As things stand, it's still very much a three horse race for the Ligue 1 title. Just five points divide top placed Monaco from third-placed Nice, and PSG are very much in the running as they sit in between their two title challengers. This means that we could see some shake-ups in the Ligue 1 table by the end of matchday 26. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the next batch of fixtures, which starts on Friday, February 17th with Les Rouges-et-Blancs traveling to take on Bastia.
Facts and Stats ahead of Ligue 1 Matchday 26
Here are five things you may or may not know ahead of the upcoming round of fixtures starting Friday:
Ligue 1 Matchday 26 - U.S. viewing schedule
Below is the full U.S. schedule for round 26 of Ligue 1 action starting Friday:
Feb. 17: Bastia vs Monaco on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:45 AM PST/2:45 PM EST
Feb. 18: Olympique Marseille vs Rennes on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 8:00 AM PST/11:00 AM EST
Feb. 18: Angers vs Nancy on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Feb. 18: Caen vs Lille on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Feb. 18: Lorient vs Nice on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Feb. 18: Metz vs Nantes on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Feb. 19: Bordeaux vs Guingamp on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 6:00 AM PST/9:00 AM EST
Feb. 19: Montpellier vs Saint-Étienne on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 8:00 AM PST/11:00 AM EST
Feb. 19: Olympique Lyonnais vs Dijon on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 8:00 AM PST/11:00 AM EST
Feb. 19: PSG vs Toulouse on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 12:00 PM PST/3:00 PM EST
*For more information, please navigate to each match's specific page
Ligue 1 - Matchday 26 overview
PSG will be flying high after their stunning 4-0 demolition of Barcelona in the first leg of their round of 16 tie. Yes, that's right. Les Parisiens gave their supporters plenty to celebrate on Valentine's Day and broke the hearts of Blaugrana fans around the world. Barring a shocking collapse of epic proportions, they are in pole position to book their spot in the quarter-finals and finally overcome their Barcelona hoodoo which has frustrated them in recent times. Unai Emery's men will be in action against Toulouse in the last game of this round, and given that the visitors are unbeaten in their last three fixtures, Emery will hope his men will not be suffering too much of a post-match hangover after their impressive performance against Barcelona's star-studded squad.
Meanwhile, Monaco travel to take on relegation candidates Bastia in the first match of this round on Friday. Leonardo Jardim will have to decide how to manage his squad, especially as Les Rouges-et-Blancs will have their Champions League round of 16 first leg tie against Manchester City next week. Thanks to a whopping 75 goals scored, Monaco are by far the highest-scoring side in Europe, and having conceded just 23, their goal differential will keep them ahead of PSG regardless of if they win, lose, or draw. Of course, as they are three points ahead they will hope to temporarily extend that to six as they take on a team on a two match losing streak (and are winless in their last five).
Nice will be hoping to get back on track after a draw as they travel to face Lorient, and should they win, they will temporarily overtake PSG in second spot. Lucien Favre's side have been a surprise revelation, but there are questions as to whether they will be able to go the distance and finish top of the pile in May.
Olympique Marseille and Dimitri Payet will be hoping to rebound after a loss. L'OM has struggled for consistency, but if one believes in patterns, then they should win their fixture with Rennes as they have been alternating between losses and wins for their past five matches.
Ligue 1 - Matchday 26 standings
Here's how things stand so far after 25 rounds in the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 season. How will it look after matchday 26 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 |
