Nearly halfway through the current campaign, it's still not PSG on top of the Ligue 1 table. Although Les Parisiens cruised to their fourth straight title last season, this time around, it has not been as smooth sailing for the capital giants. Rather, it is Nice who are leading the way. Lucien Favre's men have been one of the biggest revelations this term, but will they be able to match wits with PSG this Sunday?
Facts and Stats ahead of Ligue 1 Matchday 17
Here are five things you may or may not know ahead of the upcoming round of fixtures starting on Friday:
Ligue 1 Matchday 17 - U.S. viewing schedule
Below is the full U.S. schedule for round 17 of Ligue 1 action starting this Friday
Dec. 9: Dijon vs Olympique Marseille on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:45 AM PST/2:45 PM EST
Dec. 10: Bordeaux vs Monaco on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 8:00 AM PST/11:00 AM EST
Dec. 10: Bastia vs Metz on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Dec. 10: Lille vs Montpellier on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Dec. 10: Nancy vs Angers at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Dec. 10: Nantes vs Caen at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Dec. 10: Toulouse vs Lorient on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Dec. 11: Olympique Lyonnais vs Rennes on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 6:00 AM PST/9:00 AM EST
Dec. 11: Saint-Étienne vs Guingamp on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 8:00 AM PST/11:00 AM EST
Dec. 11: PSG vs Nice on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., beIN SPORTS USA, fuboTV at 11:45 AM PST/2:45 PM EST
*For more information, please navigate to each match's specific page
Ligue 1 - Matchday 17 overview
After the way PSG steamrolled past everyone en route to the Ligue 1 title, many began to fear that the league was becoming a one-horse race. Not so much this term. Les Parisiens have not been the same since Zlatan Ibrahimovic departer. And whilst Edinson Cavani is having a solid season, other teams, such as Nice and Monaco have rapidly closed the gap.
The Nice-PSG match by far is the biggest one of this round. Normally, it's all about Marseille vs. PSG in Le Classique, but Lucien Favre's side have surprised everyone so far. Les Aiglons have scored 30 goals, which is joint-tied with Les Parisiens. Only Monaco, who have netted a whopping 49 times, can beat that. Defensively, Nice have been pretty strong as well.
In fact, their ten goals conceded is less than any other team competing in French football's upper echelon. Unai Emery's side will come into their game in third spot, four points behind Nice and one behind Monaco. Will they be able to inch up the table? Or will Les Aiglons and Les Rouges-et-Blancs pull further away?
Ligue 1 - Matchday 17 standings
Here's how things stand so far after 16 rounds in the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 season. How will it look after matchday 17 concludes?
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSG | 30 | 20 | 9 | 1 | 73 | 26 | +47 | 69 | WWDWW | |
| 2 | Monaco | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 56 | 38 | +18 | 58 | WWWWD | |
| 3 | Brest | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 44 | 29 | +15 | 53 | LLWWD | |
| 4 | Lille | 30 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 43 | 26 | +17 | 52 | LWWWD | |
| 5 | Nice | 30 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 33 | 24 | +9 | 48 | DWDLW | |
| 6 | Lens | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 46 | WLDLL | |
| 7 | Rennes | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 44 | 36 | +8 | 42 | WLLLW | |
| 8 | Olympique Marseille | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 41 | DDLLL | |
| 9 | Olympique Lyonnais | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 39 | 49 | -10 | 41 | LWWDW | |
| 10 | Reims | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 37 | 41 | -4 | 40 | LLDDW | |
| 11 | Toulouse | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 36 | 39 | -3 | 37 | DWDWL | |
| 12 | Montpellier | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 38 | 42 | -4 | 36 | WDWWL | |
| 13 | Strasbourg | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 33 | 41 | -8 | 36 | LWDWW | |
| 14 | Nantes | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 28 | 48 | -20 | 31 | LWLWL | |
| 15 | Metz | 30 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 31 | 49 | -18 | 29 | WWLLL | |
| 16 | Le Havre | 30 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 27 | 38 | -11 | 28 | LLDLL | |
| 17 | Lorient | 30 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 36 | 59 | -23 | 26 | LLLLD | |
| 18 | Clermont | 30 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 21 | 49 | -28 | 22 | LDDLW |
