Ligue 1 preview: Important round for top three

Lille, Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain all face crucial battles as they look to break the congestion at the top of the Ligue 1 table.

Fifth-placed Marseille host second side Montpellier and league-leaders Lille travel to seventh-placed Bordeaux in Saturday’s action, before Lyon (eighth) and Paris Saint-Germain (third) go head to head in the pick of the three Sunday fixtures.

Just two points separate top side Lille from eighth-placed Lyon, and wins for the top sides will help them gain some valuable ground over their fellow title contenders.

Montpellier have won their past three games in all competitions, including victory over Lille in the Coupe de la Ligue, while Marseille are fresh from guaranteeing their spot in the last 16 of the lucrative Champions League with a 3-0 thrashing of Spartak Moscow in Russia on Tuesday.

Montpellier assistant coach Pascal Baills said keeping possession on Saturday will be the key to frustrating the defending champions.

“Marseille are a physical team, athletic with power and speed, and it will take courage on our part and also technical quality,” Ballis said.

“If we do not get the ball we will suffer, but if we manage to keep hold of it, it might be interesting for us.”

“One thing I am sure of is we will have to have a great game if we want to achieve something there.”

Lille manager Rudi Garcia said his side deserved to be sitting in first place in the league, but is aware a slip up at Bordeaux could alter their position considerably.

“Sitting in first place is our reward for all the hard work we put in on a daily basis,” Garcia said.

“But the championship is very tight. When you look at the standings there is a two-point difference between eight teams.”

“This means everything can change in one weekend, especially on days when there are matches between direct rivals, as is the case for us against Bordeaux. Things can happen, even if we manage to continue our winning streak.”

Brest host Lens, Lorient welcome fourth-placed Stade Rennes, Monaco and Nice face off, Nancy take on Saint-Etienne and Valenciennes will play Arles in other action on Saturday.

PSG are unbeaten in their last seven heading into their away fixture at Lyon in Sunday’s late kick-off, while the home side will be desperate to turn around their form, which saw them lose 3-0 mid-week to German side Schalke in the Champions League.

Sunday’s other fixtures see the promoted Caen host Sochaux, and Auxerre welcome Toulouse to the Stade de l’Abbe Deschamps.