Sports | L1: Saint-Etienne and Rennes for the lead, Lens and Paris for the conquest

Paris – Saint-Etienne and Rennes face off for first place in Ligue 1 on Saturday afternoon on Matchday 5, which should allow Lens to confirm their good start to the season and the reinvigorated Paris SG to continue to go up the slope in Reims.

– The shock: Saint-Etienne-Rennes –

Duel at the top! Saint-Etienne and Rennes, tied on points (10 each), face each other in Geoffroy-Guichard on Saturday afternoon to try to break away from the top of the Championship.

The poster, contested almost behind closed doors with no general public tickets for sale due to sanitary conditions, pits two unbeaten teams but on different dynamics: the Rennes remain on three successes, while the Greens have just lost their first points. and to concede their first goals in Nantes. The Stéphanois conceded a draw 2-2 while still leading 2-0 with twenty minutes remaining.

This promises a prolific match as Rennes have scored and conceded at least one goal in each game, and have just overthrown Monaco with a goal in added time.

The match promises to be all the more crucial as it is jostling behind: a point behind them, Montpellier and Lens move to poorly classified, respectively Dijon, red lantern, and Nîmes.

– The team: Lens, irresistible promoted –

With a bang! The Sang et Or, which we expected in the fight for maintenance, play the leading roles after four days, at the foot of the podium with 9 points on the clock.

On Saturday, in Nîmes, Franck Haise’s team will seek to get even further ahead of another candidate for maintenance, 15th with 4 points.

Fallers of Paris SG in Bollaert-Delelis (1-0), the Lensois owe their Olympic form to two players: Gaël Kakuta and Ignatius Ganago, three goals in four matches each.

Ganago, 21, has scored in Racing’s last three matches, all won by one goal. And Kakuta remains on two consecutive games with one goal. Series to continue in Nîmes …

– The number: 2 –

Only two players missing from PSG: Juan Bernat, injured for several months, and Layvin Kurzawa, suspended after his exclusion against Marseille … The absent will never have been so few in Paris this season.

This is the first time since the final of the Champions League that PSG can present a full starting eleven. Decimated by cases of coronavirus after returning from vacation, then by suspensions after the stormy PSG-OM, the club can finally line up its “Fantastic Four” in attack: Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, Mauro Icardi, Angel Di Maria.

The latter, sanctioned Wednesday by four matches closed for a spitting in the direction of the Marseillais Alvaro Gonzalez, will be able to play in Reims, his sanction not taking effect until the 29th. As for Neymar, he is back this weekend after having served two matches suspension following his red card received against OM, but he will have to return to the disciplinary committee next Wednesday, against a background of cross accusations of racist insults …

In Nice last weekend, the return of Mbappé propelled the game of the reigning French champions into another dimension, easy winners (3-0) of the Gym despite the absence of “Ney”.

Against Reims, penultimate with a single point, Thomas Tuchel will have the opportunity to confirm the comeback of PSG, which had strolled last January at Auguste-Delaune, in the semi-final of the Coupe de la Ligue (3 -0).

But beware: Parisians have stumbled several times in recent seasons in Champagne. In L1, they haven’t won there since 2013 …

Program of the 5th day of Ligue 1:

Friday:

Lille – Nantes 2 – 0

Saturday:

(5:00 p.m.) Saint-Etienne – Rennes

(9 p.m.) Marseille – Metz

Sunday:

(13h00) Bordeaux – Nice

(15h00) Nîmes – Lens

Monaco – Strasbourg

Dijon – Montpellier

Angers – Brest

(5:00 p.m.) Lorient – Lyon

(21h00) Reims – Paris SG

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