Sunday: Monaco vs Rennes (13:00 GMT)
Monaco will be aiming for their first home win of the season when Rennes visit the Stade Louis II on Sunday afternoon. The hosts have been inconsistent so far this campaign, winning three of their opening eight matches, all of which have come on their travels. Leonardo Jardim’s men have lost their last two home league games, against PSG and Lorient, so Jardim will be hoping to get back on track here.
Rennes, meanwhile, have been in great form so far, losing just once in the league. Since that solitary defeat, away at Bastia on the opening weekend, the visitors have won four and drawn three, although those three draws have come in their last three games, so manager Philippe Montanier will be anxious to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.
Sunday: Lorient vs Bordeaux (16:00 GMT)
Lorient will be looking to recover from their disappointing defeat to Montpellier as they take on Bordeaux at the Stade du Moustoir. The hosts had embarked on a three game winning streak, claiming maximum points against Angers, Monaco and Caen, but that run was ended in their last outing with a shock defeat at struggling Montpellier.
Bordeaux, on the other hand, enjoyed a rare moment of success last weekend, bouncing back from a heavy 6-1 defeat to Nice by beating Lyon 3-1. That victory was only their second of what has been a weak start to the season for Willy Sagnol’s side and he will be hoping their momentum can continue into this match.
Sunday: Caen vs St Etienne (16:00 GMT)
Caen have the chance to win back-to-back league games for the third time this season as St Etienne pay a visit to the Stade Michel d’Ornano. All of Caen’s victories so far this campaign have come in twos, a pattern that manager Patrice Garande will be hoping continues here.
St Etienne, meanwhile, saw their five match winning streak ended in emphatic style last weekend, as Nice beat them 4-1 on home soil. That defeat has widened the gap between St Etienne and current league leaders PSG to four points, so Christophe Galtier knows his side need to win this one to keep the pressure on the champions in this early stage of the season.
Sunday: PSG vs Marseille (20:00 GMT)
Week 9 in Ligue 1 closes with one of the biggest matches of the season, with PSG and Marseille clashing in Le Classique at the Parc des Princes. The hosts have had by far the better season of the two so far, sitting top of the table and unbeaten in the league. They head into this showdown having beaten Guingamp, Nantes and Shakhtar Donetsk recently, all by three goal margins.
Marseille, on the other hand, have suffered what can only be described as a crazy start to the season, with high-scoring wins, crushing defeats, a managerial change and off the pitch chaos all playing a part. The latest chapter in the Marseille saga saw Michel’s side lose 2-1 at home to newly-promoted Angers, a result that has left them 16th in the table with just eight points. But given their topsy-turvy season so far, just about anything could happen in this match.
R.B.
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