Monaco and OM to tease PSG, Lille and Lyon on the lookout, Le Havre in danger… Overview of the clubs before the restart

Summer is not over, but Ligue 1 is already back on Friday, with a match between Le Havre and PSG to launch this new season.

After an emotional summer, marked by two intense Olympic weeks, the League’s saga 1 already resumes its rights, Friday 16 August. A championship that has had great difficulty finding broadcasters (eight matches per week on DAZN, the ninth on beIN Sports) and which has lost its star Kylian Mbappé. But the season that is opening promises to be undecided at all levels. Franceinfo: sport takes a look at the forces present on the starting line.

Title: PSG favourite, OM could surprise

Three-time defending champion, crowned ten times in twelve years, Paris Saint-Germain is, unsurprisingly, the big favorite to win the French League championship title. 1. To do this, however, they will have to learn to live without Kylian Mbappé, who left for Real Madrid at the beginning of the summer. To replace him, the Parisian leaders have not – for the moment – ​​attracted a big star. PSG has simply adjusted its squad with the arrivals of Portuguese midfielder Joao Neves, Ecuadorian defender Willian Pacho, and Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov.

If Luis Enrique’s PSG will therefore rely on continuity, this is not the case for the other contenders. Deprived of the European Cup this season, Olympique de Marseille changed everything once again this summer. By managing to attract Roberto De Zerbi to its bench, the Marseille club struck hard. The presence of the Italian alone has made it possible to secure the arrival of several great recruits for OM, so much so that if the game advocated by the Italian coach takes off, Marseille could take advantage of their light schedule to play for the title.

In the south, still, AS Monaco could also create a surprise. Runners-up to PSG last season, the Monegasques are banking on continuity, with a fairly quiet transfer window for the moment. For their last preparation match, they beat FC Barcelona (3-0). It’s more unclear for Olympique Lyonnais, who hope to ride on their incredible end to last season. Qualified on the gong for the Europa League, OL could leave a few feathers in their European evenings on Thursday. But by firing on all cylinders on the transfer window, notably with the arrival of Georges Mikautadze, the Lyonnais have built a squad cut out to play the leading roles.

Race to Europe: Nice, Rennes and Lille on the train

Behind the supposed big guns, who hope to share the four qualifying places for the Champions League, the density of the table could offer a breathtaking season. That is the beauty of the League 1, magnified last season by Stade Brestois, unpredictable third in the championship. If we will not risk predicting such a surprise, several clubs could rise to the top of the table.

Starting with Lille. Fourth last season after a thrilling final sprint with Brest, the Dogues seem best equipped to tease PSG, OM, Lyon and AS Monaco. To do this, they will have to digest their Champions League play-off (against Slavia Prague or Union Saint-Gilloise), then succeed in combining national and European matches. After losing its coach, Paulo Fonseca, who left for AC Milan, LOSC has bet on Bruno Genesio to go and secure a new European qualification.

Other candidates for 5th and 6th places, qualifying for the Europa League and the Europa Conference League : Stade Rennais and OGC Nice. The Bretons, like OM, have no European Cup to play this season and are starting a new cycle. The Niçois, for their part, have bet on Franck Haise to move up a gear, after their fifth place last season. On the Côte d’Azur, the new coach will have the difficult task of bringing the club to the Champions League, a feat he achieved with RC Lens. The Artésiens, for their part, risk falling into line, while an austerity cure has been decreed by the blood and gold leaders.

Maintenance: everyone can lose their place

Usually, it is rather obvious to start with the promoted teams when discussing the potential relegations at the end of the season. However, this year, the three newcomers are looking rather good. Auxerre and Angers, respectively 1st and 2nd in the League 2 last season, have thus managed to move up to the League 1 just one year after their relegation, while crushing the championship.

As for the third promoted team, it is AS Saint-Etienne, who survived the end-of-season play-offs before beating FC Metz in the play-offs. If the weight of a club’s history does not weigh on the pitch, ASSE and its 10 French championship titles do not have the features of a classic promoted team. Financially boosted by its new owners, the Forez club should be able to ensure a fairly serene return to the elite.

Serenity, on the other hand, is a feeling that FC Nantes has not known for a long time. The Canaries should once again fight not to fall out of the nest, just like Le Havre and Strasbourg. Toulouse and Reims seem more sheltered, even if an accident cannot be ruled out. On the other hand, Stade Brestois could be in danger. After a historic season, the Bretons will play in the Champions League and its new format with eight group matches instead of six. However, several precedents show that such an exploit can sometimes precipitate the fall of a club, like Auxerre, 3rd in the championship in 2010, relegated two years later and which took a decade to return to the elite.