If the only question for the title of champion is to know when PSG will officially win it after its victory (3-0) in Angers on Wednesday evening, the questions are much more numerous behind Paris at the end of this 33rd day. With a big question: who will finish on the Ligue 1 podium? Five days before the end, six teams are still more or less in the game to hope to finish in the top three and qualify, directly or for the third preliminary round, in the Champions League.
The best placed? OM. Winners of Nantes (3-2) at home after their defeat in the Clasico (2-1) on Sunday, the Marseillais are second with now six points ahead of their three closest pursuers. “It’s a day that gives us a little more comfort, a little more air in second place,” said Olympian coach Jorge Sampaoli after the success against the Canaries.
Problem, the Marseillais compose with a limited workforce and tired by injuries. In addition, they are the only ones in Ligue 1 to still be involved in Europe with a double confrontation (April 28-May 5) planned against the Dutch from Feyenoord Rotterdam in the Europa League Conference. OM will host Lyon and will travel three out of five times in the league at the end of the season, with in particular two last matches in Rennes and against Strasbourg, launched in the race for the podium.
Strasbourg “does not want to set limits”
The Bretons and the Alsatians crossed paths on Wednesday evening, with a victory (2-1) for Racing. Both teams now have 56 points, but the dynamics are opposite. Where Strasbourg remains on eleven games without defeat, Rennes has just conceded two losses against two rivals in the race for the podium after a home defeat on Friday (2-3) against Monaco. The atmosphere was obviously not the same according to the coach at the microphone at a press conference at La Meinau.
“I don’t want to set limits on them. We just want to play football, we don’t think about the ranking. You have to savor these moments, ”launched the Alsatian coach, Julian Stéphan. Bruno Genesio, coach of the Ille-et-Vilaine team, felt that his team lacked “severely lacking in commitment and aggressiveness”. “We will have to put everything back on track to try to move forward and manage the emotions of this end of the season well. We forgot the fundamentals of football. Before attacking, you have to recover well. Our team lacks a bit of maturity,” he continued.
The Rennais will now continue with a derby against Lorient on Sunday (1 p.m.), before receiving Saint-Etienne, moving to Nantes, then finishing with the reception of OM and a final trip to Lille. Strasbourg, for its part, will go to the North this weekend and dream of then welcoming a PSG already champion and potentially demobilized. But the Alsatians are already watching the final meeting on the lawn of the Vélodrome. “We want to go to Marseille on the last day in front of 60,000 fans on fire like an OM-PSG”, hopes captain Dimitri Liénard.
Third team with 56 points, Monaco. Winner of its last five meetings, including the derby against Nice (1-0) on Wednesday, the princely club finished very strongly and aims to finish third, like last season. “If everyone stays focused and keeps their feet on the ground, we have great things ahead of us,” said ASM coach Philippe Clement. The Monegasques have a very affordable schedule with matches against Saint-Etienne, Angers, Lille, Brest and a trip to Lens to finish.
Lens “with a lot of appetite”
Its neighbour, Nice, is two points behind and also benefits from a final sprint well within its reach (Troyes, Bordeaux, Saint-Etienne, Lille, Reims), but Christophe Galtier’s men stick their tongues out with two victories in the seven last meetings. “There are still games left before the end of the season. From Sunday against Troyes, we will have to win, ”slips the technician. The Niçois must also deal with a Coupe de France final on May 7 against Nantes.
Three points from third place, RC Lens have won their last three outings (Nice, Lille and Montpellier) and finished strong. “We took 26 points in the return phase. We are going to play the last five games with a lot of appetite, ”smiles Lensois coach Franck Haise. But the next meeting on Saturday (9 p.m.) at the Parc against a PSG who will have the opportunity to endorse their title promises to be tricky. The rest of the program: the reception of Nantes, two trips to Reims and Troyes before receiving Monaco for the final day. Place your bets.