Without question, the talk of Ligue 1 at the moment is Kylian Mbappe, who apparently wants out of Paris Saint-Germain just months after signing a massive new deal with the French champions.
The fallout of the Mbappe bombshell has somewhat overshadowed the build-up to Le Classique, the big clash between big rivals PSG and Marseille.
Although, there have been some crucial Ligue 1 2022 updates on that massive match, particularly one surrounding Lionel Messi’s fitness.
And elsewhere in Ligue 1, surprise package Lorient missed their chance to go top for the time being as they were held to a surprise draw by Reims, who were down to 10 men for half the match.
Read on below as SBOTOP lists down the latest happenings from around Ligue 1.
Mbappe losing allies in locker room
Kylian Mbappe was in the middle of the biggest story in football earlier this week when it was revealed that he is unhappy with PSG and wants to leave the club.
And it appears that this has not gone over well with his teammates, who are left confused by his sudden U-turn.
According to L’Equipe, the veteran leaders of the PSG locker room – Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Marquinhos – are unhappy with the French star, and apparently have the support of a handful of their teammates.
Moreover, some PSG staff have noted that Mbappe has been quite moody this season, one day smiling and joking around, and the next not saying a word nor looking at anyone.
There will likely be a bit of tension around the PSG locker room now that Mbappe’s true feelings are now out in the open, and that tension could very well persist until Mbappe gets what he wants: a move away from Paris.
Lionel Messi looks set to return in Le Classique
While the Mbappe madness rages on, Paris Saint-Germain are still preparing for their huge match against Marseille in Le Classique.
And it appears as if Lionel Messi will be fit to play after missing the last two games due to injury, which should help boost PSG’s Ligue 1 2022 betting odds.
PSG coach Christophe Galtier confirmed Messi had returned to training and that barring any further setback, he was ‘operational’ for Sunday’s match.
Messi missed PSG’s matches against Reims and Benfica in the Champions League, both of which they drew. The French champions are on a run of three consecutive draws in all competitions, which began in their first meeting with Benfica.
Messi, who has been in fantastic form this season, got a goal in that match as he continued his tremendous run of scoring six straight games for club and country.
PSG to play 4-3-3 in Le Classique?
And in more Le Classique news, it has been reported that PSG could potentially play a 4-3-3 formation for the first time this season against Marseille.
Coach Christophe Galtier may very well be forced to make this switch amid Presnel Kimpembe’s continued injury absence and Sergio Ramos’s suspension.
Galtier has primarily used a 3-4-3 formation this season, which has helped turn PSG into one of the top defences in Europe with just five goals conceded in 10 Ligue 1 matches.
With Kimpembe and Ramos out, Marquinhos and Danilo Pereira could be the central defensive partnership for PSG against Marseille.
Lorient miss chance to claim Ligue 1 lead
With both PSG and Marseille yet to play, Lorient – one of the season’s biggest surprises – had the chance to temporarily go top of Ligue 1 if they won at home against Reims.
However, Les Merlus missed their chance to top the table as they were held to a goalless draw, which snapped their six-game winning streak.
Lorient have already scored 21 goals this season – tied for second behind PSG – but they somehow struggled to break down a Reims side that had gone down to 10 men after Dion Lopy was sent off early in the second half. And they finished the match with nine men after Emmanuel Agbadou saw red in stoppage time.
Despite the man advantage for half the match, the home side still had less possession than the visitors and only had 10 shots to Reims’ seven. Centre-forward Terem Moffi, the team’s leading scorer with eight goals, left just before the half-hour mark after suffering an ankle injury.
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