We review the big Ligue 1 fixtures: PSG begin with Caen test
Published:
French top-flight kicks off on 10th August
Paris Saint-Germain reclaimed the Ligue 1 title from Monaco last term, and there’s every chance the pair will be battling it out again in 2018-19.
Elsewhere, last season’s surprise package Rennes will be bidding to build on their top-five finish. And much-fancied new boys Reims could ruffle a few feathers.
With the fixtures now out, the Coral News Team have the big dates for your diary…
Opening Weekend
The season begins on Friday 10th August with Olympique Marseille at home to Toulouse. That should please OM, who have won the last two meetings and are 4/11 for maximum points again.
Saturday sees Monaco make the journey to Nantes, with Les Monegasques 6/5 to win this fixture for the ninth time in 11 head-to-heads.
Last season’s Ligue 2 winners Reims romped to the title by 15 points. They make their top-flight bow at Nice, with the visitors 5/6 in the Double Chance.
Fellow promoted side Nimes visit an Angers side who had the second-worst home record last term.
As for Lille, they avoided the relegation play-offs last season by a single point and will be desperate for a bright start as they host Rennes.
Derby Days
The Derby de la Cote d’Azur is one of France’s fiercest, with just 24 miles separating Nice’s Allianz Riviera ground from Monaco’s Stade Louis II.
The pair face off in the principality on 8th December, while the reverse fixture comes on the final day of the season.
Meanwhile, Toulouse and Bordeaux have their first face-off early in the season. The first clash comes in Toulouse on 18th August, before the reverse in February.
They’re not geographic rivals, but PSG v. Monaco are undoubtedly rivals in the title hunt. They meet at Stade Louis II on 11th November, before a potential title-decider at Parc des Princes on 21st April.
And in Le Classique, the capital giants visit Marseille at the end of October, before Rudi Garcia’s men head to Paris on 17th March.
Final flourish
Both Les Parisiens and Monaco face six games after that April head-to-head.
PSG have the easier run-in, with their last trio of games against Angers, Dijon and Reims.
Monaco end the campaign with a tricky visit to Nice, while the European battle could still be raging when Marseille play Montpellier on the final day.
Lyon finished third last term, and will be looking to make the Champions League spots again. They face a crunch match against last season’s fourth-placed Marseille on 12th May.
Last term’s relegation battle went down to the final weeks. Toulouse scraped their way to safety, and could be in the same position when they face Marseille and Dijon in their final two games.
The new season promises to be a cracker, and you can get all the latest Ligue 1 odds from Coral right here.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
