Ligue 1 title race: Lille targets top-spot consolidation with Nice win, PSG to host high-flying Lens

Topics: TV Schedules, TV Listings, Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain, Lille, Nice, AS Monaco, Olympique Lyonnais, Lens

Both Lille and Paris Saint-Germain will be in action this weekend with the battle for top-spot still heating up.

The Ligue 1 title race could take an interesting turn with three of the top four contenders set for crucial tests on Sunday. Just as it has been the case in recent months, lovers of the French Ligue 1 are anticipating another dramatic weekend in the competition. The prospect of the occupant of the top-spot changing hands is firmly in place with the two highest-ranking clubs in the competition - Lille and Paris Saint-Germain - facing tricky tests in their weekend fixtures. Even more intriguing is the fact that two other teams - AS Monaco and Olympique Lyon - still have a slim chance to pull off a coup should the aformentioned pair slip.

On Saturday, the focus will arguably be on Paris Saint-Germian, who after the meeting with Lens, will resume preparations for their all-important game of the season in the second-leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final clash with Manchester City. After falling to a disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to the Premier League outfit, Les Parisians will be keen to make swift amends with their tag as the tournament's favorites gradually wearing off. With the potential of them winning the competition in the balance, there is even more pressure on the current Ligue 1 title holder's to defend their title. I

t has been all but easy for the Parc des Princes outfit who despite accruing very important points, are still lagging behind in second. They approach the clash with Lens with four wins from their last five league matches. The only defeat that came during the period was against table-toppers Lille in a game which ended 1-0 in favor of the latter while the pair finished with ten-men apiece. Against Lens, they will hope that this run of form will come in handy although the former are not expected to be easy customers.

Having already defeated PSG in the first round, Franck Haise's men have been extremely remarkable in their charge and this is evident in their status as occupants of fifth position. At the moment they are unbeaten across the last 13 matches, with their last defeat coming against Nice on January 23. A new record is on the line as avoiding defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday will make Sang et Or the first newly-promoted side in the 21st century to manage the longest unbeaten run in Ligue 1. Considering the stakes, this news will sound melodious in the ears of the Lille players whose encounter with Nice is slated for a few hours after the PSG-Lens clash.

For Christopher Galtier's men the plan remains one - to win each one of their remaining matches. They made this very clear last weekend after coming back from two goals down to secure a 3-2 win over Olympique Lyon. Having gone into the half-time break with the deficit, Burak Yilmaz's double and Jonathan David's strike were enough to take them to the promise land while their rivals had their hopes of fighting for the league title completely dashed. They, as a result, will look to build on this recent success in order to extend their unbeaten run to five.

While their fate remains in their own hands, getting the better of Nice on the back of just one win from the last fives games at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy presents worrying signs. And, perhaps, what makes the whole situation problematic is the fact that Adrien Ursea's men are also unbeaten in the last 12 home matches in the league. A defeat for Lille could see them being demoted to second position should PSG defeat Lens. On the contrary, AS Monaco could also stroll past Les Dogues should they put Lyon to the sword in Sunday's super clash.