Where The Story Turns
PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain could be crowned Ligue 1 champions as early as this weekend, provided second-placed Lens drops points against already-relegated Nantes on Friday.
PSG holds a six-point lead over Lens with three matches remaining for both clubs. Their decisive showdown is scheduled for Wednesday in Lens, rescheduled from April 11 to give PSG extra rest ahead of another Champions League final.
The race for third place and an automatic Champions League spot is a two-way contest between Lyon and Lille, separated by two points. Third-placed Lyon travels to mid-table Toulouse while fourth-placed Lille faces a tougher test at sixth-placed Monaco.
Fifth-placed Rennes hosts Paris FC, which has lost only once in nine games since Antoine Kombouaré took charge. Rennes needs both Lyon and Lille to slip up to have any chance of finishing third.
The Stakes In Plain Sight
At the bottom, Next-to-last Nantes will be relegated to Ligue 2 unless it beats Lens on Friday. Auxerre, sitting in 16th place, hosts Nice in a match that could move the club into 15th on goal difference.
Marseille's chaotic season has left a tense dressing room heading into the game at Le Havre. Coach Habib Beye has doubled training sessions without turning things around, and a fifth defeat in seven games would mark a new low.
In player news, Winger Mousa Al-Tamari scored a brilliant angled volley last Sunday and remains in strong form. Rennes teammate Esteban Lepaul is the league top scorer and needs one goal to reach 20 for the season. English forward Mason Greenwood has not scored since March 7.
Lens will be missing five regulars against Nantes. Goal-scoring wingers Florian Thauvin and Allan Saint-Maximin are being rested as a precautionary measure, coach Pierre Sage said. Mali midfielder Mamadou Sangaré, Saudi Arabia right back Saud Abdulhamid and all-action midfielder Adrien Thomasson are all suspended.
The Question Left Open
PSG right back Achraf Hakimi remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. Marseille duo Nayef Aguerd (groin) and Hamed Traoré (thigh) are both out for the remaining games.
Female soccer fans of Bordeaux have complained of being subjected to abusive body searches carried out by security officials before a fourth-tier game at Bayonne on Saturday. The Ultramarines supporters group posted a statement on X to say several women reported "humiliating and degrading acts" during pat downs when entering the stadium.
"We take these abuses very seriously and will not let them go unpunished," said the Ultramarines, the club's most longstanding supporters group. The incidents were reported to Her Game Too, an organization advocating for the protection of female sports fans in stadiums.