Matchday 29 in the French top-flight is upon us, and what a round this promises to be! St-Etienne vs Troyes kicks things off, with that being the only game scheduled for Friday ahead of an onslaught of weekend showdowns.
Only two games are penciled in for Saturday, with Nantes vs Lille being the standout game amid a heated race for European football. Sunday will see seven fixtures take place, with PSG locking horns with bitter rivals Monaco in the headline fixture. However, that's not all to look forward to on the final day of the weekend as Marseille will do battle with Nice. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming round in Ligue 1.
League standings ahead of Matchday 29 games in Ligue 1
| 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 | 29 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 31 | 22 | +9 | 47 | WDLWL | |
| 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 | Metz | 29 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 30 | 49 | -19 | 26 | WLLLW | |
| 17 | Lorient | 29 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 35 | 55 | -20 | 26 | LLLDL | |
| 18 | Clermont | 29 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 48 | -27 | 22 | DDLWL |
Top games to watch on Matchday 29 in Ligue 1
Nantes vs Lille: The race to qualify for Europe is heating up in France, with the upcoming round seeing two hopeful sides locking horns. Lille are sixth, thus boasting the advantage, but that is merely due to a one-point lead over Nantes. To put this into perspective, second-placed Marseille, who occupy the final UEFA Champions League berth in Ligue 1 currently, are only seven points ahead of the visitors. Nonetheless, a Europa League or Europa Conference League berth appears more realistic. Les Dogues crashed out of the Champions League over the midweek, losing 2-1 at home to Chelsea (4-1 on aggregate) while the home side enter this tie on the back of their disappointing 1-0 defeat to Troyes. Don't miss this game.
Monaco vs PSG: While the title race is not at jeopardy for PSG in this tie thanks to their large 15-point lead at the top, Les Parisiens enter this game with one goal only: to win back their upset fans. Their most recent outing, a 3-0 triumph over Bordeaux, saw the Parc des Princes fans boo all their players bar Kylian Mbappe, with Neymar and Lionel Messi being targeted in particular with the jeers and whistles in the aftermath of their embarrassing UEFA Champions League exit versus Real Madrid. Victory over Monaco could help make amends, but Philippe Clement's side should not be underestimated. While they are not the title challengers of yesteryear, the home side remain in the hunt for European football as they currently sit in eighth, meaning they have a lot more to fight for in Sunday's clash.
Marseille vs Nice: While several other teams are still mathematically in the race for Ligue 1's second and final UEFA Champions League ticket, this looks to be a battle between Marseille and Nice, who will face off this weekend. Sampaoli's men currently occupy the no.2 spot, but the two teams are level on points – Les Phocéens superior goals tally have them ahead. The visitors dropped points in their most recent outing while the hosts enjoyed a lovely victory over Brest. However, over the span of the last five games, form favors Christophe Galtier's crew, having lost only once during that run in comparison to Marseille's two defeats. Expect this game to be an exciting 90 minutes of football.
Who's out for Matchday 29 in Ligue 1?
Lille: Renato Sanches (injured)
PSG: No injuries
Lyon: Rayan Cherki and Sinaly Diomande (injuries)
Marseille: Dimitri Payet (injuries); Luis Henrique (suspended)
Monaco: Krepin Diatta and Jean Marcelin (injuries)
