With Nice drawing last round, PSG now stand alone in second. However, Les Parisiens are still three points behind Monaco, who now will be hoping to continue as Ligue 1's sole representative in the Champions League after beating Manchester City. Les Rouge-et-Blancs have been having a very impressive season and are still in contention to clinch four titles, including the Ligue 1 crown at the conclusion of this campaign.
Friday's action kicks off with Metz taking on Bastia, whilst Olympique Marseille travel to face Lille.
Facts and Stats ahead of Ligue 1 Matchday 30
Here are five things you may or may not know ahead of the upcoming round of fixtures starting this Friday:
Ligue 1 Matchday 30 - U.S. viewing schedule
Below is the full U.S. schedule for round 30 of Ligue 1 action starting Friday:
Mar. 17: Metz vs Bastia on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Mar. 17: Lille vs Olympique Marseille on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 12:45 PM PST/3:45 PM EST
Mar. 18: Nantes vs Nice on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 9:00 AM PST/12:00 PM EST
Mar. 18: Angers vs Guingamp on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 12:00 PM PST/3:00 PM EST
Mar. 18: Bordeaux vs Montpellier on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 12:00 PM PST/3:00 PM EST
Mar. 18: Nancy vs Lorient on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 12:00 PM PST/3:00 PM EST
Mar. 18: Toulouse vs Rennes on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 12:00 PM PST/3:00 PM EST
Mar. 19: Caen vs Monaco on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 7:00 AM PST/10:00 AM EST
Mar. 19: Dijon vs Saint-Étienne on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 12:00 PM PST/3:00 PM EST
Mar. 19: PSG vs Olympique Lyonnais on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 1:00 PM PST/4:00 PM EST
*For more information, please navigate to each match's specific page
Ligue 1 - Matchday 30 overview
Although they avoided a loss, Nice ended up dropping two vital points as they had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Caen. Mario Balotelli marked his return to the side with a goal, and considering that Lucien Favre's men had to come from two goals down, it was a decent outcome to what initially seemed like a detrimental defeat. Nice will have a chance, however, to get back to winning ways as they travel to face Nantes on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Monaco's fairy-tale season continues. Leonardo Jardim's men saw off Manchester City in the Champions League round of 16 to book their spot in the quarter-finals. It was an impressive result, as Les Rouges-et-Blancs had lost the first leg 5-3, but Monaco made those three away goals count as they beat Pep Guardiola's side 3-1 on Wednesday. As France's sole representative, they surely will be looking to go as deep in the competition as possible, and they are seriously looking like potential dark horses to make it to Cardiff this June.
Currently on top of the table, Monaco will travel to face Caen on Sunday, and they can potentially go six points clear if PSG fail to pick up maximum points against Lyon also on Sunday. Les Parisiens are not having the best of seasons under Unai Emery. They suffered heartbreak as they were dumped out of the Champions League by becoming the first team to throw away a 4-0 first leg advantage as they lose 6-1 to Barcelona a few weeks back. And they have been playing catch-up to Monaco (and Nice, to some extent) this season.
From a neutral perspective, after seeing PSG cruise to the league title last term, their "struggles" are good for the league, but for PSG fans, it surely is another source of major concern. Lyon, meanwhile are in Europa League action and PSG will hope their opponents will be a bit exhausted from their European commitments as they seek to close the gap on Monaco.
Ligue 1 - Matchday 30 standings
Here's how things stand so far after 29 rounds in the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 season. How will it look after matchday 30 concludes?
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSG | 28 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 65 | 24 | +41 | 63 | DWWDD | |
| 2 | Brest | 29 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 44 | 27 | +17 | 53 | LWWDL | |
| 3 | Monaco | 28 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 53 | 38 | +15 | 52 | WWDWD | |
| 4 | Lille | 28 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 42 | 25 | +17 | 49 | WWDDW | |
| 5 | Nice | 28 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 28 | 22 | +6 | 44 | DLWLL | |
| 6 | Lens | 29 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 38 | 32 | +6 | 43 | LDLLW | |
| 7 | Olympique Lyonnais | 29 | 12 | 5 | 12 | 38 | 45 | -7 | 41 | WWDWW | |
| 8 | Reims | 29 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 36 | 39 | -3 | 40 | LDDWD | |
| 9 | Olympique Marseille | 28 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 41 | 33 | +8 | 39 | LLLWW | |
| 10 | Rennes | 29 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 41 | 36 | +5 | 39 | LLLWD | |
| 11 | Toulouse | 29 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 34 | 37 | -3 | 36 | WDWLL | |
| 12 | Strasbourg | 29 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 33 | 40 | -7 | 36 | WDWWL | |
| 13 | Montpellier | 29 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 36 | 41 | -5 | 33 | DWWLW | |
| 14 | Nantes | 29 | 9 | 4 | 16 | 28 | 45 | -17 | 31 | WLWLL | |
| 15 | Le Havre | 29 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 27 | 37 | -10 | 28 | LDLLW | |
| 16 | Lorient | 28 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 35 | 52 | -17 | 26 | LLDLW | |
| 17 | Metz | 29 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 30 | 49 | -19 | 26 | WLLLW | |
| 18 | Clermont | 29 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 48 | -27 | 22 | DDLWL |
