The race for the title was practically over even before it began, as Paris Saint-Germain simply had no proper competition in Ligue 1. But talking about the Saints and their remarkable season both in France and Europe would be pretty dull. Not that their story isn’t intriguing, but the fireworks in the Ligue 1 final matchday are expected elsewhere.One last dance. Round 34 is here 🔥⚽⏰ 20:00 GMT 🇬🇧 | 15:00 EST 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Ao4Q6kCloW— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 16, 2025 Since Marseille and Monaco played decent campaigns, they got rewarded with a Champions League ticket apiece, leaving only one UCL spot open, the one that leads to the qualifiers. That position is currently being held by Nice, though Lille and Strasbourg collected the exact same number of points.Les Aiglons are ahead thanks to the better goal difference, and if they beat Brest at home, they’ll probably end up fourth. Fifth and sixth places – held by Lille and Strasbourg – guarantee Europa League group stage and Conference League qualifiers.The race for the last European competitions spots is on fire! 🔥👀 pic.twitter.com/G3lMkVoK7Z— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 16, 2025 And while anything but UCL would be a step down for Les Dogues, Strasbourg would undoubtedly be happy with any European competition after a five-year break. Both teams play at home, Lille against Reims and Le Racing versus struggling Le Havre.If none of the three teams slips, the goal difference will decide, though one thing’s certain: if each of the three aforementioned crews wins at least a point tonight, the biggest loser will be Lyon!David is free – ‘Goliaths’ prepare for an auctionA month ago, Paulo Fonseca’s men were on the verge of eliminating Man United from the UEL at Old Trafford and securing the European semi-final. Now, they could stay out of Europe.Namely, Lyon sit three points behind the trio, and only a defeat of at least one of its members and Olympique’s victory over Angers could take Fonseca’s team where they desperately want to be. Otherwise, their loss against the relegated Saint-Etienne in a derby four rounds ago will turn out to be decisive and cost them dearly.Stop PSG’s dominance or die tryingApart from Les Verts, Montpellier will also join the second-tier company next season, while the third traveller to Ligue 2 will be determined in the relegation play-off. At the moment, Le Havre are the closest to joining Metz and Dunkerque in that “additional mini tournament,” though they have their chance.Reims and Nantes are only two points up but have much better goal differences than Le Havre, so even draws would keep the two sides safe. In addition, Nantes await the sorry Montpellier, so Le Havre’s only “life jacket” could be Reims’ defeat in Lille and their triumph against Strasbourg on the road.🔚 La dernière… 🥹 🕘 21h – 9 matchs 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/B3ramM63Pf— Ligue 1 McDonald’s (@Ligue1) May 17, 2025 As for the play-off clash, having previously knocked out Guingamp, Dunkerque scheduled the duel against Metz (18.00). The winner of that match will play two games (home and away) against the 17th-placed Ligue 1 team to determine the last participant of next season’s French top flight.Tonight at 22.00, keep an eye on Ligue 1 decisive battles because they won’t disappoint.LIGUE 1 – FINAL MATCHDAYSaturday 22.00: (4.20) Lens (3.70) Monaco (1.83)22.00: (1.42) Lille (4.50) Reims (7.75)22.00: (1.50) Nantes (4.30) Montpellier (6.40)22.00: (1.45) Nice (4.50) Brest (7.00)22.00: (1.33) Olympique Lyon (5.90) Angers (9.50)22.00: (1.90) Olympique Marseille (3.70) Rennes (3.90)22.00: (1.20) PSG (7.25) Auxerre (12.0)22.00: (2.00) Saint-Etienne (3.90) Toulouse (3.30)22.00: (1.60) Strasbourg (4.40) Le Havre (5.00)LIGUE 1 – RELEGATION PLAYOFFSSemi-finalSaturday18:00: (1.85) Metz (3.50) Dunkerque (4.40)***odds are subject to change***
