Ligue 1: 3 Big Questions for the Weekend
Will Lyon slow down PSG's title charge and can Brest get closer to a Real Madrid match-up?
Can PSG ride the Champions League wave against Ligue 1's most in-form foes?
If there are two teams walking on sunshine in Ligue 1, it's PSG and Lyon. As luck would have it, the perky pair are going to head-to-head in the match of the weekend on beIN SPORTS on Sunday.
PSG have released a huge sigh of relief by mounting their own comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League to reach the semifinals. That continental challenge is now on hold, with the focus firmly on wrapping up the Ligue 1 title. With all due to respect to Brest, leading the chasing pack ten points behind, it's not 'if' but 'when' PSG clinch.
Lyon can certainly slow their rivals down. From being relegation candidates at the end of 2023, OL are now Ligue 1's hottest property, having won the most number of points this year with 25. As well as having form on their side, Lyon are up in recent history having beaten PSG twice in their last two games in Ligue 1 in the Parc de Princes. "We have to take them into what they don't like," promised Lyon coach, Pierre Sage.
Two versions of PSG are possible on Sunday. One has a burden off their back, playing without pressure. The other is a team still on a high from Tuesday and caught out by an opponent that is targeting a previously unthinkable European place next season.
Sunday 2:50PM ET - PSG vs. Lyon: Live on beIN SPORTS.
Will Brest seal the deal on Champions League soccer next season?
Opta's supercomputer has sputtered out some pleasing news to Brest fans who are already enjoying a season of their lives in Ligue 1. The modest team from the northwest of France have a 98.1% chance of finishing in the top four in Ligue 1, which means a place in the Champions League next season (top three), or a playoff (fourth). Brest's destiny could be defined by Sunday's massive match-up against Monaco.
The Monte Carlo outfit are heading north just one place and one point behind Brest and in a timely run of form of three league wins from the last four. However, there was bad news this week with playmaker extraordinaire, Aleksandr Golovin, out for the season with an ankle strain.
A victory against their nearest Champions League rivals could see Brest up against the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid next season. That's more than enough motivation for Sunday's showdown.
Sunday 11AM ET - Brest vs. Monaco: Live on beIN SPORTS.
Do Marseille have time to save their season in France?
A penalty shoot-out win has put Marseille into the Europa League semifinals with a double-header to come against Atalanta. An awful lot could be riding on those matches and a possible final, if Marseille want to return to Europe next season by way of being tournament winners.
Three defeats in a row for the Velodrome side after an initial spark of life under latest coach, Jean Louis Gasset, sees Marseille in ninth, four points from a spot in next season's UEFA Conference League, a significant downgrade to Economy Class for a team that began the year in the Champions League.
Marseille need their heads back in the game if they are to get anything from Toulouse. The odds are against the visiting side as OM possess the worst away record in Ligue 1 this season with just 10 points picked up. Marseille's only two wins on the road have been against teams in the relegation zone - Clermont and Lorient. That awful record needs to change on Sunday with Marseille going into the game with everything Tou-louse.
Sunday 12:55PM ET - Toulouse vs. Marseille: Live on beIN SPORTS