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Getty
OSC Lille could replace the familiar Paris Saint-Germain as French champions. The match point for the coup will be played by the northern French next Sunday in the last round of Ligue 1.
Anyone traveling north-east from Lille to Roubaix crosses the “Métropole Européenne de Lille”, which has 1.1 million inhabitants. The municipal boundaries are blurring, the two city centers are only ten kilometers apart.
Roubaix got its name in world sport as the destination of the Paris-Roubaix cycling monument. The 250 kilometer long ordeal is called “Hell of the North”. Anyone who arrives in Roubaix has achieved something. As the football season draws to a close, the team from the neighboring city of Lille is making life hell for the big PSG. For the capitals with their boundless ambitions, it would be a season of shame if they not only had not won the Champions League again, but also had to let the comparatively small club near the Belgian border take precedence in the championship.
Paris Saint-Germain no longer has it in their own hands to become champions for the fourth time in a row and for the eighth time in nine seasons – and with the tenth title to set the Saint-Etienne record. Because before the last round, Lille leads one point ahead of PSG, which will still play in Brest, at the 16th of the table. Lille plays away against Angers, the 12. The goal difference, which is decisive in the event of a tie, speaks clearly in favor of the capitals. But Lille would be champions again with a win for the first time in ten years.
League 1
Lille or PSG – who will be champions?
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Team is the star – goalie and striker as life insurance
Head coach Christophe Galtier’s squad is not as rich in renowned players as Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG. But mention should be made of Burak Yilmaz, a Turkish striker with a low market value and great impact. He was the top scorer twice in Turkey. After Hakan Sükür, he is the national team’s top scorer with 28 goals. He will be 36 years old in July.
Picture:
Keystone
But the Lillois backed the right horse when they signed Yilmaz last summer. He scores a lot of goals and is extremely valuable as well. It was not Kylian Mbappé or Neymar or any other superstar who received such good marks as Yilmaz from the experts at the newspaper «L’Equipe» throughout the season. Should Lille actually become the Ligue 1 champion, it would also be thanks to the tall striker.
Mike Maignan also stands out. The 25-year-old goalie is on the wish lists of various top European clubs. The bearer of a big name is striker Timothy Weah. The son of the former world footballer and today’s Liberian President George Weah still has to improve if he is to reach Yilmaz’s level. At 21, he still has time for it.
“Blue Sport” shows the decision in Ligue 1 live
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Angers – Lille
So 23.05. 20:40 – 00:00 | blue Sport Live
Live Soccer: SCO Angers – OSC Lille
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Stade Brest – PSG
So 23.05. 20:40 – 00:00 | blue Sport Live
Live Fussball: Stade Brest – Paris St. Germain
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