Ligue 1 Preview: PSG on brink of title, Valenciennes fight for survival

Paris Saint-Germain will secure their first back-to-back Ligue 1 titles with victory at Sochaux on Sunday.

The men from the capital are three-time French champions, but have never lifted the trophy in consecutive years.

In truth, achieving that feat this time around has rarely looked in doubt and Laurent Blanc’s charges could seal top spot with three games to spare.

While admitting facing a Sochaux side fighting for their Ligue 1 survival could prove tough, Blanc is hopeful of having the title wrapped up by the end of the weekend.

“If we can win the Ligue 1 title this week, it will be a very good thing,” he said. “We still need a few points.”

Second-placed Monaco travel to basement club Ajaccio – already relegated from the top flight – but the principality outfit must better PSG’s result to keep their slim title hopes alive.

Claudio Ranieri’s men bounced back from their humiliating 3-1 Coupe de France semi-final defeat to Guingamp with a 1-0 derby victory over Nice on Sunday, and will be hoping to extend the gap between themselves and third-placed Lille in the chase for a place in the UEFA Champions League group stages.

Lille host Bordeaux, who picked up their first win in eight in emphatic fashion against Guingamp on Sunday – by a 5-1 scoreline.

Guingamp are being kept busy at the other end of the table and need to be careful to preserve their top-flight status after entering freefall with a five-match losing run.

They host second-bottom Valenciennes on Saturday with defeat all-but guaranteeing relegation for the visitors.

Nice – without a win in five – are hitting a bad run of form at the wrong time of year and are still not assured of safety, so a home victory over Reims would come as a welcome boost.

Marseille visit Nantes as speculation mounts that former Argentina, Chile and Athletic Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa could soon take the reins at Stade Velodrome, while Evian bid to take a step towards safety against Saint-Etienne.

Elsewhere, Montpellier host Toulouse, Lorient visit Rennes, and Europa League-chasing Lyon are home to Bastia.