Ligue 1: Psg-Lille clash at the top

Tomorrow at 17, in France, a crucial challenge will be played for the conquest of the title, even if it will probably not be decisive, given that there will be another seven days to go until the end of the tournament. Psg-Lille is a clash between the teams that command Ligue 1 with 63 points. On the one hand, there is the club of the capital, a real ruler over the last decade: in eight seasons they have won the championship seven times, the last three in a row, and if they win again this year they will reach Saint-Etienne at ten. Nobody has done better. On the other hand there is the team that represents a city in Upper France, on the border with Belgium, with a population ten times lower than Paris and three times champion of France, the last one just ten years ago. On the one hand a squad full of highly paid stars, on the other a young and inexperienced team, but well motivated by coach Christophe Galtier.

THE SITUATION

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The ranking received a jolt on the last day, with leaders Lila surprisingly losing 2-1 at home to Nimes, penultimate, and was reached by Psg, who went on to win 4-2 on Lyon field (double by Mbappé, goals by Pereira and Di Maria) with whom he shared the second place. A show of strength that will have to be confirmed in the direct match, because if it is true that Maurizio Pochettino’s team showed signs of power in the Champions League (and Barcelona knows something about it), in the league it goes on in tears (three wins and two defeats , at home against Monaco and Nantes, in the last five games). In the same period, Lille collected 8 points and lost just three games in the whole tournament: only Atletico Madrid and Inter did better (two) in the top five European leagues.

THE NUMBERS

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Psg and Lille compete as top two Ligue 1 teams for the fourth time this century after November 2018, April 2019 and December 2020. The Parisians drew the first leg 0-0 and are unbeaten in their last 21 home games in Ligue 1 played against Lille (13 wins and 8 draws): the last knockout dates back to April 1996 (0-1). No team has collected more clean sheets than Psg (17) and Lille (16, like City in England) in the best European leagues and Lille have only lost one of their last 17 league away games. Numbers that certify the uncertainty for tomorrow afternoon’s big challenge.