French Soccer League Predictions and Discussion Thread (Ligue 1)

[KTChampions]

But I just still can't accept Messi taking over the penalty kick in the UCL yesterday, even though if it was given to Mbappe I think it would be even better because it was a good chance for Mbappe to score a hat-trick. Yesterday, we knew PSG won against Monaco 2-0 and the first goal was scored from a penalty kick and it was Mbappe who took the shot. I just don't understand why when a player has a great chance to score a hat-trick but doesn't get support from a star player like Messi, I would prefer Messi to support Mbappe as a young potential player and give Mbappe a penalty kick in yesterday's UCL match against Brugge.

I think Messi is very worried about the fact that he is far behind Ronaldo and he would like to be closer on goals scored (or maybe he's trying to get away from Levandowski even further). Therefore, he uses every opportunity to improve his personal statistics. It may be selfish, but such motives are understandable.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Messi on another goal involvement. My favorite player and yes I know he won Ballon but I actually didn't think he deserved it (and he felt the same way I'm sure) but at least he's still earning his reputation on the field.

But I came here to say what a missed chance for him to meet Ronaldo on UCL pitch!! But still, nice that he meets Real and tries to knock them out with PSG. The only shame that only 1 has to pass to Quarterfinals

Messi is controversial, PSG is now a team that manages a lot of money and the truth is very influential, it is like a Real Madrid from France, however the whole team has adapted to Messi's game, Messi always imposes a type of A different game, that if the team players do not adapt, they make it seem as if he was lost playing alone in the team, and with respect to PSG and Real Madrid it is one of the games that excites me the most, more if after that he they get with the CR7 team, which for me is one of the most complete and exciting matches that only the UCL can give us.

[Davidvictorson]

But I just still can't accept Messi taking over the penalty kick in the UCL yesterday, even though if it was given to Mbappe I think it would be even better because it was a good chance for Mbappe to score a hat-trick. Yesterday, we knew PSG won against Monaco 2-0 and the first goal was scored from a penalty kick and it was Mbappe who took the shot. I just don't understand why when a player has a great chance to score a hat-trick but doesn't get support from a star player like Messi, I would prefer Messi to support Mbappe as a young potential player and give Mbappe a penalty kick in yesterday's UCL match against Brugge.

I think Messi is very worried about the fact that he is far behind Ronaldo and he would like to be closer on goals scored (or maybe he's trying to get away from Levandowski even further). Therefore, he uses every opportunity to improve his personal statistics. It may be selfish, but such motives are understandable.

I think mbappe should stay a little more, he will gain more from Messi than any player. They make a perfect duo already. Their last 2 matches was either one assisted and the other scores and vice versa. The Messi and Mbappe dynamic reminds me of the Ronaldinho and Messi dynamic in 2004. Obviously not as legendary but still similar in some ways

[doomloop]

PSG continues to lead by a wide margin in Ligue 1.  Marseille is second and Rennes is third.  This year's champion will most likely be PSG.  The Relegation line is more complicated. Saint Étienne is the last.  Teams that are likely to be relegated in Lorient and Metz.

In this season PSG is clearly on top and no one going to challenge them for this spot because currently in French League no team have resources like them, but we will have some good fight for remaining spots because few teams are trying their best to have some better results with their performance but currently struggling and few have options to buy some better players in this January transfer window which will increase their quality and performance.

Currently, Marseille is on second and Rennes on third but in near future we will have some changes as Lille, Monaco and Brest are doing very good for having good position at the end of this season Lyon is struggling very badly for relegation currently 6 teams in danger zone and from these teams 3 surely going down.

[Boristhecat]

Messi and Mbappe's recent performances have been really impressive to me. I was hoping Messi to get used to playing decently at this team and he finally started doing so. I don't expect Messi to play as awesome as his performances at Barcelona in the past. I just want him to play like real Messi. In this way, he will be contributing in a very good way to the team and he will do a great job with Mbappe and Neymar.

I noticed that now almost everyone talks about Messi and Mbappe and very rarely thinks about Neymar - this is quite surprising considering that he is still the most expensive player. He may not be as bright as in his first years of arrival in Europe, but he plays consistently well both for the national team and for PSG. I think he deserves no less attention than Messi.

[jostorres]

I noticed that now almost everyone talks about Messi and Mbappe and very rarely thinks about Neymar - this is quite surprising considering that he is still the most expensive player. He may not be as bright as in his first years of arrival in Europe, but he plays consistently well both for the national team and for PSG. I think he deserves no less attention than Messi.

You are right but due to his very lengthy injuries he is not effective like this due is now doing even he is most expensive and good player, but I am having feeling that he could be good in next few months after Mbappe leave PSG for some other club because then he and Messi can do something better with both have same nature but just due to Neymar injuries peoples not talking too much about him.

Currently, he is out for some long period with ankle injury which is surely needed some good intention if he wants to be effective player again in this PSG and for Brazil national team. If he is able to recover as all expecting, then surely we will be able to watch him in Champions League match against Manchester United.

[jakdanyel]

I noticed that now almost everyone talks about Messi and Mbappe and very rarely thinks about Neymar - this is quite surprising considering that he is still the most expensive player. He may not be as bright as in his first years of arrival in Europe, but he plays consistently well both for the national team and for PSG. I think he deserves no less attention than Messi.

I agree totally. Neymar is one of the very special players in football history. Maybe we don't see him more often than Mbappe and Messi recently but when he plays PSG's performance goes up much more. He improves the effectiveness of the attacking line of the team a lot. And his performance in the Ligue 1 so far hasn't been bad. He got 3 goals and 3 assists in 10 league matches. PSG need Neymar also to be able to win the Champions League also.

[KTChampions]

I think Messi is very worried about the fact that he is far behind Ronaldo and he would like to be closer on goals scored (or maybe he's trying to get away from Levandowski even further). Therefore, he uses every opportunity to improve his personal statistics. It may be selfish, but such motives are understandable.

I think mbappe should stay a little more, he will gain more from Messi than any player. They make a perfect duo already. Their last 2 matches was either one assisted and the other scores and vice versa. The Messi and Mbappe dynamic reminds me of the Ronaldinho and Messi dynamic in 2004. Obviously not as legendary but still similar in some ways

I think one season is enough to gain experience from Messi and Neymar. Mbappe is already an accomplished player, he has already played with all (against all) star players in the world, now he needs to farm statistics and achievements to go down in history (competitors like Haaland are not asleep) and it will be more convenient to do this in Real than in PSG (which is season as if it was in the wrong league and plays with midgets and not serious rivals).

[OcTradism]

I think one season is enough to gain experience from Messi and Neymar. Mbappe is already an accomplished player, he has already played with all (against all) star players in the world, now he needs to farm statistics and achievements to go down in history (competitors like Haaland are not asleep) and it will be more convenient to do this in Real than in PSG (which is season as if it was in the wrong league and plays with midgets and not serious rivals).

Messi is going to last years of his career and his time in PSG is counting down. He can play well in up to 3 seasons and after that, seriously I don't know how he will play. He can score some important goals and decide matches but his importance for club will decrease dramatically when he is ageing more.

Mbappe is a very lucky player. He is not only talented but also belong to a right generation to take over leading positions from Messi and Ronaldo. Mbappe and Haaland are players for next generation. We mentioned a lot about Bale, Hazaard, Neymar but they are long in period when Messi and Ronaldo were in their best. So chance for Hazaard, Neymar and Bale to take over those two greatest players in last 20 years is very very small. It's impossible mission for them.

If they had played in period without Messi and Ronaldo, I think Bale, Neymar and Hazaard would have won at least one Ballon dOr'

[slaman29]

Messi on another goal involvement. My favorite player and yes I know he won Ballon but I actually didn't think he deserved it (and he felt the same way I'm sure) but at least he's still earning his reputation on the field.

But I came here to say what a missed chance for him to meet Ronaldo on UCL pitch!! But still, nice that he meets Real and tries to knock them out with PSG. The only shame that only 1 has to pass to Quarterfinals

Messi is controversial, PSG is now a team that manages a lot of money and the truth is very influential, it is like a Real Madrid from France, however the whole team has adapted to Messi's game, Messi always imposes a type of A different game, that if the team players do not adapt, they make it seem as if he was lost playing alone in the team, and with respect to PSG and Real Madrid it is one of the games that excites me the most, more if after that he they get with the CR7 team, which for me is one of the most complete and exciting matches that only the UCL can give us.

Saying Messi is controversial is both true and false, and not really worth mentioning. He doesn't invite the controversy it just kinda follows him everywhere because he's Messi.

Did he choose to win the last Ballon? No, people voted for him. Did he choose to go to PSG? No, he was pushed out from the club he wanted to stay at.

Anyway, I guess we all agree the match will be entertaining to watch though I still hope and think Ronaldo vs Messi could happen!

[Juggy777]

Messi on another goal involvement. My favorite player and yes I know he won Ballon but I actually didn't think he deserved it (and he felt the same way I'm sure) but at least he's still earning his reputation on the field.

But I came here to say what a missed chance for him to meet Ronaldo on UCL pitch!! But still, nice that he meets Real and tries to knock them out with PSG. The only shame that only 1 has to pass to Quarterfinals

Messi is controversial, PSG is now a team that manages a lot of money and the truth is very influential, it is like a Real Madrid from France, however the whole team has adapted to Messi's game, Messi always imposes a type of A different game, that if the team players do not adapt, they make it seem as if he was lost playing alone in the team, and with respect to PSG and Real Madrid it is one of the games that excites me the most, more if after that he they get with the CR7 team, which for me is one of the most complete and exciting matches that only the UCL can give us.

Saying Messi is controversial is both true and false, and not really worth mentioning. He doesn't invite the controversy it just kinda follows him everywhere because he's Messi.

Did he choose to win the last Ballon? No, people voted for him. Did he choose to go to PSG? No, he was pushed out from the club he wanted to stay at.

Anyway, I guess we all agree the match will be entertaining to watch though I still hope and think Ronaldo vs Messi could happen!

@slaman29 totally agree with you Messi doesn’t like controversy he likes the game, and the very fact that he knows Lewandowski should have won it says it all about his character. Also now it looks like he’s settling at PSG, and as I said earlier he’s the one of the key man standing between Real Madrid’s victory.

[Boristhecat]

I noticed that now almost everyone talks about Messi and Mbappe and very rarely thinks about Neymar - this is quite surprising considering that he is still the most expensive player. He may not be as bright as in his first years of arrival in Europe, but he plays consistently well both for the national team and for PSG. I think he deserves no less attention than Messi.

You are right but due to his very lengthy injuries he is not effective like this due is now doing even he is most expensive and good player, but I am having feeling that he could be good in next few months after Mbappe leave PSG for some other club because then he and Messi can do something better with both have same nature but just due to Neymar injuries peoples not talking too much about him.

Currently, he is out for some long period with ankle injury which is surely needed some good intention if he wants to be effective player again in this PSG and for Brazil national team. If he is able to recover as all expecting, then surely we will be able to watch him in Champions League match against Manchester United.

According to doctors' forecasts, he was out for a period of 6 to 8 weeks, which means that he will have time to recover and even play several warm-up matches in the French championship. This is good news for PSG, because the confrontation with Real will be very difficult (did you write about the match against Manchester United in view of the results of the first canceled draw?).

[DatKing]

PSG have been dominating the season so far and I'm very sure that they will continue to do so as for the whole season. Because there are no team to compete with them very seriously now. Monaco, Lille and Lyon are far away from their look in the previous season. Maybe Marseille can be the team to get close to them in the standings the most but still I expect PSG to reach the title by at least a ten-point difference.

[DU18]

The French government has now decided to tighten security in Ligue 1 matches, this season there have been a lot of riots in the Legue 1 and resulted in several players being injured by throwing fans, and even the French government has threatened to stop Ligue 1 if there is another riot that causes referees and players injured, next season the stadium is required to install a net to prevent throwing and also the entry of spectators into the field.

In my opinion, what the government is going to do is the right thing, because this season we saw many matches had to be stopped due to acts of the crowd and of course we haven't forgotten what happened in the match between Marseille and Nice last august.

[hahay]

But I just still can't accept Messi taking over the penalty kick in the UCL yesterday, even though if it was given to Mbappe I think it would be even better because it was a good chance for Mbappe to score a hat-trick. Yesterday, we knew PSG won against Monaco 2-0 and the first goal was scored from a penalty kick and it was Mbappe who took the shot. I just don't understand why when a player has a great chance to score a hat-trick but doesn't get support from a star player like Messi, I would prefer Messi to support Mbappe as a young potential player and give Mbappe a penalty kick in yesterday's UCL match against Brugge.

I think Messi is very worried about the fact that he is far behind Ronaldo and he would like to be closer on goals scored (or maybe he's trying to get away from Levandowski even further). Therefore, he uses every opportunity to improve his personal statistics. It may be selfish, but such motives are understandable.

I think mbappe should stay a little more, he will gain more from Messi than any player. They make a perfect duo already. Their last 2 matches was either one assisted and the other scores and vice versa. The Messi and Mbappe dynamic reminds me of the Ronaldinho and Messi dynamic in 2004. Obviously not as legendary but still similar in some ways

Well, Mbappe's chances are still very wide open to achieve that success, but the reason about the competition for the most goals between Messi and Ronaldo or other players I don't think is something important either. The rivalry is always raised in the media so they continue to compete even though they have played in different leagues and also, if Messi is really competing for the highest number of goals then it should have been in yesterday's match against Monaco, Messi took the kick but he didn't. Well, whatever the reason, the most important thing is that they have played better than before, but I'm still curious whether when Neymar returns to play they can still play well like in the last two games or not, it's interesting to watch.

[KTChampions]

I think one season is enough to gain experience from Messi and Neymar. Mbappe is already an accomplished player, he has already played with all (against all) star players in the world, now he needs to farm statistics and achievements to go down in history (competitors like Haaland are not asleep) and it will be more convenient to do this in Real than in PSG (which is season as if it was in the wrong league and plays with midgets and not serious rivals).

Messi is going to last years of his career and his time in PSG is counting down. He can play well in up to 3 seasons and after that, seriously I don't know how he will play. He can score some important goals and decide matches but his importance for club will decrease dramatically when he is ageing more.

Mbappe is a very lucky player. He is not only talented but also belong to a right generation to take over leading positions from Messi and Ronaldo. Mbappe and Haaland are players for next generation. We mentioned a lot about Bale, Hazaard, Neymar but they are long in period when Messi and Ronaldo were in their best. So chance for Hazaard, Neymar and Bale to take over those two greatest players in last 20 years is very very small. It's impossible mission for them.

If they had played in period without Messi and Ronaldo, I think Bale, Neymar and Hazaard would have won at least one Ballon dOr'

I think that the importance of Messi right now is already small for PSG, but he will definitely play a couple of seasons as the name >> real benefit on the field. Football is a media business.
As for the Ballon d'Or, it is a paltry, discredited award and it does not matter - for example, Xavi and Iniesta do not have a single Ballon d'Or for two. This is funny.

[Phoenix Anka]

Lille may not be in a good position, but in Ligue 1 top scorer, Lille striker Jonathan David, is at the top with 11 goals.  Laborde, Mbappe Ajorque, Bayo and Ben Yedder are second with 9 goals.  On the other hand, Mbappe is on top with 8 assists, while Payet and Clauss are second with 7 assists.  In the French league, very good matches have been played in recent years.

[batako]

PSG are very comfortable at their place in the league table now. It is like that they are taking revenge on Lille after missing the title chance by a near gap. The teams except PSG really have no chance for the title mostly. Because they don't have a solid lineup like PSG have. And this makes things very difficult for them to compete with a this strong team. As a result, one of these teams become the champions rarely. And as long as the balance of the league is like this, PSG won't have any problem nearly all the time.

They have many stars in it. They can buy very talented players from big teams. They so strong at financial thats why they can buy lots of good players. Sure, other teams will be difficult to chase/compete with PSG in term of buying such good players.

[kro55]

PSG are very comfortable at their place in the league table now. It is like that they are taking revenge on Lille after missing the title chance by a near gap. The teams except PSG really have no chance for the title mostly. Because they don't have a solid lineup like PSG have. And this makes things very difficult for them to compete with a this strong team. As a result, one of these teams become the champions rarely. And as long as the balance of the league is like this, PSG won't have any problem nearly all the time.

They have many stars in it. They can buy very talented players from big teams. They so strong at financial thats why they can buy lots of good players. Sure, other teams will be difficult to chase/compete with PSG in term of buying such good players.

The PSG club is in a very good financial position. And the owner of the club is rich, at the same time he is willing to spend a lot of money for the club. Which other club owners do not. So the management and coaches of PSG can take star players as per their wish. PSG's goal is to win the Champions League. They will not hesitate to spend more money for this.

[snipie]

PSG have been dominating the season so far and I'm very sure that they will continue to do so as for the whole season. Because there are no team to compete with them very seriously now. Monaco, Lille and Lyon are far away from their look in the previous season. Maybe Marseille can be the team to get close to them in the standings the most but still I expect PSG to reach the title by at least a ten-point difference.

PSG winning Ligue-1 is almost a sure thing when you see other teams wasting points easily. I believe PSG should focus on winning Champions League at any cost at this point since the games there are way harder and to prove that the team is a solid one.