. The duel: Lens-Marseille
Thanks to its narrow victory Tuesday against Toulouse (1-0) in a late match of the 33rd day of L1, Lens (69 pts) returned to one point of the runner-up, Olympique de Marseille (70 pts).
Ideal to overtake again the Marseillais, against whom the Blood and Gold lead an intense fight for 2nd place in the league, synonymous with direct qualification for the Champions League next season.
Both teams are almost guaranteed to finish on the podium, now eight points ahead of Lens and nine for OM over Monaco with five days to go.
Best team at home, Lens receives the best away, OM who remain on three wins in a row.
"The match against Marseille? It's a match that will be complicated but it will also be very beautiful to play. The title? We aim for the best possible place but we must remain lucid, "said Tuesday Franck Haise, the coach of Lens.
Paris, who have begun to doubt again after their new rout at home against Lorient on Sunday (3-1 defeat), will also closely follow what is happening behind them.
. The figure: 6 defeats in L1 for PSG
PSG recorded their sixth defeat in L1 this season, a figure rarely reached in the Qatari era since 2011.
After this third defeat in four matches at the Park, the team of the capital (1st, 75 points) is only five units ahead of Marseille (2nd, 70 pts) and six over Lens (3rd, 69 pts).
With five days to play, the road to a potential 11th record championship title seems endless even if the obstacles to overcome, including Troyes on Sunday at the Stade de l'Aube (then Ajaccio, Auxerre, Strasbourg and Clermont), are largely within the reach of the Parisian stars. At least on paper.
PSG ultras, gathered in front of the club's headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt on May 3, 2023 © Franck FIFE / AFP
But since Sunday, it's been the storm at PSG. The club on Tuesday opened disciplinary proceedings against its Argentine star, who will be suspended for several days after a trip to Saudi Arabia without the agreement of his club. The player apologized "to his teammates and the club" on Friday in a short video posted Friday on Instagram.
On Wednesday it was the fans who had expressed their dissatisfaction with the results and the situation of the club, in front of the headquarters of PSG and the home of Neymar.
They could be noisy again in the stands at the Stade de l'Aube on Sunday...
. The player: Lafont, wake up to save Nantes
Still stunned by his humiliation in the final of the Coupe de France against Toulouse on Saturday, Alban Lafont, goalkeeper and captain of Nantes (17th, 32 pts) has chained a second complicated match.
Wednesday, the one who became the symbol of defeat (5-1) at the Stade de France weighed down even more the Nantes after a ball against the Brest Jeremy Le Douaron (18th), in a late match of the 33rd day.
Nantes goalkeeper Alban Lafont against Brest at the Francis-Le Ble Stadium in Brest, May 3, 2023 © DAMIEN MEYER / AFP
"We are all sad for Alban, but this blunder hurts us. He is very disappointed, he has apologized several times to the group. And the problem is that every weekend it falls on a different player. Now that he has made his blunder, he will be excellent next time, "said Antoine Kombouaré, the coach of Nantes, before the match of fear against Strasbourg (16th, 32 pts) Sunday (15:00).
This mistake against Brest - he had made at least two against Toulouse on Saturday - this time plunged FC Nantes into the relegation zone.
While he was tipped to be called up to the France team by Didier Deschamps, Alban Lafont seems to be moving away from the Blues as he flirts more and more with Ligue 2.
© 2023 AFP