Final day!

Who will be Champions? Who will qualify for Europa Conference? Who will have to play off to stay in the league? Lots of drama to unfold on the final day of the season.

Matchday 38 - All matches kick off at 2000 on Sunday 23rd May 2021

Angers V Lille - Will Les Dogues get over the line?

Well they couldn’t win against Saint Etienne last week but beat Angers and Lille are Champions. The pressure is on Les Lillois because if they fail to win and PSG beat Brest then the title stays in Paris. If Les Dogues and Les Parisiens lose and Monaco win by some margin then Les Monegasques could steal the title from both. What a finish that would be. It’s Lilles to lose though so all eyes should be on this game more than any other. Christophe Galtier’s team have been outstanding all season. It would be a sickener for them to lose out at the final hurdle. If they score early they should be fine but the longer this goes on at 0 - 0 the harder it will be. Lille are tight at the back and have plenty of goals in their team. Angers have nothing to play for other than keeping their 12th place. They’ve lost their last 4 games and have scored the least amount of league goals this season other than Dijon. On any other day this would be a nailed on Lille win. With everything that’s at stake though it could be a very edgy affair.

Frenchfooty prediction: Angers 0 V Lille 1

Angers V Lille is live on BT Sport 1.

Brest V PSG - Parisiens going for title, Bretons still in danger

Lille fans will be concentrating on their own game but surely with one eye on this. If Paris (and Monaco) lose then the title is Lille’s no matter what the result. Paris, recently crowned Coupe De France Champions, will expect to win this game but they face a Brest side not quite out of trouble. The fight to avoid the 18th placed relegation place is fascinating. Nantes currently occupy that spot with 40 points with three teams above them on 41. One of those three are Brest. If the Bretons fail to beat PSG and Nantes win then Brest will have to pray Lorient don’t better their result. 6 teams are actually in danger (Reims and Bordeaux are on 42 points). Finishing 18th could actually come down to goal difference. To say it’s tight is an understatement. Brest really need a win then but beating Paris is a huge ask. Especially if pressing for a much needed goal and becoming open to the counter attack. This is another fascinating game but if Paris keep their discipline Brest will have a very nervous evening. Lorient have a worse goal difference than Brest while Strasbourg’s is better. If PSG score early here Brest fans will be keeping desperate eyes on other results.

Frenchfooty prediction: Brest 1 V Paris 3

Brest V PSG is live on BT Sport 2.

Nantes V Montpellier - Les Canaris with hope of escape from 18th

Nantes‘ four game winning streak has given them a chance of wriggling out of the 18th placed relegation play off spot. It’s also made five teams above them very nervous. Any one of Lorient, Brest, Strasbourg, Bordeaux and Reims could all be leapfrogged and pushed into 18th depending on how their results go. Lose and Nantes will have to fight it out in a play off game against Toulouse who finished 3rd in Ligue 2 and won their recent play off match. The match will be played on the 27th and 30th May over two legs. The format of promotion from Ligue 2 is as follows. The top two are promoted outright. Fourth and fifth place then play each other in a one off match at the fourth placed clubs ground. The winner of that match plays the third placed team at their ground, in this case Toulouse. Nantes have a great chance to get out if this though and will fancy beating Montpellier after their recent form. Montpellier have nothing to play for other than not slipping from 8th to 9th. It’s very rare they don’t score though as they have an excellent front three in Mavididi, Laborde and Delort. Nantes really need to win although a draw could keep them up. The momentum of their recent form should give them three points here. Who knows whether that will be enough to get out of 18th.

Frenchfooty prediction: Nantes 2 V Montpellier 1.

Strasbourg V Lorient - Scrap to avoid relegation play off

If one of these teams win the other could well be consigned to 18th place. As mentioned above it all depends on Nantes but if the Canaries win and these teams draw or one loses they’ll be leapfrogged. Even if Nantes draw and one of these teams lose they could have to face the play off as Les Nantais have a much better goal difference. This could be another tense game with Ligue 1 status in jeopardy for both teams. Lorients recent form has been better than Strasbourgs with three wins in five against Les Coureurs only having one win in five. Both have consistent goalscorers in the side with Strasbourg's

Ludovic Ajorque on 16 league goals this season and the Breton's Terem Moffi on 14. These teams have Brest sandwiched between them in the table so could play out a draw and hope Les Brestois lose to Paris. That's a dangerous policy though and it could come down to who holds their nerve more.

Frenchfooty prediction: Strasbourg 2 - Lorient 2

Reims V Bordeaux - Both sides in danger off relegation play off

Reims must be wondering how they can be facing being dragged in to the 18th place relegation play off place when they are 13th with one game to go. An awful run of form though with no wins in seven means if they lose here and Nantes win they could drop as low as third from bottom. It will depend on other results too but the danger is real for the red and whites. Both teams have 42 points but Reims' have a much better goal difference. For that reason a draw would be enough for Reims to be safe as Bordeaux would have to remain below them. As Nantes' also have a better goal difference than Bordeaux a draw here could be disastrous for Les Bordelais. Jean-Louis Gasset's men gave themselves a chance and huge lift last week with a 3 - 0 win over Europe chasing Lens. South Korean striker Hwang got his 12th goal of the season in that game and it’s tempting to wonder where either of these teams would be without their top scorers. Reims’ Senegalese striker Boulaye Dia has 14 so far this season. The fact that these teams are neck and neck in the table adds to the tension.

Reims draw a lot of games and given that would be enough to keep them from trouble they may play for a point. Bordeaux really need to go for the win.

Frenchfooty prediction: Reims 2 V Bordeaux 2

Metz V Marseille - L'OM hoping to cement place in Europa League

Marseille are almost sure of Europa League qualification but won’t want any slip ups or nervous moments. Only Lens in 6th could overtake them. For that to happen Marseille would have to lose and Lens would have to win with a 7 goal swing in Lens’ favour e.g Marseille lose 3 - 0 and Lens win by 4. If OM lose, Lens win but both end up with the same goal difference, they’ll need to play off at a later date to decide who qualifies for Europe. That’s unlikely though as Marseille should get something against a Metz side having an indifferent season. Les Grenats currently lie 10th with just one win in 5. Their top scorer, Niane, only has 6 goals and they have conceded 13 goals in the last 4 games. Niane could be out here with an eye injury. Marseille have been erratic in recent games but got a hugely important late win last week against Angers. Arkadiusz Milik’s hat trick, including a 95th minute penalty, ensured OM are almost in Europe. Milik now has 8 goals in 14 games since arriving on loan from Napoli in January. Marseille seem to finally have found the consistent goal scorer they've needed for years. Surely they’ll make the move permanent in the summer.

Frenchfooty prediction: Metz 0 Marseille 2

Lens V Monaco - Europa League chasers V Champions League and title contenders.

This is another intriguing game. As mentioned above Lens have to win by some margin and hope Marseille lose to have a chance of stealing 5th place and the Europa League spot. They also need to win to guarantee they don't slip to 7th and give up their Europa conference spot to Rennes. Monaco however need to win to guarantee their 3rd placed Champions League spot but have an outside chance of winning the title. This is where it gets complicated. For Monaco to win the league on Sunday they need to win here and for Lille and Paris to lose. Although they are only a point behind Paris, PSG's goal difference is so far ahead that a PSG draw would be enough to keep them above Les Monegasques no matter what. Another possibility is that PSG lose, Lille lose heavily and Monaco win by some margin so the latter could win on goal difference. Even more astonishing would be that scenario but Monaco and Lille finishing on the same goal difference. Then they would have to meet in a play off to decide who won the title. This has never happened before and is the most unlikely scenario. Monaco have to go for it here but will they be affected by their midweek Cup final loss to Paris? They have had such a good season and would be devastated to miss out on the Champions League as well as the Cup and title. If they can deal with the pressure they should win in what should be a fiercely contested game.

Frenchfooty prediction: Lens 1 V Monaco 2

Lens V Monaco is live on BT Sport Extra 1

Lyon V Nice - Les Lyonnais still hope for Champions League

If Monaco don't win then Lyon have a great chance to take 3rd place and Champions League qualification. Lyon are having a good season and are in good form, four wins in five and have been scoring plenty of goals. They are guaranteed a place in Europe but President Jean-Michel Aulas will be disappointed if it's the Europa League next season and not the money spinning Champion's League. Lyon host a Nice side who have had a decent season but never got the consistency to push for Europe. Their form has been more erratic with two wins and three losses in the last five. It has been rumoured that both these clubs are after Lille's Christophe Galtier as coach next season. Lyon could be tempting as Galtier would have money to spend on players and spent time there as a Coach. Nice would be harder to understand. Why leave a Club in the Champion's league for a team that finished 8th or 9th? It must be strange for the current Managers of these teams to go in to this game knowing it is likely to be their last for their respective clubs. It's difficult to see anything but a Lyon win here which adds to the intrigue of the Monaco result.

Frenchfooty prediction: Lyon 2 V Nice 0

Lyon V Nice is live on BT Sport Extra 2

Rennes V Nimes - Bretons with chance of Europe

Rennes still have a chance of qualifying for the Europa Conference. They need to need to win here and hope Lens lose. A draw would not be enough given Lens‘ substantial goal difference. Nimes are relegated following their hammering at home to Lyon last week (2-5). Could this be Nimois talisman Renaud Ripard’s last game for Les Crocodiles? He’s done well in a struggling side scoring 9 league goals this season. Surely they’ll be a queue of clubs trying to tempt him away from his hometown club. If it is he’ll be hoping to sign off with a goal. Rennes though will feel they should win this and need a reaction after a surprising loss at Bordeaux last week. They will be without the suspended Damien Da Silva (4 goals) and Flavien Tait (1 goal, 3 assists) but should have too much for Nimes. Top goal scorer Serhou Guirassy will be looking to add to his 11 league goals here. Could this be the the final appearance in a Rennes shirt for Eduardo Camavinga? There are rumours that Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea are interested in the young French international midfielder. A European Conference place is unlikely to be enough to keep the 18 year old in Brittany.

Frenchfooty prediction: Rennes 2 V Nimes 1

Saint-Etienne V Dijon - Les Verts to finish in top 10?

This is a bit of a dead rubber. Saint-Etienne have nothing to play other than potentially moving up to 10th and Dijon were relegated weeks ago. Saint-Etienne are unbeaten in three whilst Dijon have lost four in a row. Claude Puel is demanding of his players so if he can get something out of his players they should win this. Unlikely to be a classic and is the only game that has no bearing on relegation, Europe or title.

Frenchfooty prediction: Sainte-Etienne 1 V Dijon 0.