Ligue 1 Preview: PSG, Monaco set for top of the table clash

Ligue 1 leaders Monaco will face their biggest test yet when they travel to the Parc des Princes to face Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.

The newly-promoted side, who spent big in the transfer window to bring in the likes of Radamel Falcao, Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez, have still to taste defeat in what has been an excellent start to the season.

That unbeaten run, however, is set to come under serious threat in the French capital, as they face a PSG team in excellent form.

The defending champions head into the game following easy wins over Bordeaux and Olympiacos, and have not lost a competitive home game since their 2-1 defeat to Rennes in November last year. Laurent Blanc’s side also opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a comfortable 4-1 victory away at Olympiacos on Wednesday.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani are poised to start up front for PSG, while Falcao will hope to add to his tally of four goals for the principality club.

Marseille will be looking to end a run of two league games without a win when they take the trip to Corsica to face Bastia.

Elie Baup’s men – who also lost 2-1 at home to Arsenal in the Champions League earlier in the week – could only manage a 1-1 draw at Toulouse in their last Ligue 1 outing, and will need the likes of Andre-Pierre Gignac, Dimitri Payet and Florian Thauvin to perform if they are to keep pace with PSG and Monaco.

Saint-Etienne sit second after winning four of their first five games, and Christophe Galtier’s men welcome winless Toulouse to the Stade Geoffroy Guichard on Friday, knowing a victory would provisionally send them top of the table.

Lyon are a team very much out of form after going three league games without a win, and Remi Garde will hope his team can arrest that slide against a Nantes side with whom they share an identical record.

Rennes – who held Lyon to a goalless draw in their last outing – will be looking to stretch their unbeaten run to four games against an Ajaccio team still searching for their first success under the stewardship of Fabrizio Ravanelli.

Evian, led by top scorer Kevin Berigaud, host Montpellier as they look to continue their recent upturn, while Nice will contest their first game at the newly-built Allianz Riviera against Valenciennes.

Elsewhere, Reims meet Guingamp, Lorient face Bordeaux and bottom club Sochaux take on Lille.