Paris (AFP)

Leader before the 36th day of Ligue 1, Lille dreams of a title, but its neighbor Lens wants to do everything to block the road: the two rivals face each other on Friday (9:00 p.m.) in an explosive North derby, at the opening of a week -end decisive on all floors.

At the Bollaert stadium, Lille (76 pts) face their toughest opponent of the end of the season: the Lensois (5th, 56 pts), who make this match a matter of honor.

The Sang et Or, who are fighting for fifth place synonymous with the European Cup in September, are also aiming for a first success in the derby since 2007.

It is even a triple count that they could succeed, since a success would hurt the ambitions of the "Mastiffs".

"If we can deprive Lille of the title, that would be nice. I prefer Paris to be champion," slipped the Lens midfielder Gaël Kakuta.

But Christophe Galtier's men made the short 40-kilometer journey with the confidence born of their series of twelve matches without losing away in the Championship.

Behind them, Paris SG (2nd, 75 pts) awaits the least of their missteps.

But Paris also has its concerns, highlighted by the elimination in the semi-final of the Champions League against Manchester City on Tuesday.

The capital club must bounce back in Rennes on Sunday (9 p.m.), without Kylian Mbappé suspended, under penalty of dropping a title that he has monopolized since 2018.

Monaco (3rd, 71 pts) and Lyon (4th, 70 pts) are competing for their part in a breathless duel from a distance for the next C1.

The calendar has reserved for them an opponent from the second part of the table: Reims for ASM on Sunday (5:00 p.m.) and Lorient for OL on Saturday (5:00 p.m.).

Marseille (6th, 56 pts), which aims to regain 5th place, moves to Saint-Etienne on Sunday (1:00 p.m.).

Also note the classic Atlantic between Nantes and Bordeaux on Saturday (1:00 p.m.), crucial for the Canaries (18th, 34 pts) who must win to move away from Nîmes (19th, 32 pts), the first in line.

Schedule for the 36th day of Ligue 1

Friday

(9 p.m.) Lens - Lille

Saturday

(1:00 p.m.) Nantes - Bordeaux

(5:00 p.m.) Lyon - Lorient

Sunday

(1:00 p.m.) Saint-Etienne - Marseille

(3:00 p.m.) Angers - Dijon

Metz - Nimes

Nice - Brest

Strasbourg - Montpellier

(5:00 p.m.) Reims - Monaco

(9 p.m.) Rennes - Paris SG

© 2021 AFP