Penultimate day of Ligue 1 before the Christmas break. Several clubs can claim to settle on the podium, in the wake of Paris, still a solid leader, and Rennes, its runner-up.
This will be the case in particular for Lens, which travels to Nantes on Friday (9 p.m.) and which can grill politeness in Nice, Strasbourg and Monaco to settle on the third step, instead of Marseille. But it will be necessary to follow closely the poster between Rennes and Nice (4th).
Marseille, the current 3rd with two more points (and a game to replay against Lyon), must negotiate a difficult trip Sunday (5 p.m.) to Strasbourg. The Alsatians, sixth and undefeated for a month and a half, have just won against Bordeaux (5-2) then Nice (3-0).
Saturday, the red lantern Saint-Étienne plays his first game since the sidelining of Claude Puel, replaced by the interim Julien Sablé. In case of victory against Reims, the Greens can however escape from the red zone if their rivals in the fight for maintenance sign a poor performance. Clermont (18th) faces Angers while Metz (19th) receives Lorient.
At the end of the weekend, PSG, already autumn champion, welcomes AS Monaco. Before that, there will be another shock Sunday at the beginning of the afternoon (1 p.m.) between Lille, just qualified for the 8th of the Champions League, and Lyon, which has a series of disappointments on and off the field (departure announced of the sporting director Juninho, withdrawal of a point and game to be replayed behind closed doors against OM).