The second half of the Ligue 1 season gets underway this weekend. Top billing goes to Friday’s opener, when third place Rennes welcome second place Marseille. Rennes may not be the fanciest team, but for a club their size 2019 delivered a lot of highs. There were the Europa League knockout ties against Betis and Arsenal, a stunning Coupe de France win in the final against PSG and an excellent first half of the season this time around. In a league table that is extremely tight below second, Rennes could lay a serious claim to the last Champions League spot if they can get something here. However, I think Andre Villas Boas has done one thing extremely well this season and that is to make Marseille very hard to beat. After suffering heartbreak on several occasions in trying to qualify for Europe’s premier competition, Marseille simply can’t afford to let go of this significant advantage considering the struggles of Monaco and Lyon this season.
Speaking of Monaco, after firing their title-winning manager Leonardo Jardim for the second time, they embark on a journey into the unknown with former Spain manager Robert Moreno. The new manager couldn’t have asked for a tougher test, because first up is a visit to PSG. Considering the Monegasques have scored the second most goals in the league after the champions, there is potential for fireworks at the Parc des Princes. However, Moreno will have to show an unparalleled defensive prowess if his team is to keep out the increasingly dangerous trident of Neymar, Mbappe and Icardi.
There’s a lot of jostling in mid table which leads to some intriguing fixtures. Only six points separate fourth and fourteenth. A couple of wins and you’re in the mix for Europe. Or at least that’s what those who follow the big underachievers of Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux and St Etienne may say. Lyon visit Bordeaux with their season on the precipice after season-ending injuries to Memphis Depay and Jeff Reine-Adelaide. The hosts themselves have thrown away a promising start to the season and with their fans increasingly agitated against the owners, all bets are off on how long Paulo Sousa’s tenure will last. Nice and St Etienne play against teams that should be lower than them in the table but aren’t, so Patrick Vieira and Claude Puel will have to start the new year in better form as they face Angers and Nantes respectively.
Round 20 Picks
Rennes 0 Marseille 1
Bordeaux 1 Lyon 1
Metz 2 Strasbourg 1
Toulouse 1 Brest 1
Nimes 0 Reims 2
Amiens 2 Montpellier 3
Angers 1 Nice 1
St Etienne 2 Nantes 0
Dijon 1 Lille 3
PSG 4 Monaco 2