French Soccer League Predictions and Discussion Thread (Ligue 1)

[pawel7777]

A modest win is still a win. In the only game of today, Marseille defeated Auxerre at home and worked out a 3-point buffer that separates them from 4th Olympique Lyon.
Lyon are playing Le Havre (currently 14th in the table) on Sunday, and I expect them to win.

Auxerre is now in a tough spot, they are only two points ahead of Nantes (and the relegation zone) but Nantes have one game more to play. The problem is Nantes will play their game of matchday 26 later (on 20 April) and it will be against PSG, so they are not escaping the relegation zone anytime soon.

As PSG are not playing this weekend, Lens will have a chance to drop them off the leader position and put some mental pressure on them. To do that, Lens have to beat Lorient in an away game, which might not be easy as Lorient lost only once in their last 5 league games.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Hope advantage played a vital role in the game between PSG and Chelsea but the performance of PSG doesn't look like what could be questioned when they go for the second leg where Chelsea will have the hope advantage over them because 5:2 win with a good performance means a lot and if Chelsea will make it tough for them then they have to start it very early with scoring of goals because PSG will not only defend they will also come out to look for goals to make the job more difficult for Chelsea. There will be 3 goals I nthr second leg but the performance of Chelsea will not stop them from scoring but winning without PSG not scoring is going to be impossible unless PSG will be reduced to 9 players.

There's something very specific that almost all the teams that go to the UCL have: the teams rise to the occasion, they play like never before, the level they show in these competitions is very high Remember what happened in the Club World Cup? PSG has it in for Chelsea, they won't rest until they get their revenge, that's why they're playing like this Now, there's still only one game left, Chelsea's last chance, let's see their reaction.

[len01]

The odds of 1.88 for Lens are very high, I wouldn't be surprised if Lens lost this match. My current considerations are only the BTTS and Under options. Although the odds of BTTS (yes) are almost the same as the odds of a win for Lens, I still think it's the better choice.

Indeed, slightly higher odds for the away team make bettors a little hesitant, and I think @1.88 for a guaranteed win is an unrealistic amount. If you choose to bet on BTTS, it's a reasonable choice because I also assume that if Lorient can put up a fight from the start, there's a chance both teams will score, even if the final result is random.

Honestly, I prefer betting on the second half to increase my chances of winning, and I'm interested in betting on the total corners.

[Jessie2121]

Tomorrow there will be a pretty interesting match, and it will surely make people wonder whether Lens can beat Lorient.

From my perspective, even though Lorient is below Lens in the standings and doesn’t look very convincing, playing at home will give the host team an advantage. It’s not that I doubt Lens’ performance, but I did think there might be a chance for Lorient to hold the match to a draw. On the other hand, the away team really needs 3 points to keep competing with PSG at the top of the table.

What do you think?

Lens will be more than glad to beat Lorient knowing very well that it will be their chance of becoming the number 1 team in the Ligue 1 since PSG have their game postponed so they won't try to mess this golden opportunity, if Lens win they have to pray for PSG to either lose or draw against Nante which I think will be very hard because if PSG drop point it becomes a difficult battle to get back up. For me I want Lens to win this league at least a change of power even if is this season, tired of seeing PSG as champions all season.

[Velvet78]

This week Lens have a more difficult game to play compared to PSG. Lorient are one of the good home teams in the league with only 1 loss in 12 games so far. But PSG are hosting Nantes who are one of the most likely teams to relegate...

This race for the best striker bores me a bit, there are honestly no great talents like there used to be and this ranking already seems obvious to me, even if i have to say that I'm not surprised that Dembele is not there, who is still an excellent player even if he is not in the running for the title, a great striker

I would agree with that. Great talents don't prefer to stay in the Ligue 1 mostly which I understand. And Dembélé isn't naturally a striker of course. He has played as RW during most of his career so far.

However Luis Enrique prefers him as CF most of the time. This can change if PSG makes a reliable striker signing of course. I would like to see Dembélé back in his original position. 

[pawel7777]

As I'm holding a long-term bet on Lens to win the league, I obviously wish them to win today against Lorient. Odds on Lens are quite high on some of the sites and they look tempting, but before placing bets, there are things you need to consider:
- Lorient have the highest in the league average points-per-game difference between home and away games: +1.07 points, on average, in favour of home games. The statement that clubs tend to perform better at home is most true for Lorient out of all Ligue 1 clubs.
- Lorient have not lost a game at home since August 2025 (when they got massacred by Lille 7-1). That's 6.5 months without a loss at home, which includes hosting PSG when they drew 1-1. How likely are Lens to break this trend?
- Lorient have the most draws in the league. When it comes to the number of losses (currently 7), they rank the same as some of the top clubs like Marseille or Lyon.

So, statistically speaking, a split of points seems quite likely in this game. I hope I'm wrong though.

[Adiljutt156]

A win against Chelsea is revenge, are you telling PSG to lose? To take revenge against Chelsea, they don't have to win by a big margin or dominate, if they can eliminate Chelsea in the round of 16, it will be no less than revenge. Now if you say that this is not the best time or a good opportunity for PSG to take revenge, then PSG should be eliminated from the league now. I don't think they will agree with you. PSG's main goal in the round of 16 will be to take revenge by defeating Chelsea, it is not something that they have to perform and take revenge like in the lost match, maybe PSG knows this very well as a professional club.

I don't know what you mean by revenge, but I have to say that Chelsea doesn't have to take much revenge, just win, that's what matters, revenge has little to do with sport, it must be said that PSG can do very well compared to them, they seem to have found a bit of the level they had not long ago, they need to have more confidence in my opinion..

Tonight's match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea promises to be very enjoyable. I think Chelsea are in great form lately. Paris Saint-Germain will want to win in front of their home crowd. So I can say that an exciting and enjoyable match awaits us. He's probably referring to the Club World Cup final. In that final, Chelsea won 3-0 and took the trophy from Paris Saint-Germain.

The match between these teams was organized in the Parc des Princes, Paris.  The shots of Paris Saint-Germain football team were 10 in this match and 7 shots were on target and possession percentage of that team was 58 percent in this match and their passes were 580 in this match. The pass accuracy of that team was 91 percent in this match and opponent team accuracy was 84 percent in this match. The shots of Chelsea football team were 7 in this match and 4 shots were on target and possession percentage of that team was 42 percent in this match which was very low as comparison to opponent team and pass of that team were very low in this match which matters a lot in every match.

[$weetne$$]

There is no way Chelsea was going to win PSG, it may come to worse that the return leg between PSG and Chelsea in Stamford Bridge might turn out to be in absolute favor of PSG. It will be difficult for Chelsea to cover the distance, 3 goals is wide enough to secure PSG the win, all they have to do is defend, but we know that PSG is not a club that will sit back and watch Chelsea press them, they would love to add more goals in the second leg as well.

actually the 3 goals gap is such a huge one that will be difficult for Chelsea to cover and get to knock PSG out so it is very likely at this point that PSG is the team that will be knocked out at this stage. All PSG will be needing at this time is for them to concede less or no goals in the second leg and possibly get a goal or two to solidify their advantage ahead of Chelsea, which i believe they are most likely going to achieve it.

[Mame89]

There is no way Chelsea was going to win PSG, it may come to worse that the return leg between PSG and Chelsea in Stamford Bridge might turn out to be in absolute favor of PSG. It will be difficult for Chelsea to cover the distance, 3 goals is wide enough to secure PSG the win, all they have to do is defend, but we know that PSG is not a club that will sit back and watch Chelsea press them, they would love to add more goals in the second leg as well.

actually the 3 goals gap is such a huge one that will be difficult for Chelsea to cover and get to knock PSG out so it is very likely at this point that PSG is the team that will be knocked out at this stage. All PSG will be needing at this time is for them to concede less or no goals in the second leg and possibly get a goal or two to solidify their advantage ahead of Chelsea, which i believe they are most likely going to achieve it.

Yes, it's very difficult for Chelsea to advance to the next round with a 3 goal deficit especially since scoring against PSG is no easy feat and Enrique knows how to maintain a lead. Enrique is not only a tactical expert but also adept at spotting crucial matches and knowing which ones to prioritize. This was evident before the Chelsea match, when they lost to Monaco in the league even though they had previously knocked Monaco out of UCL.

The defeat to Monaco can be interpreted as Enrique focus on the Chelsea match and that was evident with PSG decisive victory over Chelsea in the first leg. It's not that he's not focused on Ligue 1, but Enrique believes his team can win the Ligue 1 trophy considering their only rivals are Lens who currently sit in second place by a single point. Enrique confidence stems from PSG potential to steal points from Lens in Week 28, when the two teams face each other. Currently PSG faces the second leg more comfortably after a big aggregate advantage.

[Lida93]

A modest win is still a win. In the only game of today, Marseille defeated Auxerre at home and worked out a 3-point buffer that separates them from 4th Olympique Lyon.
Lyon are playing Le Havre (currently 14th in the table) on Sunday, and I expect them to win.

Auxerre is now in a tough spot, they are only two points ahead of Nantes (and the relegation zone) but Nantes have one game more to play. The problem is Nantes will play their game of matchday 26 later (on 20 April) and it will be against PSG, so they are not escaping the relegation zone anytime soon.

As PSG are not playing this weekend, Lens will have a chance to drop them off the leader position and put some mental pressure on them. To do that, Lens have to beat Lorient in an away game, which might not be easy as Lorient lost only once in their last 5 league games.

If not for the inconsistent run of Olympique Marseille earlier this season, I believe Marseille would have being the main contender for the title instead of RC Lens who are fighting against PSG for the title,
Marseille have had a very good season in their league with the likes of mason Greenwood and Aubameyang and some other top players in the team who have being very outstanding this season, I think their main goal would be to qualify for the UCL since they aren't involved in the race for the league title.

[Moreno233]

There is no way Chelsea was going to win PSG, it may come to worse that the return leg between PSG and Chelsea in Stamford Bridge might turn out to be in absolute favor of PSG. It will be difficult for Chelsea to cover the distance, 3 goals is wide enough to secure PSG the win, all they have to do is defend, but we know that PSG is not a club that will sit back and watch Chelsea press them, they would love to add more goals in the second leg as well.

actually the 3 goals gap is such a huge one that will be difficult for Chelsea to cover and get to knock PSG out so it is very likely at this point that PSG is the team that will be knocked out at this stage. All PSG will be needing at this time is for them to concede less or no goals in the second leg and possibly get a goal or two to solidify their advantage ahead of Chelsea, which i believe they are most likely going to achieve it.

Chelsea is known for their unyielding spirit but I don't that os enough to give them a winning over PSG  that will even be coming all out to win Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.  I have noticed that home and away factor no longer have significant impact of the teams, their style of play as well as their level of confidence are some of the things that matters. Barcelona will definitely win them but i don't know how many goals they will be able to score and the number Chelsea will score if thy will even get a goal.

[Swordsoffreedom]

Lens lost against Lorient. If Lens had won this match, they could have occupied the top spot of the table. The team missed the opportunity. Lens is in second place in the table with 56 points in 26 matches. PSG's achievement is 57 points in 25 matches.

Lorient performed excellently in their home match. They were especially tactical. And they were able to win because of a descent strategy. Lens players dominated the entire match. Lens could attack a lot but their defense was weak. And Lorient players took advantage of this opportunity. Lorient was able to have 39% ball possession. And they only had 3 on target shots. Even then they were able to score two goals. I would say that Lens lost today against Lorient's descent strategy

[sana54210]

Marseille could guarantee their position if they keep this up and I know that they are going to end up having some issues on the long run with missing players but right now they are looking good and that should be the best situation for them.

Lyon is right there, and they have to fight for it and I get that but Lyon never felt like they could be a threat to them. Top four is not the same as premier league situation, because while top three do go to UCL, the fourth has to play in the playoffs to be able to go, if not then go to Europa and this is why its not easy.

[Abu-Naim]

Lens lost against Lorient. If Lens had won this match, they could have occupied the top spot of the table. The team missed the opportunity. Lens is in second place in the table with 56 points in 26 matches. PSG's achievement is 57 points in 25 matches.

To be frank, Lens tried their best this season, they perform way better than most teams that are in the same caliber with them, they are one of the best team in the league apart from PSG and they don’t have special players, their have teamwork that’s sustainable and that’s hard been helping the team generally which is very good of them.

I think at this moment, it is almost over for Lens in the League 1 title race, they did their best but fatigue and injuries dealt with them, but they tied their best to have maintain the second position. I think their aim of playing in the Champions league next season is almost certain because they are playing better than any of big teams.

[Egii Nna]

Hope advantage played a vital role in the game between PSG and Chelsea but the performance of PSG doesn't look like what could be questioned when they go for the second leg where Chelsea will have the hope advantage over them because 5:2 win with a good performance means a lot and if Chelsea will make it tough for them then they have to start it very early with scoring of goals because PSG will not only defend they will also come out to look for goals to make the job more difficult for Chelsea. There will be 3 goals I nthr second leg but the performance of Chelsea will not stop them from scoring but winning without PSG not scoring is going to be impossible unless PSG will be reduced to 9 players.

There's something very specific that almost all the teams that go to the UCL have: the teams rise to the occasion, they play like never before, the level they show in these competitions is very high Remember what happened in the Club World Cup? PSG has it in for Chelsea, they won't rest until they get their revenge, that's why they're playing like this Now, there's still only one game left, Chelsea's last chance, let's see their reaction.

I don’t think Chelsea will be able to pull up something tangible in this second leg. We are currently seeing what they are playing against Newcastle in the Premier League today, which, if care is not taken, they might lose the game. Because they are finding it hard to break their defense, which means a comeback is even a challenge, talk less of winning. And it will also affect their performance even in the Premier League, because they will drop in the table too much, and that will make them perform poorly in their next game with PSG. So to me, I will say PSG will be able to get their revenge now.

[puloweh555]

Lens lost against Lorient. If Lens had won this match, they could have occupied the top spot of the table. The team missed the opportunity. Lens is in second place in the table with 56 points in 26 matches. PSG's achievement is 57 points in 25 matches.

Lorient performed excellently in their home match. They were especially tactical. And they were able to win because of a descent strategy. Lens players dominated the entire match. Lens could attack a lot but their defense was weak. And Lorient players took advantage of this opportunity. Lorient was able to have 39% ball possession. And they only had 3 on target shots. Even then they were able to score two goals. I would say that Lens lost today against Lorient's descent strategy

Yes. This defeat dashes Lens' hopes of continuing to compete with PSG for the Ligue 1 trophy, especially as PSG still have 25 matches left to play. They have played 26, with a one-point gap. This means that if PSG can win against Nice next week they will have a four-point lead, and they will travel to Lens home ground in April.

So, with Lens loss to Lorient, we can say their chances of winning the trophy are slim. Furthermore, PSG is currently in good form after a landslide victory over Chelsea in the first leg, so it will be very difficult for PSG to drop any more points against Nice. Nevertheless Lens performance this season deserves praise. They have continued to pressure PSG at the top of the table until week 26 and Lens second-place finish is an extraordinary achievement.

[Fiatless]

Lens lost against Lorient. If Lens had won this match, they could have occupied the top spot of the table. The team missed the opportunity. Lens is in second place in the table with 56 points in 26 matches. PSG's achievement is 57 points in 25 matches.

Lorient performed excellently in their home match. They were especially tactical. And they were able to win because of a descent strategy. Lens players dominated the entire match. Lens could attack a lot but their defense was weak. And Lorient players took advantage of this opportunity. Lorient was able to have 39% ball possession. And they only had 3 on target shots. Even then they were able to score two goals. I would say that Lens lost today against Lorient's descent strategy

This unfortunate loss is a big blow to the hope of Lens winning the Ligue One this season. It was a golden opportunity for them to close the gap on PSG and also move on top of the table. Sadly, they just blew it up. A look at the statistics shows that the visitors were the better side in all ralification. It was Lorient that got the important prize, which is the goals. The few chances they were able to create gave them the three points.