Paris Saint-Germain is too weak for the Champions League, at least to win it (they reached the semifinals this season and were knocked out in the knockout stages the previous two seasons), but they are too strong in France. This year, they easily won the title even without Neymar and Lionel Messi in the team. Last week, Kylian Mbappe officially said goodbye to his fans in Paris in a 4-2 loss to Toulouse but he won’t get the official ‘goodbye’ to League 1. Ahead of the meaningless game with Metz, the French striker is not even in the protocol and won’t be present. Coach Luis Enrique granted three days of rest to all of his main players before the final of the Coupe de France, on May 25, against Lyon. The entire Parisian group is expected this Tuesday afternoon for a resumption of training at the PSG Campus. Apart from Mbappe, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marquinhos, Vitinha, Ousmane Dembélé and Fabian Ruiz will also miss the game.Jonathan David continues to set new highs 🇨🇦⚽️ pic.twitter.com/6CdS0gzK8h— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 19, 2024 Monaco had an excellent season with Austrian Adi Hütter at the helm, securing a spot in the Champions League. Lille and Brest have at least secured qualification for the elite European competition, but the fight between the two teams for third place, which grants access to the group stage of the strongest club competition on the Old Continent, is still ongoing. Lille and Brest both have 58 points. Lille is closer to third place because they have a better goal difference by two goals and are hosting a solid fifth-place Nice. Brest is visiting Toulouse and will likely need to hope for a slip-up by Lille or win by three or more goals against an unmotivated host. Nice is secure in the Europa League as the fifth-placed team, while Lens and Lyon are competing for the sixth position and a spot in Europe, with Marseille also having a mathematical chance.Mbappe’s farewell a mix of applauses and whistlesNext week, the French Cup final between PSG and Lyon will be played in Paris. Since PSG is the champion, if Lyon wins the cup, they will play in the Europa League, and the sixth-placed team will move down to the Conference League. If Luis Enrique’s team wins the double, then the sixth-placed team will go to the Europa League, and the seventh will enter the Conference League qualifiers. Lens has a much better goal difference than Lyon, so they need to beat a relaxed Montpellier to secure a European spot.In-house cleaning: Enrique makes a list of unwanted playersMarseille can only reach sixth or seventh place and a spot in international competition if they win against Le Havre, provided Lyon and Lens both lose. Clermont is a confirmed relegation candidate to Ligue 2, with Lorient having slim chances. Lorient has three points less than Metz and a seven-goal worse difference. Metz is likely headed to the relegation play-off against the winner of the second-division play-offs. Metz has three points less than Le Havre and an 11-goal worse difference. In Ligue 1, goal difference is the primary tiebreaker if teams are level on points. All nine matches start at 21:00.LIGUE 1 – FINAL MATCHDAYSaturday22:00: (4.10) Le Havre (3.60) Olympique Marseille (2.00)22:00: (1.47) Lens (4.70) Montpellier (7.50)22:00: (2.10) Lille (3.40) Nice (3.60)22:00: (1.85) Lorient (3.70) Clermont (4.70)22:00: (1.45) Olympique Lyon (4.50) Strasbourg (7.00)22:00: (6.00) Metz (4.30) PSG (1.53)22:00: (1.47) Monaco (4.40) Nantes (6.75)22:00: (2.75) Reims (3.35) Rennes (2.55)22:00: (4.70) Toulouse (3.50) Brest (1.72)***odds are subject to change***
