As the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 season continues to progress, it is rapidly becoming clear that this campaign's title race is likely going to be a multi-party affair till the end. Although Nice, who were leading the table heading into the Christmas break, have stumbled recently, Les Aiglons are still very much involved in the fight to wrest the Ligue 1 crown away from PSG.
Facts and Stats ahead of Ligue 1 Matchday 22
Here are five things you may or may not know ahead of the upcoming round of fixtures starting today:
Ligue 1 Matchday 22 - U.S. viewing schedule
Below is the full U.S. schedule for round 22 of Ligue 1 action starting today:
Jan. 27: Olympique Marseille vs Montpellier on beIN SPORTS USA, beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:45 AM PST/2:45 PM EST
Jan. 28: Olympique Lyonnais vs Lille on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 8:00 AM PST/11:00 AM EST
Jan. 28: Angers vs Metz on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Jan. 28: Bastia vs Caen on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Jan. 28: Lorient vs Dijon on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Jan. 28: Nancy vs Bordeaux on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Jan. 28: Rennes vs Nantes on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST
Jan. 29: Nice vs Guingamp on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 6:00 AM PST/9:00 AM EST
Jan. 29: Toulouse vs Saint-Étienne on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 8:00 AM PST/11:00 AM EST
Jan. 29: PSG vs Monaco on beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV at 12:00 PM PST/3:00 PM EST
*For more information, please navigate to each match's specific page
Ligue 1 - Matchday 22 overview
Last season saw PSG stroll to the league title, which caused many to fear that Ligue 1 was going to become a one-horse league, as the Bundesliga has been accused of becoming over the past few seasons. However, this campaign has been a lot more interesting than most had anticipated. For starters, Les Parisiens are having to work a lot harder to maintain their league title, and even that is not a guarantee as they find themselves in third spot.
Meanwhile, Monaco continue to fly high and score seemingly at will. Leonardo Jardim's men have racked up a whopping 64 goals so far from just 21 rounds, which averages out to a bit more than three per game. Having beaten PSG earlier this season, Les Rouges-et-Blancs surely must be looking forward to defeating them yet again, except this time, at the Parc des Princes. PSG vs. Monaco arguably is the highlight of matchday 22 and that crunch fixture will take place on Sunday, January 29th at 21:00 CET (15:00 EST).
As for Nice, Lucien Favre's men have drawn their past three games. Les Aiglons will be looking to soar once again as they welcome Guingamp, but they will surely be wary of their visitors. Despite winning just one in their past five Ligue 1 games, Guingamp are still in a solid fifth spot and could pose a tricky test for Mario Balotelli and his colleagues.
Finally, Lyon continue their renaissance after a rough patch. Les Gones sit in fourth after winning four out of their last five games and aim to move closer to the top three teams when they travel to take Lille on Saturday.
Ligue 1 - Matchday 22 standings
Here's how things stand so far after 21 rounds in the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 season. How will it look after matchday 22 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 | 32 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 62 | 42 | +20 | 61 | WLWWW | |
| 3 | Brest | 32 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 49 | 33 | +16 | 57 | DWLLW | |
| 4 | Lille | 31 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 45 | 27 | +18 | 55 | WLWWW | |
| 5 | Nice | 31 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 36 | 25 | +11 | 51 | WDWDL | |
| 6 | Lens | 32 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 42 | 34 | +8 | 49 | WLWLD | |
| 7 | Rennes | 32 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 51 | 43 | +8 | 45 | WLWLL | |
| 8 | Olympique Marseille | 31 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 47 | 38 | +9 | 44 | WDDLL | |
| 9 | Olympique Lyonnais | 31 | 13 | 5 | 13 | 42 | 51 | -9 | 44 | WLWWD | |
| 10 | Montpellier | 32 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 41 | 44 | -3 | 40 | WDWDW | |
| 11 | Toulouse | 32 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 39 | 42 | -3 | 40 | LWDWD | |
| 12 | Reims | 31 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 38 | 45 | -7 | 40 | LLLDD | |
| 13 | Strasbourg | 32 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 35 | 47 | -12 | 36 | LLLWD | |
| 14 | Nantes | 32 | 9 | 6 | 17 | 29 | 49 | -20 | 33 | DDLWL | |
| 15 | Le Havre | 32 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 33 | 42 | -9 | 32 | WDLLD | |
| 16 | Metz | 32 | 8 | 5 | 19 | 34 | 54 | -20 | 29 | LLWWL | |
| 17 | Lorient | 32 | 6 | 8 | 18 | 37 | 63 | -26 | 26 | LLLLL | |
| 18 | Clermont | 32 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 26 | 54 | -28 | 25 | LWLDD |
