Ligue 1 preview: PSG aim to extend lead at the top

Unbeaten Paris Saint-Germain travel to Nancy, while Marseille play host to Lyon in this weekend’s Ligue 1 action.

After nine matches of the season, PSG – who spent big on the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva in the European summer – have finally moved to the top of the table after Marseille’s slip-up against Troyes on Sunday.

With five wins and four losses, the Parisian giants top the standings on goal difference and will enter the match on the back of a 2-0 UEFA Champions League success against Dinamo Zagreb that increased their chances of qualifying from Group A in Europe’s premier club competition.

Swede Ibrahimovic has scored nine goals in eight matches in Ligue 1 this season while Frenchman Kevin Gameiro has also chipped in with three strikes for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

They will be expected to comfortably account for bottom-placed Nancy, who have not won since the opening day of the season, losing seven of their past eight encounters.

Marseille will be desperate to bounce back from their surprise defeat but they will face a much tougher task.

Third-placed Lyon travel to the Stade Velodrome for the highly anticipated match that should provide an indication as to which side will present the strongest challenge to PSG this season.

With both teams playing Europa League matches on Thursday, a quick recovery will be essential.

Rennes are in action on Friday night when they travel to Saint-Etienne but they will be without Yann M’vila and Chris Mavinga.

Both have been suspended indefinitely after they broke a curfew when involved with the French Under-21 team.

M’vila and Mavinga left the team’s base one day after a 1-0 first-leg win over Norway to attend a nightclub in Paris, and they lost the second leg 5-3 three days later as France failed to qualify for the Under-21 European Championships.

The French Football Federation have already started proceedings against the players for bringing the game into disrepute and Rennes coach Frederic Antonetti has said they could even be banned until the end of the season.

Fourth-placed Toulouse host Brest while other matches on Saturday see Lille battle Valenciennes, Sochaux meet fellow strugglers Evian TG and last season’s champions Montpellier take on Nice.

Reims also play Troyes on Saturday, while Ajaccio travel to Lorient and Bastia face Bordeaux on Sunday.