French Cup finals to go ahead and fans will be present as Ligue 1 announces new season details

Out of all the major European leagues only the French Ligue 1 was cancelled due to Coronavirus. The season had to end abruptly as it was agreed upon that it could not be completed in time. This said even though the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A have found a way.

So it will be to everyone’s surprise to see that the French football federation in line with government plans have announced that fans will be allowed to watch the two French cup finals that will take place in July.

As it stands fans will be allowed to any sporting event in France from July 11th, the maximum will be 5,000.

The irony of course is how the league season was ended so quickly whilst other major leagues tried to work through the obstacles to get their seasons finished- and some fans in France may feel rightly annoyed by that given that the cup finals- the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue (which is the final one to take place) will not only be played but played with some fans.

The idea in France is to start small at 5,000 in stadiums that hold at least 50,000, so 10% capacity. If that goes well there will be another review in August. The new French Ligue 1 season is due to kick off on August 22nd, which would be at least four weeks before England, Spain, Italy and Germany who will have to postpone the new season as their seasons won’t end until late July.

With the Champions League due to take place in the month of August this could mean that PSG won’t play a game until September if they go far in the competition.

The FFF will be hoping to increase capacity by 10% each month, if that is a success then stadums could be full again in France by March 2021. Though many games only averaged between 60-70% full so everything could be back to normal in Ligue 1 much sooner.

The news is certainly a twist given France’s direct approach to the pandemic, but certain fans will be very happy by it- at least the ones that get to attend the cup finals.

In the Coupe de France final PSG will play Saint Etienne and in the Coupe de la Ligue final PSG will play Lyon. Both matches are scheduled to take place at the Stade de France in Paris which holds 80,000 fans, so 5,000 would still feel very empty.

Certainly if PSG were to win both games it would give the club a nice boost and another two trophies. The dates for the finals are still being arranged but look likely to take place sometime in July.

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Ligue 1 Player of the Week: Opa Nguette

Opa Nguette amassed 10 points this week and that is the most of any Ligue 1 player as the Metz striker helped his relegation threatened side to a fantastic 3-1 victory over Saint Etienne.

Nguette was on hand to score the opening goal. Then he assisted Habib Diallo, another player who is in great form for the second. Nguette then scored the 3rd goal which ended the tie and gave his club a much needed victory. It was a good one too even if, in the build up, it took some luck a ricochet in this instance. The cross met Nguette who slotted home well and he had to readjust himself quickly to do so as the pace off the ball wasn’t what he was expecting.

The win puts Metz in 16th place and they have climbed 7 points above the relegation zone, they should be fine this season. The club are in great form too having gone their last 5 games unbeaten including winning 3 games in a row, and are in their best form of the season, just at the right time.

Metz bought Nguette from Valenciennes in 2016 and the player who is now 25 has sometimes been used more as an attacking midfielder but also someone that can move up to the striker position if needed.

He is a very popular player with the team although his one drawback is not scoring enough goals from his position. Last season though he scored his most for a league term with 7 goals from 33 league appearances.

This season Nguette has amassed a total of 19 points from 19 starts. The player has scored 4 goals and assisted in a further 2 and it is clear that he has been under performing and this week has been his best this season in a Metz shirt. His current value is just 4.5m and he could be worth adding to your fantasy team, as this could be the beginning of something special for him as Metz will try and kick on and finish in the top half of the table which is very possible.

Whilst Nguette has found form and earned 10 points, that’s 55% of his total amount of points earned in just one game he could be a doubt for Metz’s next game. He has a niggling injury, and could be 50/50 to play in it, this is unfortunate as those goals would have installed a lot of confidence in a player that really needed them.

The objective is good though and the plan is working out and between him and Diallo Metz will have no problems in staying up this season.

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Ligue 1: Player of the Week: Arnaud Nordin

With Ligue 1 taking a break for a week it was time to concentrate on the cup matches. At the weekend in France the focus changed to the Coupe de France and in midweek the Coupe de la Ligue entered the quarter finals and that will be the final edition of that cup competition as it is being phased out to ease the amount of games on players.

But back to the Coupe de France where Saint Etienne has a famous history and they were playing a third tier side in FC Bastia-Borgo. Obviously Etienne were the massive odds on favourites to win and they duly obliged with a 3-0 victory that took place away from home.

The hero of the hour was Arnaud Nordin, the Saint Etienne midfielder rose to the challenge and scored 2 of his clubs three goals in a match where it could well have turned into a ‘banana skin’ for the club. The home side produced some good chances but Nordin’s goals ended up being the difference.

Saint Etienne have now moved into the round of 32 where they will play another away match this time to Paris FC and will again begin as the big favourites to get through to the last 16.

As for Nordin that match highlighted what has been an average season so far for the midfielder. He joined the club in 2015 but even last season was being loaned out to Nancy but his progress has improved well enough to make the first team again and at 21 he has plenty of time on his hands.

In the fantasy rankings he is the 4th best midfielder for Saint Etienne and he has 10 points so far 14 behind Romain Hamouma. He has been used more as a substitute this season where he has started 7 games but came off of the bench on 8 occasions. Whilst he hasn’t made any assists yet which is poor from his point of view he has scored a goal in the league and has been involved in the team when they have kept 4 clean sheets this season.

He has picked up 2 yellows and he can be included in your fantasy team for just 4m although you would have to bear in mind that he seems to start games from the bench more.

Nordin’s goals in the cup were crucial, they opened and closed the game and he could be one to include in your Ligue 1 fantasy team. After all those goals would have given him plenty of confidence. Saint Etienne play Nantes at home at the weekend, and returning to play in front of his home fans is another reason that could spur on the player.

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Top Ligue 1 Goalkeepers in 2018/19: Stephane Ruffier

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Saint Etienne played some wonderful football this past season, so good in fact that some media compared them to the great side of the 1970s that somehow made a nation fall in love with them for a few years. In the end their hard work paid off and they qualified for the Europa League and goalkeeper Stephan Ruffier was a key component to the clubs success this season.

Ruffier collected 58 points and finished in 5th place in the European Fantasy League Ligue 1 rankings for goalkeepers. In fact only 4 points separated him from finishing in 3rd.

The 32 year old has been at Saint Etienne for 8 years and made almost 300 appearances for the club, making 37 starts from 38 in the league this past season. While the club did concede 40 goals under Ruffier he also made 13 clean sheets the 4th best in the league. Disciplinary was good too with just one yellow card all season and his value going into the season was 7.5m which looks to have been a bargain.

It’s interesting to note that Ruffier picked up his one booking of the season in the first game of the campaign, but because he did so and because Saint Etienne conceded in both of their opening games he started matchday 3 with -1 points.

His season really kicked off against Montpellier when the teams played out a 0-0 draw at Stade de la Mosson but that earned Ruffier a clean sheets total of 7 points.

Ruffier’s most consistent period came just at the right time when Saint Etienne also known as the Verts (greens because of their shirts) went 3 games in a row without conceding a goal in April. And this form was key to the club making a European place and fighting off the likes of Marseille and Montpellier and for a time Reims.

The games came thick and fast and started with a 3-0 win over Bordeaux. Nobody gave Saint Etienne much chance away to Reims in their next game but they went there and won 2-0 and finished off their trilogy of matches with a 2-0 win over Toulouse and Ruffier earned a whopping 21 points in those three matches.

Ruffier’s worst points total was inevitably in Paris when PSG the reigning champions beat them 4-0 and as a result he ended up with -6 points.

His last two seasons have seen him earn much less than he did in this one, and he has improved significantly showing signs of perhaps getting back to his 2014 season best. His value looks sure to rise as he nears completing 10 years with the club that is clearly in his heart and now he will be back in European football for next season.

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Top Ligue 1 Midfielders in 2018/19: Wahbi Khazri

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Wahbi Khazri was one of the delights of Ligue 1 football this past season and his quality in midfield helped fire his club Saint Etienne into a Europa League finish. He also finished with his highest points tally in European Fantasy League thus far with 74 points, and joined only four other players in midfield in Ligue 1 who were able to score 70 or more points.

Khazri has played for five clubs over an 11 year career which started at Bastia, to date playing for Bastia is still his longest stint at one club which lasted for five years. After that spell he switched to Bordeaux for two seasons and then made the move to the Premier League signing for Sunderland. Despite having a decent season in the north of England he wasn’t scoring enough goals for the club, just 3 in 38 league games plus he was obviously missing being in France and was loaned out to Rennes before Saint Etienne spotted his talents and bought him.

In his debut season for Saint Etienne Khazri has done well scoring 13 goals and assisting in another six meaning that he has been involved in 19 of the clubs 59 goals.

Khazri started the season by picking up 4 points as he scored a goal in Saint Etienne’s 2-1 win over Guingamp. The midfielder’s best game was against Monaco when his club won 2-0. Not only did he score both goals but because a clean sheet was obtained too he picked up 10 points.

Khazri’s most consistent and best period begun at the end of November when Saint Etienne were paired with Nantes and ended in mid January. In this time frame Khazri played in five games and gained points in every one of those matches. It was a fine period for the player that saw him score goals and make crucial assists as Saint Etienne started to believe that they could chase a European place. In that time he got 28 points.

The one problem for the 28 year old was his short temper which landed him with 10 yellow cards throughout the season and 1 red card. With better discipline he could have ended up earning easily another 10-15 points.

In the end Khazri helped Saint Etienne to reach the Europa League and it will be interesting to see if he stays around. He should do but his career suggests that he will be on the move soon. At the same time he has just had his personal best season as a football player so the thinking is that he will be fine at this club.

His value this season started at 7.5m, and that could be set to rise for the beginning of next season after his impressive return from midfield.

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Top 4 all win in Ligue 1 as relegation battle boils down to Caen and Amiens

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That was more like it from PSG who have been a shadow of themselves since winning the league in April. They beat Dijon 4-0 which included a brace from Kylian Mbappe who ends the season as top goal scorer. Perhaps the real story was that PSG were 2-0 up within the first ten minutes and Edinson Cavani scored. It looks increasingly likely that Cavani will leave the club in the summer and if so, then this is his last match in Paris. He crowned it well.

Neymar was missing as he has been suspended for the last 2 games of the season and of course there is speculation that he will not be at PSG next season. Lille finally confirmed 2nd place and the runners-up spot with a fantastic 5-0 win over Angers and yet again Nicolas Pepe starred for the team and scored a couple of goals. Like others Pepe’s name is now being talked about, could he make a Premier League move next season?

Lyon confirmed 3rd place and the final Champions League spot, although they will have to qualify for the competition proper. They beat Caen 4-0 which was significant given that Caen are fighting relegation. It is now between Caen and Amiens to see who stays up as Monaco look safe. Amiens have a 2 point advantage over Caen.

Saint Etienne won with a great 3-0 victory over Nice to confirm their Europa League participation next season. They have pulled 5 points clear of fifth place, and the European spot was well deserved after such brilliant form especially in the second half of the season.

Montpellier’s draw with Nantes ended their slim hopes of European football next season and the result also let in Marseille who have closed the gap over them to just 1 point. That is because Marseille beat Toulouse in a thrilling match that ended 5-2 to the L’OM. The score was 3-2 in the 90th minute but Florian Thauvin scored 2 goals in a matter of 60 seconds to give the final score more of a gloss.

Nimes drew 2-2 against bottom team Guingamp, but this wasn’t seen as a disappointing result given that both teams were not playing for anything and the season has clearly wound down and both sets of players enjoyed the game, which was entertaining for the fans. Nimes will have to win next weekend or could lose their 7th place to Nice, and as mentioned before Nice’s good form went out the window with a 0-3 loss at Saint Etienne.

If Reims win their last game and Nice and Nimes lose the club could leapfrog both of them. The final round of games will take place this weekend.

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Ligue 1: Player of the Weekend: Maxwell Cornet

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With a few clean sheets this past weekend in Ligue 1 goal keepers ruled the roost with plenty earning 7 points, but the overall winner is Lyon’s Maxwell Cornet who earned 8 points as his side overcame Marseille at Stade Velodrome winning 3-0.

Cornet opened the scoring from close range and it was an important strike as at that time Marseille were applying pressure and asking many questions from the visitors. Cornet struck again to get his 2nd and Lyon’s 3rd goal of the night with just four minutes remaining. The player has proven to score goals and be reliable even if he isn’t always Lyon’s number 1 choice, he is a classic ‘fox in the box’ type of player and is usually in the right place at the right time. Cornet could have had a hat-trick but he had one goal ruled out for offside.

Cornet’s goals at the weekend ended Marseille’s European hopes for next season and strengthened his sides chances of finishing in a Champions League position. Lyon remain 3rd which means they would have to partake in a play-off to get to the competition proper but they are 6 points adrift of 2nd placed Lille. This win was still huge though as Saint Etienne who were threatening to take 3rd from them lost and that gap is now 4 points with just 2 games to play, so Lyon are almost at the finish line.

Lyon’s coach Bruno Genesio had this to say about the match and the possibility of playing Champions League football next season: ”Are we in the Champions League yet? No. There are two games left, six points, and we must win next Saturday to be certain of a third-place finish and possibly qualify directly depending on the Europa League final. The score was a bit harsh but we could’ve led 2-0 at half-time. We had a lull in the second half and Marseille pushed, but I think on the whole we deserved to win. We had two goals at the start of the season. The first was to get to the knockout stage of the Champions League, which we achieved, and the second was to qualify for next season’s competition, which is nearly done.”

As for Cornet from only his 10th start of the season after appearing from the bench no less than 15 times he has scored 4 goals and assisted in another 3. That means that Cornet has been involved in 11% of Lyon’s total output of goals this season. He has a total of 21 points in Ligue 1 Fantasy football rankings and is valued at 6m. With Lyon pushing in their final 2 games of the season and Cornet on obvious form he might be worth adding to your team.

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Lille secure Champions League football and Neymar redeems himself ahead of PSG ban

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It’s been a tough month for PSG star Neymar who learned that he would receive a 3 game Champions League ban next season for being critical of match officials when PSG lost to Manchester United. Then the Brazilian was handed a 3 game ban by Ligue 1 after he hit out at a fan at the end of the Coupe de France final. PSG are appealing on that, but he was on target to open the scoring as PSG beat Angers 2-1 at the weekend.

It was Neymar’s 15th goal of the season which with his long term injury considered is a decent return. The win was also PSG’s 2nd win in 5 games as they have gone through the worst form of their season in the last month which included losing in the final of the Coupe de France to Rennes. Of course they became champions weeks ago and the players seem to have switched off but the win away to Angers was still an important one.

The big news came from Lille and saw the side secure their Champions League place for next season after they beat Bordeaux 1-0. They will almost certainly finish 2nd but even if they lost their last two games and Lyon won their next two, they would finish 3rd which would still be good for the qualifying stages, but the odds are looking great for them to finish in the runners up spot. The Bordeaux victory was the clubs 19th of the season.

Lyon went away to Marseille and secured a brilliant 3-0 win to give them a huge advantage in finishing the season in 3rd place and possible Champions League for next season. Playing at Stade Velodrome was no mean task and the game was loaded with tension throughout. Maxwell Cornet who has been brilliant for the team this season scored a brace and was the eventual hero. Lyon remains 6 points behind Lille but have now pulled four points clear of Saint Etienne.

Saint Etienne who had won 4 games on the bounce really had to win at home to Montpellier but they were downed by a Gaetan Laborde goal, which more or less ended their Champions League hopes. They would have to win their last 2 games and hope that Lyon lost both or lost one and drew one and that seems unlikely.

Could Montpellier pip Saint Etienne for that final Europa League place though? The club at least gave themselves a chance by beating the club at the weekend but they are still 4 points adrift and it looks like, despite their heroics, that they will just miss out.

Marseille certainly will as they have just 55 points and the best they can hope for now is to finish in 5th place. The club started strongly this season only to fade away in the winter months and then bounce back again soon after. But they look to be going through poor form once again and have no wins in their last 3 games.

Any European football officially ended for Nice this past weekend but they still pulled off a decent 1-1 draw against Nantes who came into that game having won 5 matches in a row including wins over PSG, Lyon and Marseille. That was the 11th draw this season for Nice though, just 3 of those matches converted into wins and the team would be challenging for Europe.

And Nimes continued their fine form by beating Monaco 1-0, that’s 3 wins from their last four games and they took advantage of Reims poor form to move 3 points clear of them and firmly establish 8th place. Nimes could finish as high as 6th if their form continues and others drop points around them.

Finally matchday 36 was one that saw referees having to work over time with no less than 6 red cards dished out. Four of those to top 8 sides and a few players will have played their last games of the campaign for their respective clubs.

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Remy Cabella sent off as Saint Etienne’s Champions League hopes hang by a thread

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Saint Etienne didn’t need this type of controversy, indeed all they needed to do was keep their heads, but against Montpellier at the weekend it went all wrong.

The club had been in such great form coming into this game winning their last 4 matches in a row and had put real pressure on Lyon in 3rd place for that final Champions League position. Indeed the Verts as they are known entered the game which was played on Friday night just 1 point behind Lyon. Playing at home they were expected to win given that they have the third best home record in the league but Montpellier were not reading the script.

In the end it took one goal, scored by Gaetan Laborde to settle matters and Saint Etienne lost the game and ended up losing their minds, borne out of frustration of course.

The game had no less than 7 yellow cards and 2 reds. First to go was Daniel Congre from Montpellier who received his marching orders on the 53rd minute for roughing. This seemed to play into Saint Etienne’s hands and yet roughly 10 minutes later they themselves would be down to 10 players and it wasn’t just any player seeing red by Remy Cabella, who has shone recently for the club and really stepped up. Well at the weekend he stepped down and took an early shower to go with it.

Two minutes later Laborde scored just to rub salt in the wounds, and for Saint Etienne they dominated every statistic but the one that counted and lost the game.

Saint Etienne’s coach Jean-Louis Gasset believes the game should have ended in a draw he said: ”Given how we ended the game, with all these balls passing in front of Montpellier’s goal, a draw would’ve been fair. We weren’t focused enough after Montpellier went down to 10 men. We rushed things trying to score immediately. Montpellier scored at a fateful moment. We gave everything, we had chances, but we lacked a cutting edge. We missed the chance to confirm our Europa League place, but we have two games left.”

Lyon played on Sunday and beat Marseille 3-0 which means that they have pulled 4 points clear from 4th with just 2 games remaining and look like the massive favourites now to go on and get 3rd.

As for Saint Etienne they now have Montpellier in their rear view mirror for 4th, although there is a four point gap and Saint Etienne’s consolation looks like a Europa League place.

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Ligue 1: Week 36: Player Picks for the Weekend

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There is just 3 games to go in Ligue 1 and we will be taking  a look at the fixtures at the weekend and try to pick out who we think will be the best performing players to add to your team at the weekend. We will be using a formation of 4-4-2.

Goalkeeper: Maxime Dupe- Nantes

Maxime Dupe has been drafted into the Nantes squad with first choice goal keeper injured and in his last game he was able to keep a clean sheet. Nantes are the best team in France based on recent form and they will play Nice who are not prolific goal scorers. Dupe is a bargain at just 1.5m to add to your team.

Defender: Diego Carlos

Keeping with Nantes it is true that even though they have been winning games they have been conceding, but that changed last weekend with a 3-0 win over Dijon. Diego Carlos is their best performing defender and he could put in another good shift against Nice. He is valued at 6m.

Defender: Mathieu Debuchy- Saint Etienne

We named Debucy player of the week a few weeks ago and he has had a terrific season so far. Saint Etienne play Montpellier at home in a must win game and the player is sure to be on top form and motivated for this game. He is rated at 7.5m.

Defender: Faitout Maouassa- Nimes

Maouassa was one of the best players last week in Ligue 1 as Nimes went to Reims and won 3-0 and kept a clean sheet in the process. Maouassa is listed as a midfielder but Nimes have been playing him in defence in recent matches and he is valued at 5m. Nimes will be at home against Monaco where they will fancy their chances.

Defender: Damien Da Silva- Rennes

It’s true that Rennes have only kept one clean sheet in their last four games but they will be at home to one of the poorest performing teams all season in Guingamp and they have the chance to win to nil in this game. Da Silva is the best defender Rennes have and he can be part of your team for just 5m.

Midfielder: Leo Dubois- Lyon

There are better midfielders at Lyon that is for sure but Leo Dubois could be worth picking at the weekend. He is a player that doesn’t mind coming forward in the game and he has already assisted in 5 times from just 18 starts. He looks good to include in your team for just 6.5m as Lyon take on Marseille to try and reach 2nd place.

Midfielder: Julien Draxler -PSG

Draxler still keeps needing to prove himself and he should be able to get more and more game time now that PSG have won the league. Form is poor for the club but they have the opportunity to turn this around at the weekend when they play Angers away from home. Draxler is valued at 6m which is a great price for a PSG player and remember he has assisted 6 times this season and scored 3 goals.

Midfielder: Frederic Guilbert-Caen

Caen might be 18th but they have been terrific going their last 3 games unbeaten and keeping clean sheets. Guilbert has been the rock in midfield this season starting 30 games and making a couple of assists. Caen are ready to survive in Ligue 1 and he is valued at 6m as the club take on Reims at home.

Midfielder: Ibrahima Sissoko- Strasbourg

Strasbourg are drawing games and becoming very hard to beat and they should have enough to cause 19th place Dijon problems at the weekend. Sissoko is one of the teams best midfielders assisting 2 times this season and could be worth snapping up for 4.5m.

Striker: Remy Cabella – Saint Etienne

Remy Cabella is established and shouldn’t be a surprise to be here but if you don’t have him you should invest in him. He has his goal scoring boots on but also his team are going for 3rd place and are in brilliant form plus they are at home against Montpellier who can’t get a European place. Cabella can be in your side for 7m.

Striker: Nicolas Pepe- Lille

Nicolas Pepe has been outstanding this season and is still a great price to buy at just 8m. Next season he is sure to be higher as he has scored 20 times this season and assisted in 11 other goals. Lille are at home to underperforming Bordeaux and could seal their Champions League place with a win at the weekend. We expect Pepe to be involved in goals.

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