Ligue 1 Preview Gameweek 24

Ligue 1 returns with mid-week football and the games are coming thick and fast; a great opportunity for the sides to rack up the points and build consistency.

Monaco v Bastia Date 02/02/2016 – Venue – Stade Louis II – Kick Off 18:00 (UK Time)

The first game of the 24^th round of Ligue 1 fixtures takes place at the Stade Louis II where Monaco welcome Bastia. The hosts will be looking to get over last weekend’s heavy loss to Angers fairly quickly and begin a new run of unbeaten games. They are still 2^nd in the table and have a six-point gap between them and outside the top six. Leonardo Jardim’s side is battling injuries and they could still be without Thomas Lemar, Lacina Traore and Jeremy Toulalan to name a few.

Bastia will be brimming with confidence after their victory over Lyon and they face another test at Monaco. They are currently 13^th in the league standings and almost as close to the European spots as they are to the bottom three. Seko Fofana will serve the final match of his suspension, while Yannick Cahuzac, Floyd Ayite and Gilles Cioni are forced to sit out of this encounter through suspensions too.

Montpellier v Marseille Date 02/02/2016 – Venue – Stade de la Mosson – Kick Off 20:00 (UK Time)

Just six points separate relegation-threatened Montpellier from European-contending Marseille going into this game. Les Olympiens extended their unbeaten run last weekend but will be disappointed not to earn more than a point against Lille. Marseille are 10^th and a win could see them creep into the top six. They will be without Abdelaziz Barrada and Michy Batshuayi who are reportedly suspended.

Montpellier’s vital win against Gazélec last weekend, scoring four goals and keeping a clean sheet, may give them the belief of getting a result against Marseille. The weekend was the end of a run of four straight defeats and in 17^th place, Montpellier need to put a few more wins together to evade the relegation danger. Jerome Roussillon has been ruled out with a calf injury but there are no further issues to last week’s starting eleven.

Guingamp v Troyes Date 03/02/2016 – Venue – Stade du Roudourou – Kick Off 18:00 (UK Time)

A bottom of the table clash between Guingamp and Troyes on Wednesday is a huge fixture; a win for the hosts and they will move even further away from the bottom three, while Troyes’ fate would be settled with another loss. Guingamp are just 14^th and only four points separate them from the relegation zone. No new injuries or suspensions means Jocelyn Gourvennec has almost a fully fit squad available for selection.

Troyes can no longer afford to lose; in fact one more loss could see them in an irrecoverable position. They could find themselves 17 points from safety on Thursday evening and they have only picked up 11 points all season. There is no recent team news for the visitors, so last week’s starting eleven is available once more.

Lille v Caen Date 03/02/2016 – Venue – Stade Pierre-Mauroy – Kick Off 18:00 (UK Time)

Another one of the key games in this round of fixtures is at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Lille aren’t too far from the danger zone themselves; just three points. They host high-flying Caen who have just won consecutive games. Les Dogues are without a win in five matches, dropping down to 15^th in the league. They have been quite fortunate with a lack of injuries and suspensions, but Frederic Antonetti may make some changes to try and get the three points.

Caen are currently 5^th in the table, enjoying their place in the European places. A win could take them up to 3^rd as they would build a gap between them and the teams outside of the top six. Damien Da Silva, Herve Bazile and Jonathan Delaplace may be sidelined with injuries for this encounter.

Lyon v Bordeaux Date 03/02/2016 – Venue – Stade des Lumieres – Kick Off 18:00 (UK Time)

A promising match between Lyon and Bordeaux takes place on Wednesday at the Stade des Lumieres. Both sides would usually be competing for the European spots at this stage in the season but disappointing starts to campaigns means they have struggled to keep up with the teams above them. Visitors Bordeaux are the closest; undefeated in their last seven and a 4-0 thrashing of Rennes last week means Les Girondins are just one point short of the top six in 7^th. A lengthy list of absentees means they could be without the likes of Andre Biyogo Poko and Nicolas Pallois through suspension, and Cedric Carrasso and Nicolas Maurice-Belay may still be on the injury list.

Lyon’s form in recent weeks has been massively unsatisfactory, losing seven out of their last ten league matches. They lost to Bastia last time around and dropped down to 11^th in the table as a result. It is difficult to see where Lyon’s next win is going to come from as they have struggled to score; just the one goal in their last three matches. There are no notable absentees for Les Gones so their big players need to step up if they are going to contend for Europe this season.

Nantes v Gazélec Ajaccio Date 03/02/2016 – Venue – Stade de la Beaujoire – Kick Off 18:00 (UK Time)

Gazélec were destroyed at home to Montpellier in the previous game and they will be looking to get back on form at the Stade de la Beaujoire. After their good run of form, back-to-back defeats have left them just three points above the relegation zone in 16^th. Only Gregory Pujol remains absent for the visitors as he is recovering from a calf injury.

Les Canaris are holding their own in Ligue 1 at the moment; in 9^th position after avoiding defeat in their last nine outings. They are sandwiched between the European contenders; Bordeaux and Saint-Étienne are above them while Marseille and Lyon are below them. Nantes will look to take advantage of a Gazélec side that’s lacking the cutting-edge performance, but they will have to do it without Koffi Djidji who is struggling with an ankle injury.

Nice v Toulouse Date 03/02/2016 – Venue – Allianz Riviera – Kick Off 18:00 (UK Time)

A European contender hosts a relegation favourite as Nice welcome Toulouse to the Allianz Riviera on Wednesday. Les Aiglons were doing well up until last weekend when they surprisingly lost to Caen, causing them to slip down a place in the league to 4^th. They should be getting back on track in front of their home crowd, against a team that has lost their three matches. Nice have no recent injuries or suspensions so their regular starting eleven will be available.

Toulouse are now five points from safety in 19^th after losing three successive games and they are looking more likely to drop into Ligue 2 as the weeks go on. Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik may still be missing from the side with quadriceps strain, while Issa Diop’s dismissal against Guingamp sees him suspended for this match.

Reims v Angers Date 03/02/2016 – Venue – Stade Auguste Delaune – Kick Off 18:00 (UK Time)

Third-top Angers travel to third-bottom Reims in a key game for both sides. Reims need the win to avoid falling even further behind in the relegation zone. The hosts are two points from safety in 18^th place after failing to win in the last seven matches. Theoson Siebatcheu may still be sidelined after missing the weekend’s game and Anthony Weber could also be out injured with a thigh problem.

A visit from Angers isn’t exactly what Reims need at the moment, especially with Stephane Moulin’s side entering the game on the back of a comfortable victory over Monaco. Angers are four points safely inside the top six and could move up to 2^nd with a win at the Stade Auguste Delaune. No concerns over the previous starting line-up means Angers will name an unchanged side for this trip to Reims.

Paris Saint-Germain v Lorient Date 03/02/2016 – Venue – Parc des Princes – Kick Off 20:00 (UK Time)

PSG are looking for eight consecutive wins going into the match against Lorient; their lead at the top of Ligue 1 currently stands at 24 points. Les Parisians made what looked a potentially difficult game against Saint-Étienne seem comfortable as they strode to a 2-0 away victory last weekend. Adrien Rabiot, Ezequiel Lavezzi and David Luiz have been ruled out with injuries for PSG.

Lorient had been struggling for form but they managed to get an important win against Reims in the previous game to go to 12^th in the league standings. They travel to PSG on Wednesday with the ability to play freely against the side who are going to be crowned champions once again. Les Merlus have Wesley Lautoa out for the season, but no further injury concerns or suspensions means their strongest side can be named.

Rennes v Saint-Étienne Date 04/02/2016 – Venue – Roazhon Park – Kick Off 20:00 (UK Time)

Saint-Étienne will be looking to start afresh after losing to PSG; their fifth loss in ten games. Les Verts are in 8^th place and need to win to overtake Rennes who are occupying the final European spot, one point ahead. The visitors could still be without Romain Hamouma, while Loic Perrin and Pierre-Yves Polomat have also been ruled out.

Home side Rennes missed out on an opportunity to move up to 4^th last weekend after being thrashed 4-0 by Bordeaux, but before that match they went six games without a defeat. Any result would be a good one for Rolland Courbis’ side against a European outfit. Fallou Diagne is supposedly suspended for the game but Rennes have no recent issues with their team.