Ligue 1: The Top Five State of Play

We are exactly half way through the 2022/23 Ligue 1 campaign and it is no shock that Paris Saint-Germain sit at the top of the pile. But what is slightly surprising is the margin of their lead…the star-studded champions have seen their advantage cut to three points following a run of two defeats in three games.

Fifth-placed Rennesopened up the title race with a stunning 1-0 victory over PSG last week, cutting the lead at the top of Ligue 1 after RC Lens won their home game against Auxerre. Only ten points separate the top five sides; so let’s take a look at the mid term state of the leading pack as we head into what promises to be a fascinating race for the title, and the three available Champions League places.

Paris Saint-Germain

Now that their squad has returned from the World Cup the Parisiens are at full strength for the second half of the campaign. They undoubtedly have the best squad by a mile, and the question, as always, is how their megastars are getting on with each other. And there is yet more speculation over the future of World Cup Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe, linking him with a summer move to Liverpool. The Reds have been tracking the star since 2017 when he was at Monaco but he went to PSG in an eye watering 180M Euros deal.

Well Liverpool are potentially about to enter a period of restructure, with the news that the club is up for sale and, like Chelsea and Newcastle United, that could spark a spending spree at Anfield. Any transfer would surely break the world record with PSG valuing their player at 400m Euros and Liverpool’s proposed sale by the Fenway Group may smooth the way for freer spending at the club.

That’s a story to keep an eye on while PSG attempt to rediscover their best form!

RC Lens

Lens are the surprise package in the league with 13 wins, five draws and a single defeat and the best defensive record in the league, conceding just 13 goals, one fewer than leaders PSG. They have an impressive cutting edge too. 6ft 2in forward Florian Sotoca has produced some of Lens’ best Ligue 1 2023 highlights with six goals and six assists, while 22-year-old Belgian ace Lois Openda has scored nine goals.

The latest Ligue 1 2023 betting odds are squarely behind PSG retaining their title but Lens will take inspiration from Lille who stunned the football world by winning the 2021 title, and their fans are dreaming of a second Ligue 1 title after they won in 1998.

Olympique de Marseille

After a run of six consecutive league wins OM are two points behind Lens and five behind the leaders; and they could emerge as the biggest threat to the Parisiens. Last year’s runners up have plenty of star quality. Former Inter Milan striker Alexis Sanchez has six goals and the team is captained by the mercurial Dimitri Payet; meanwhile manager Igor Tudor has been effective in the loan market, bringing in defender Eric Bailly from Manchester United and attacking midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi from Atalanta.

AS Monaco

Away from Paris, Monaco have the most lethal strike pair with Wissam Ben Yedder on 11 goals while Breel Embolo has ten goals. France international Ben Yedder skippers the side and leads the line superbly, while Swiss star Embolo is a livewire, with a sharp turn of pace and a ruthless finish. Meanwhile, Chelsea defender Malang Sarr could be on his way out of Monaco after featuring in just 12 games in all competitions for les Rouge et Blanc. The 23 year old looks set to make a switch to La Liga strugglers Sevilla as neither Monaco nor his parent clubs seems to have a starting place for him.

Monaco will aim to, at least match last season’s third placed finish but the competition is fierce.

Stade Rennes

PSG’s trip to Rennes last week turned a little sour for the champions; and we had previewed the game here at SBOTOP predicting a Paris win, not least because of the issues Rennes seemed to be having off the pitch. There has been a frenzy of interest in the club’s best players, mainly Croatian midfielder Lovro Majer who is being tracked by mega-rich Newcastle United. And admirers of Hamari Traore will have noticed he scored the winner against PSG with a cool finish on 65 minutes. Despite missing injured top scorer Martin Terrier and suspended duo Benjamin Bourigeaud and Warmed Omari Rennes held on for a famous victory.

Terrier’s injury could keep him sidelined for a few weeks but the suspended players have paid their dues and so Rennes are nearing full strength, providing they don’t lose their prize assets over the next two weeks.

So with 19 games gone PSG are in the box seat, with OM and Monaco primed to fill the top three; but first they will have to displace Lens and that will take some doing, while Rennes are still in the hunt and have ambitions to gatecrash the Champions League party.

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