Saturday: St Etienne vs Reims (16:00 GMT)
St Etienne will be aiming to bounce back from last week’s defeat to PSG as Reims visit the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Saturday afternoon. The hosts have now lost three of their last four league matches, falling off the pace at the top of the table as a result. With big matches coming up against Dnipro in the Europa League on Thursday and Lyon next weekend, manager Christophe Galtier will be desperate for a win to boost his side’s confidence.
Reims, meanwhile, have won only one of their last seven league outings and have failed to score in their previous three. They started the season strongly with two wins on the trot, but since then Olivier Guegan’s men have largely failed to perform and he too will be searching for a morale boosting victory in this one.
Saturday: Troyes vs Lyon (19:00 GMT)
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The season isn’t about to get any easier for lowly Troyes as they prepare to take on Lyon at the Stade de l’Aube on Saturday evening. The home side are still awaiting their first top-flight victory since their promotion and have lost each of their last three league outings. Subsequently, they head into this match two points adrift at the bottom of the table.
Lyon, on the other hand, have only lost one of their last eight in the league, and currently sit fourth in the standings. With the current form of PSG, a title challenge seems unlikely from Hubert Fournier’s men, but they will have their sights firmly set on second and Champions League qualification, a position they trail by two points right now.
Saturday: Guingamp vs Lorient (19:00 GMT)
Both Guingamp and Lorient will be aiming to end a run of two consecutive draws as they meet at the Stade du Roudourou on Saturday. The hosts have shared the points with Lille and Angers in their last two matches, the latter result made more impressive given Angers current league position. However, against a side floating around mid-table like themselves, all three points will certainly be the aim.
Likewise, Lorient have held both Marseille and Rennes to stalemates in their most recent outings, and have also lost just one of their last seven in the league. This is a game in which both sides are of equal form and quality and could therefore be decided by individual quality on the night.
Saturday: Bastia vs Caen (19:00 GMT)
Bastia will be hoping to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat as they face Caen at the Stade Armand Cesari on Saturday. The home side have been in dreadful form lately, losing all but one of their previous eight league games. They head into this match 16th in the standings, with 10 points to their name so far.
Caen, though, are sitting pretty at the other end of the table, although they did hit a roadblock in the form of Nantes last weekend. That 2-0 loss at home saw Patrice Garande’s side’s three match winning streak come to an end, and he will be eager for his side to prove that the defeat was just a blip rather than the start of a period of bad form.
Saturday: Gazelec Ajaccio vs Bordeaux (19:00 GMT)
After finally claiming their first top-flight victory, Gazelec Ajaccio will be full of confidence heading into this Saturday’s clash with Bordeaux at the Stade Ange Casanova. Their 3-1 win against Nice last weekend will go down in the history books, but manager Thierry Laurey will be aware his side need a few more if they are to avoid an instant return to Ligue 2.
Bordeaux, meanwhile, narrowly bested struggling Troyes 1-0 last time out. The visitors have been far from their best so far this campaign; currently sitting 13th in the standings, so manager Willy Sagnol will be demanding nothing less than all three points from this one.
Saturday: Toulouse vs Montpellier (19:00 GMT)
Toulouse and Montpellier clash at the Stadium Municipal this Saturday in a match between two sides who have severely struggled so far this season. The hosts have failed to win since the opening weekend, a run that reached 10 games due to their 3-0 loss away at Lyon last time out.
Visitors Montpellier are level on points with their opponents, although head into this match one place above them in the standings due to a slightly better goal difference. They have managed two wins from 11 thus far; however one of those did come in their last outing, 2-0 at home to Bastia. Manager Rolland Courbis will now be hoping his side can build on that victory by bagging another three points this weekend.
R.B.