Twelve months ago, we asked if anyone could stop Paris Saint-Germain from strolling to the title. And although the Parisians won the trophy, it turned out they had to sweat for it.Even though the League 1 holders had a dream trio of Mbappe, Messi and Neymar in their attack, they had enough problems all over the pitch to never look entirely comfortable. And performances of RC Lens, Olympique de Marseille and a few others exposed poor team chemistry at Parc des Princes.Here we are, a year later, asking whether the significant changes in Paris would make them better or worse. New coach Luis Enrique will pull radical moves upon arriving in France. PSG are still the number one favourites, with the Mozzart Bet Kenya odds currently at 1.25, but their opponents won’t let them walk away with the trophy.🚨🇮🇹| Marco Verratti has been telling several people for months that he favors a departure from PSG this summer. Paris is open to a departure but on their terms – Marco was already saying to himself in late July that he was not entering into the plans for this season. @Djaameel_ pic.twitter.com/sSFIBoL3yE— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) August 10, 2023 Marseille and Monaco all have new managers too. OM hired Marcelino to replace Igor Tudor. The Velodrome club tried to mount a title bid last season, but their performance took a downturn, ultimately leading them to finish the campaign in third position. The team has undergone significant changes, and under the guidance of the new Spanish tactician, the squad now seems to be more robust.Marseille has made substantial financial investments to secure the services of Iliman Ndiaye, Ismaila Sarr, Renan Lodi and Ruslan Malinovskyi, adding quality to the squad. The inclusion of midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia, acquired from Atletico Madrid, is expected to be a smart move, and the presence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang holds particular interest as he aims to redeem himself following his underwhelming spell at Chelsea. The odds for OM finishing first are currently 15.##NAJAVA_MECA_7417559##Monaco hired former Eintracht Frankfurt miracle-maker Adi Hutter to replace Philippe Clement. Les Monagasques finished fourth last season after losing influential defender Axel Disasi to Chelsea. However, they have acquired Mohammed Salisu as a valuable replacement and Philipp Kohn to strengthen their defensive unit. Monaco were the second-highest scorers behind PSG in Ligue 1 last season and are strong contenders for a Champions League qualification spot.Nice brought in Roberto De Zerbi’s former assistant Francesco Farioli, who first linked up with the current Brighton boss after writing a blog about him. Impressed, De Zerbi offered him a job.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Toulouse have also freshened up under president Damien Comolli, promoting assistant Carles Martinez Novell after the club sacked Philippe Montanier. It was an unhappy end for the former Nottingham Forest boss, who’d led the club to a first-ever Coupe de France triumph by routing Nantes 5-1 in the final.Meanwhile, Olympique Lyonnais secured an impressive seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles from 2002 to 2008. Those were the good old days, but fans are optimistic that these prosperous times will make a comeback in the first full season under the ownership of American billionaire John Textor. The businessman could become the club’s most significant new figure in years. Although it will require time, the overarching goal is to eventually challenge PSG’s dominance at the summit of the league standings.Watch them roar 🦁 pic.twitter.com/1l5Zkp2pKt— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 10, 2023 Regarding takeovers, Strasbourg is now owned by the same company as Chelsea. As a result, the club got a head coach straight from the Premier League, with Patrick Vieira returning to French football following the underwhelming stint in charge of Crystal Palace.Newly-promoted clubs Le Havre and Metz may struggle to avoid relegation from the new-look 18-team division.The first matchday kicks off tonight with two contenders for European places OGC Nice and LOSC Lille meeting at Allianz Riviera.LIGUE 1 – MATCHDAY 1Friday22.00: (2.85) Nice (3.40) Lille (2.60)Saturday18.00: (1.75) Olympique Marseille (3.70) Reims (5.40)22.00: (1.37) PSG (5.60) Lorient (8.50)Sunday14.00: (4.00) Brest (3.50) Lens (2.05)16.00: (3.60) Clermont (3.50) Monaco (2.15)16.00: (1.95) Montpellier (3.50) Le Havre (4.40)16.00: (2.60) Nantes (3.35) Toulouse (2.90)18.05: (1.45) Rennes (4.70) Metz (8.00)21.45: (2.85) Strasbourg (3.50) Olympique Lyon (2.60)***odds are subject to change
