The international hiatus is finally over, meaning that Europe's biggest leagues - Ligue 1, Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, and the Bundesliga - all resume action beginning this Friday. In France, round 13 will commence with title contenders Monaco taking on Lorient, and Les Rouges et Blancs could temporarily move to the top of the league table with a road win.
Facts and Stats ahead of Ligue 1 Matchday 13
Here are five things you may or may not know ahead of the upcoming round of fixtures starting on Friday:
Ligue 1 Matchday 13 - U.S. viewing schedule
Below is the full U.S. schedule for round 13 of Ligue 1 action starting this Friday
Nov. 18: Lorient vs Monaco on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV, beIN SPORTS USA, beIN SPORTS en Español at 10:00 AM PST/1:00 PM EST
Nov. 18: Lille vs Olympique Lyonnais on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:45 AM PST/2:45 PM EST
Nov. 19: PSG vs Nantes on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV, RAI International, TV5 Monde USA at 8:00 AM PST/11:00 AM EST
Nov. 19: Bastia vs Montpellier at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Nov. 19: Nancy vs Dijon at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Nov. 19: Rennes vs Angers on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Nov. 19: Toulouse vs Metz on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Nov. 20: Guingamp vs Bordeaux on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 6:00 AM PST/9:00 AM EST
Nov. 20: Olympique Marseille vs Caen on fuboTV, beIN SPORTS USA, beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A. at 8:00 AM PST/11:00 AM EST
Nov. 20: Saint-Étienne vs Nice on fuboTV, beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A. at 11:45 AM PST/2:45 PM EST
*For more information, please navigate to each match's specific page
Ligue 1 - Matchday 13 overview
Despite suffering a loss to Caen immediately before the break, Nice still sit on top of the table. The surprise 1-0 reversal marked the first defeat for Lucien Favre's side, and Les Aiglons will be keen on getting back on track as they lock horns with Saint-Etienne in match 13's final game on Sunday. Meanwhile, reigning champions PSG will face Nantes, and current coach Rene Girard will not remember Les Parisiens too fondly.
The capital giants are the club that handed him his worst ever result as a coach in French football's top flight. Still, the odds don't look good for Nantes, who have lost their past five meetings with PSG across all competitions whilst scoring just twice during that period.
Lyon will also be hoping to keep improving after a rough start to the season. With talismanic attacker Alexandre Lacazette back, it will remain to be seen if they can keep slowly working their way up the table. They currently sit in seventh spot and are on a two-match winning streak.
Ligue 1 - Matchday 13 standings
Here's how things stand so far after 12 rounds in the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 season. How will it look after matchday 13 concludes?
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSG | 31 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 76 | 29 | +47 | 70 | DWWDW | |
| 2 | Monaco | 31 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 58 | 41 | +17 | 58 | LWWWW | |
| 3 | Brest | 31 | 16 | 8 | 7 | 49 | 33 | +16 | 56 | WLLWW | |
| 4 | Lille | 31 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 45 | 27 | +18 | 55 | WLWWW | |
| 5 | Nice | 31 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 36 | 25 | +11 | 51 | WDWDL | |
| 6 | Lens | 31 | 13 | 7 | 11 | 40 | 34 | +6 | 46 | LWLDL | |
| 7 | Olympique Marseille | 31 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 47 | 38 | +9 | 44 | WDDLL | |
| 8 | Olympique Lyonnais | 31 | 13 | 5 | 13 | 42 | 51 | -9 | 44 | WLWWD | |
| 9 | Rennes | 31 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 48 | 41 | +7 | 42 | LWLLL | |
| 10 | Toulouse | 31 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 38 | 40 | -2 | 40 | WDWDW | |
| 11 | Reims | 31 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 38 | 45 | -7 | 40 | LLLDD | |
| 12 | Montpellier | 31 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 39 | 43 | -4 | 37 | DWDWW | |
| 13 | Strasbourg | 31 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 34 | 44 | -10 | 36 | LLWDW | |
| 14 | Nantes | 31 | 9 | 5 | 17 | 29 | 49 | -20 | 32 | DLWLW | |
| 15 | Le Havre | 31 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 30 | 41 | -11 | 29 | DLLDL | |
| 16 | Metz | 31 | 8 | 5 | 18 | 32 | 51 | -19 | 29 | LWWLL | |
| 17 | Lorient | 31 | 6 | 8 | 17 | 37 | 61 | -24 | 26 | LLLLL | |
| 18 | Clermont | 31 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 25 | 50 | -25 | 25 | WLDDL |
