With over a third of the 2023/24 Ligue 1 campaign completed, the league table has taken on a familiar shape, with PSG leading the way among a group of top four regulars.
There is one big name missing from this Champions League chasing race at the moment, and that is Marseille. And I think the current top four could well be there at the end of the season.
So let’s take a look at the latest Ligue 1 2023 news in Paris, Nice, Monaco, and Lille and then see whether OM can make a run in the New Year.
PSG
The Parisiens have been streets ahead from the off, and there is a danger they may pull away and have the 2023/24 title in the bag sometime in springtime.
Kylian Mbappe still dominates the headlines since he has scored more than double the league goals of any other player, with 15, eight ahead of Montpellier’s Akor Adams, who has seven. His contract situation still hasn’t been resolved, and it is looking increasingly likely that 2024 will be the year he eventually leaves France.
The 24-year-old has been heavily linked with Real Madrid for two years, but Premier League leaders Arsenal may well enter the race to sign Mbappe. The Gunners have had strong French links from the time Arsene Wenger was manager and current centre-back William Saliba has said the Emirates would be the perfect place for Mbappe to take his career to the next level and that would really shake things up in the English top-flight.
In the meantime, PSG are in action on Saturday at home to mid table Nantes, and at SBOTOP odds of 1.26, another win could stretch their lead at the top of the table to six or seven points, which would be an ominous sign for the chasers.
Nice
Second-placed Nice are at home to Rheims on Sunday, and they will be without midfield ace Khephren Thuram, who has suffered a knee injury which will keep him sidelined at least for this next game.
The 22-year-old is a key component of Nice’s success because he is a powerful figure at 6’4”, and he has a superb array of passing. Thuram has already played 122 games for Nice and will be a big miss.
He suffered the knee injury in training last week and will undergo an MRI scan to assess the damage, but Les Agions fans will hope their midfield star will be back before long.
Monaco
Before PSG take the field, AS Monaco could add a little pressure by closing the gap to three points when they travel to Rennes for the Saturday afternoon kick-off.
Adi Hutter’s side could well be the biggest threat to Parisiens’ dominance this season, but they need to find some consistency.
Monaco are boosted by the return of midfield ace Youssouf Fofana, who was a late withdrawal from the squad last week, but he has successfully returned to training and the 24-year-old looks set to replace Mo Camara.
Hutter has a decision to make up front where Wissam Ben Yedder and Folarin Balogun fighting for the striker role, and it’s a nice problem to have with two quality options and both will surely play some part if Rennes prove to be stubborn.
Lille
2021 Ligue 1 winners Lille finished fifth last term and have a great chance of improving on that under head coach Paulo Fonseca.
Canadian hitman Jonathan David is their leader up front and, at 23 years of age, he already has over 50 goals for the club. And with 18-year-old centre back Leny Yoro attracting interest from a host of top clubs, this is a team with stacks of potential.
Lille have won three and drawn two of the last five, and this successful run looks set to continue when they face struggling Clermont Foot this weekend.
Marseille clicking into gear
So who can break into the top four? Well Reims, Lens, and Brest are in fifth, sixth, and seventh, but the biggest gun in the chasing pack, Marseille, are one back in eighth.
And they have recovered from a four-match winless streak to make it back-to-back victories in midweek when they beat bottom club Lyon 3-0.
Former Arsenal and Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang put in a Man of the Match performance with two first-half assists before rounding off the win with a goal of his own in the second period.
It was a bad night for Lyon at the Stade Velodrome, where no away fans were allowed to attend following trouble when the two teams attempted to meet back in October.
The appointment of Fabio Grosso as head coach at Lyon in September was intended to breathe some life into the ailing club but, after one win in seven games, he was sacked last week and the club has now lost back-to-back games under academy coach Pierre Sage.
The latest Ligue 1 2023 betting odds reckon OM will finish fifth but, with 24 games to go, they haven’t given up hope of a top three or four finish. But as for Lyon, it’s looking rather grim.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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