Paris (AFP)
PSG-Lyon, Lens-Lille, Nice-Monaco ... The 6th day of Ligue 1 promises a dense weekend in posters, until its closing Sunday evening at the Parc des Princes, where Neymar and Messi hope to launch their Parisian season against OL.
The player: Neymar
Against Lyon, Sunday (9:00 p.m.), superstar Lionel Messi will once again take center stage, for his first appearance in the Parisian jersey at the Parc des Princes.
But in the game, Neymar will be expected just as much, if not more.
In charge of the offensive animation, the Brazilian disappointed Wednesday in the Champions League in Bruges (1-1), where he did not attempt a single shot.
His performance rubbed off on the magic trio "MNM" (Messi-Neymar-Mbappé) which did not live up to expectations.
It remains to be seen if this trident will be aligned together again on Sunday against Lyonnais who won at the Park last year (1-0), Kylian Mbappé being out on injury Wednesday night in Bruges.
The match: Lens-Lille
The 113th North derby between Lens and Lille, Saturday (5:00 p.m.), promises as much spectacle as the 112th, which saw Losc win 3-0 at their rival, behind closed doors, last May, opening the way to the title of champion of France.
RC Lens midfielder Seko Fofana ran into Lille's Zeki Celik during the last Northern derby won by LOSC in Bollaert, May 7, 2021 FRANCOIS LO PRESTI AFP / Archives
Today, with their boiling public back, the Sang et Or want their revenge against their rivals.
Since their last confrontation, the context has changed a lot, enough to feed the hopes of the people of Lens, who have not beaten their neighbors since 2007.
On the one hand, Racing, still undefeated, made a promising start to the season (9 pts).
On the other hand, the Losc (5 pts) is still looking for itself under the orders of its new trainer, Jocelyn Gourvennec.
But Lille remain on an encouraging performance against Wolfsburg in the Champions League (0-0) on Tuesday, which boosted their morale.
The number: 0
Sad derby: rivals from the Côte d'Azur, Nice and Monaco, meet on Sunday (1:00 p.m.) in an empty Allianz Riviera.
The "Gym" will serve the second of three matches behind closed doors that the League (LFP) inflicted on it, after the incidents that occurred during the reception of Marseille.
Nice coach Christophe Galtier dissatisfied with his players during the match against Bordeaux at the Allianz Riviera, August 28, 2021 Valery HACHE AFP / Archives
Christophe Galtier's men have already shone in these circumstances: without their public, they won 4-0 against Bordeaux.
Winners of their last three matches (9 pts), they have had a better start to the season than the Monegasques (4 pts).
ASM, victorious Thursday against Sturm Graz in the Europa League (1-0), is recovering from a busy summer, which saw him fight (in vain) to qualify for the Champions League.
AS Monaco coach Niko Kovac replaces his players, during a Europa League match against Sturm Graz at Louis II, September 16, 2021 Valery HACHE AFP / Archives
In search of solutions to revive his team, technician Niko Kovac at least knows the recipe for beating the Nice: he has won the derby three times since his arrival in July 2020.
- The number (bis): 2,500 -
Saint-Étienne will play his 2,500th match in the top flight, a bar that only Marseille and Bordeaux have reached before him, which the Greens face on Saturday (9:00 p.m.).
The poster between Foréziens and Girondins is also the most played in the history of the French Championship (118 matches), according to data from the LFP.
Schedule of matches for the 6th day of Ligue 1 of the 2021-2022 season AFP / Archives
It now opposes two former battered glories, which occupy the last two places in the standings and are still looking for a first success this season ...
Program for the 6th day of Ligue 1:
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Friday:
Strasbourg - Metz 3-0
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Saturday:
(5:00 p.m.) Lens - Lille
(9 p.m.) Saint-Etienne - Bordeaux
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Sunday:
(13h00) Nice - Monaco
(3:00 p.m.) Reims - Lorient
Clermont - Brest
Troyes - Montpellier
Angers - Nantes
(5:00 p.m.) Marseille - Rennes
(8:45 p.m.) Paris SG - Lyon
© 2021 AFP