Ligue 1 preview: High-flyers meet battlers

Lille travel to bottom side Arles on Saturday looking to consolidate their place atop the Ligue 1 standings.

Arles are entrenched in 20th position in the French top flight but have taken five of their seven points this season from their past five matches.

They will have to be at their best to provide resistance against a rampaging Lille who have won four of their last five games and romped to a 6-3 win over Lorient last weekend.

While Arles may be anchored to the bottom of the table, their form is significantly better than that of Caen, who have lost six straight and are winless in 10 league fixtures.

Franck Dumas’ side will be hoping to end their barren run, which stretches to September 19 when they beat Lorient 1-0, with victory over 15th-placed Nice.

Another team struggling for form are Montpellier, who were on top of the league table earlier this season but after back-to-back losses sit in 10th heading into an away trip to Brest.

Lens, meanwhile, will be hoping to escape the clutches of the relegation zone when they travel to Lorient, while Sochaux will look to extend their run of three league wins at 16th-placed Nancy.

In-form Paris-Saint Germain, who have lost just once in their past 19 games in all competitions, travel to Stade Nungesser to face Valenciennes. The side to have last triumphed over PSG, Auxerre, host reigning champions Marseille.

In Sunday’s fixtures, Lyon welcome Toulouse, who can leapfrog their hosts with victory at the Stade de Gerland, Monaco host Saint-Etienne, and Bordeaux are up against third-placed Rennes.