last victory over Bordeaux to try and escape the relegation dogfight. They are only 16^th in the league and anything but a win could take them into the bottom three. The last two games have been promising for the side, taking four points from Nantes and Bordeaux and keeping two clean sheets in the process. With no relevant team news from the team that played in the previous game, there may be a similar starting eleven against Monaco.

Leonardo Jardim won’t be happy with his side’s complacency in the last couple of matches. First they let two leads slip against Marseille and then they conceded late once again versus Caen last time around; four points dropped in the eyes of the manager. They must get the three points in this game to make a mark on the European spots, against a Bastia side that have struggled to score in recent weeks, just four goals in five matches. The visitors are 6^th but a win could take them up to 3^rd in the table. Monaco have a few injuries in the midfield department, but none from last week’s starting eleven.

Caen v Lille Date 05/12/2015 – Venue – Stade Michel d’Ornano – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

It’s an unlikely European contender against an unlikely relegation-threatened side as 2^nd place Caen welcome 18^th place Lille at the Stade Michel d’Ornano. Lille’s first win in seven games Saint-Étienne wasn’t enough to lift them out of the bottom three but it does keep them well in touch with safety and a win on Saturday evening would almost certainly see them move up the table, possibly even to 12^th. They could still be without Mounir Obbadi and Marko Basa for this one, who are suffering with a toe injury and an adductor strain respectively.

They face a formidable side at the moment; Caen are unbeaten in their last four outings and are starting to build a bit of gap from the teams below them. If they can beat Les Dogues at the weekend they will be in a great position to keep a consistent run of form going. Their strong point is their defence, conceding just six goals in the previous nine matches, but they do have the ability to punish a team on the attack. This will be worrying for Lille as although they have a strong defence themselves, the goals have been lacking. The hosts have no injuries or suspensions meaning they can field their strongest side against Lille.

Gazélec Ajaccio v Nantes Date 05/12/2015 – Venue – Stade Ange Casanova – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

Gazélec’s remarkable turn of form carried on in the week when they earned a massive victory against Montpellier. Thierry Laurey’s side are now unbeaten in six, winning five of those games. They take on a Nantes team that haven’t been enjoying a good run of form recently; two draws and two losses on their last four outings. Gazélec could be without some big names for Saturday’s match as Gregory Pujol is sidelined with a calf strain and Clement Maury is also struggling with a shoulder injury.

Les Canaris did well to keep out Lyon on Tuesday but given Lyon’s current form, it is difficult to rate how impressive this result actually was. A better idea of Nantes’ fate will come in this game against Gazélec because they are a team expected to be near them come the end of the season. Nantes are sitting 11^th at the moment but understand Gazélec are just two places behind in 13^th and a win for the latter would see them overtake Nantes. Remi Gomis has nearly finished his suspension for Les Canaris, while Remy Riou could still be sidelined with an injury alongside Adrien Thomasson, Wilfried Moimbe and Birama Toure.

Reims v Troyes Date 05/12/2015 – Venue – Stade Auguste Delaune – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

The fixtures are being kind to Reims again now after their poor run of form and anything but a win against winless Troyes would be disappointing. They are 12^th in the league but that doesn’t mean a great deal considering how close they are to the relegation zone, however they are almost as close to the European places too. Hamari Traore is out of this encounter through suspension and Anthony Weber, Diego Rigonato and Grejohn Kyei may all still be out with injuries.

Bottom of the league Troyes are drifting further away from safety as the weeks go by and after heavily losing to their closest rivals, Toulouse, they are in a very tough position to get out of. A trip to Reims isn’t easy for any side and despite the hosts’ lack of form, Troyes will still have a very difficult game on their hands. Stephane Darbion will miss this game after getting sent off against Toulouse, while Dusan Veskovac could miss the game through injury.

Toulouse v Lorient Date 05/12/2015 – Venue – Stadium Municipal – Kick Off 19:00 (UK Time)

Toulouse may feel hard done by after back-to-back wins hasn’t seen them move up one place in the table. They are 19^th in the league but the signs are promising after winning their last two and keeping clean sheets in both games. Les Pitchouns welcome Lorient to the Stadium Municipal, a very difficult side to predict but Toulouse will need to be at their best to win the game. Marcel Tisserand is suspended after being dismissed against Troyes but there are no further alterations to the side.

Despite going five games unbeaten, Lorient have dropped back down to 9^th after failing to win in their last three outings. They will look to take advantage of a struggling Toulouse side and Sylvain Ripoll will be expecting nothing less than a victory to push them further up the league standings. There are no forced changes to the side that faced Nice, so Lorient may well go with the same starting line-up.

Marseille v Montpellier Date 06/12/2015 – Venue – Stade Vélodrome – Kick Off 13:00 (UK Time)

Marseille and Montpellier kick off Sunday’s games at the Stade Vélodrome. They are two sides that would normally be contending for the European places but poor starts to the season means they both have a lot of work to do, Marseille are in a better position of 8^th but the visitors are 15^th. Montpellier lost in the week to an in-form Gazélec, but this doesn’t take anything away from the disappointment regarding the loss. There are no recent injuries or suspensions within the side meaning Montpellier almost have a fully fit squad available for selection.

Michel’s Marseille look to be heading in the right direction after showing the resilience and quality football normally expected of them. They have taken four points from Monaco and Rennes in the last two games and at home against Montpellier; they should be getting the three points on Sunday too. Les Olympiens could be without Romain Alessandrini who is struggling with a knock, while Lassana Diarra could be sidelined with the same injury.

Bordeaux v Guingamp Date 06/12/2015 – Venue – Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux – Kick Off 16:00 (UK Time)

Two sides struggling in Ligue 1 are Bordeaux and Guingamp and this game is a huge one because the three points would give either side a bit of breathing space from the relegation zone. The visitors are 14^th, just two points above the bottom three whereas Bordeaux are in deeper trouble, 17^th place with one point separating them from the danger zone. The hosts desperately need a win as they are expected to be battling for the European spots again this season. Nicolas Pallois is missing through suspension and Lamine Sane has recently been added to Bordeaux’s long list of absentees.

Guingamp did go on a good run of form a few weeks back but three defeats in their last four has seen them plummet down the table; in Ligue 1 where a lot of teams are even there is no room for continuous errors. They travel to Bordeaux in the hope of exploiting Les Girondins’ weaknesses and picking up a good result. Yannis Salibur could miss this match through suspension; Lionel Mathis may be injured and Jimmy Briand is pending fitness, he would be a big loss if he wasn’t to feature.

Saint-Étienne v Rennes Date 06/12/2015 – Venue – Stade Geoffroy-Guichard – Kick Off 20:00 (UK Time)

The final game of the weekend is at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard where Saint-Étienne welcome Rennes. The home side are going through a bad patch at the moment and the midweek loss to Lille was frustrating by their usual standards. Les Verts will be looking to correct this against Rennes and move back into the European spots after dropping down to 7^th. Jean-Christophe Bahebeck is doubtful for Saint-Étienne and Fabien Lemoine may also have to sit the game out with an injury.

Rennes have fallen to 10^th in the league after going three games without a win; drawing with Bordeaux and Reims before losing at home to Marseille. They have a slim chance of heading into the European spots with three points providing the results go their way elsewhere, but more importantly a win would take them above Saint-Étienne. Abdoulaye Doucoure may be out with an injury, as well as Mehdi Zeffane who has picked up a knock.