Ligue 1: 3 Big Questions for the Week 21
Could the unthinkable happen to Marseille against Metz? Can PSG move up a gear to begin Champions League chase? Will it be another Nice day at Club Med?
Could the unthinkable happen to Marseille against Metz?
Back in September, when a summit meeting between upset supporters and Marseille's players and coach was arranged, it did not go so well. In fact, it saw a spooked Marcelino immediately leaving the club less than three months after arriving.
"To work under threats is neither logical nor advisable," explained Marcelino to The Athletic, on what happened in the heated closed doors denouement. "I’d never experienced anything like it.” Five months after that Ultras encounter, Gennaro Gattuso was the sacrificial lamb forced to meet supporters on Tuesday along with senior players. The main point on the agenda was to explain why Marseille's season was in a tailspin after a run of three draws and a defeat in Ligue 1, and a Coupe de France exit.
Possibly because no-one would be mad enough to threaten Marseille's intimidating coach, Gattuso survived the encounter and will be on the touchline for Friday's Ligue 1 clash with Metz. In theory, there couldn't be a better fixture for Marseille to deliver the improved performance promised to appease the club's Ultras. Metz are third-from-bottom of the standings, having lost seven Ligue 1 matches in a row. Of course, that could pile even more pressure on an already nervous Marseille side.
What would happen if the team lost this one in Le Velodrome? We'll find out today.
Friday - 2:50PM ET / 11:50AM PT: Marseille vs. Metz - beIN SPORTS
Can PSG move up a gear to begin Champions League chase?
As well as the usual rumblings and rumors over Kylian Mbappe's future, PSG have added a new uncertainty: their stadium. Talks finally broke down between PSG and the City of Paris over plans to buy the municipal Parc des Princes and then redevelop it. No sale is possible, leaving PSG with the need to look into building their own home for the future.
On the soccer side, PSG are rolling along nicely in Ligue 1 with a 15-match unbeaten run and an eight-point cushion at the top. However, PSG still need to move up a gear to deal with the return of the Champions League next week, and the double-header against Real Sociedad. Lille will prove to be a good warm-up act, though, with the fourth-placed side in a solid run of form with just one Ligue 1 loss in 14 and Jonathan David finally coming out of a scoring slump.
Even so, there's a good chance that Mbappe will sit out this match having picked up an ankle knock in a midweek Coupe de France battle against Brest. It'll be good practice, at least, for the rest of the team in getting used to playing without their star performer.
Saturday - 2:50PM ET / 11:50AM PT: PSG vs. Lille - beIN SPORTS
Will it be another Nice day at Club Med?
So much promise, yet so much disappointment. That's the verdict on the Mediterranean dueling duo of Nice and Monaco, who both looked like they could have really pushed PSG at the top of the table, but failed to hold on for the ride.
Fifth-placed Monaco are the biggest culprits, having picked up just one win in five games in Ligue 1, despite the ever-incredible Wissam Ben Yedder on a hot streak of goals. “Pressure is growing," warned Monaco coach, Adi Hutter, "it is normal because we have not won the last three home games. We have to be careful.”
Careful is the right word to use. Monaco are falling away from the European places and that situation could worsen on Sunday against a Nice team who are in second. That spot in the table has come about through a rigid defense that has conceded just 11 goals. That's fortunate, as it makes up for a goal-shy forward line that has scored six less than Lorient, who are second-from-bottom of the standings, and 28 goals less than PSG at the top.
Sunday - 2:35PM ET / 11:35AM PT: Nice vs. Monaco - beIN SPORTS XTRA
