The French top-flight is finally back, with the new campaign kicking off on Friday ahead of an action-packed weekend.

French football fans are in for a treat over the next few days as Ligue 1 is finally back! The "League of Talents" commences the 2022/23 campaign on Friday with a showdown between Lyon and newly-promoted Ajaccio in what should be another entertaining campaign.

However, all eyes will be on the weekend when France's other heavyweights take to the field as the aforementioned Lyon, Marseille, Rennes, Lille, Monaco, and Nice all look to challenge defending champions PSG for the league crown.

Who will be facing who? Which players will sadly miss the opening round of the new season due to injuries or suspension? Here's everything you need to know about Matchweek 1 of Ligue 1. 

Who are the 20 teams in the 2022/23 Ligue 1season?

  1. Ajaccio

  2. Angers

  3. Auxerre

  4. Brest

  5. Clermont Foot

  6. Lens

  7. Lille

  8. Lorient

  9. Lyon

  10. Marseille

  11. Monaco

  12. Montpellier

  13. Nantes

  14. Nice

  15. PSG

  16. Reims

  17. Rennes

  18. Strasbourg

  19. Toulouse

  20. Troyes

Top games to watch on Matchweek 1 of the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season

Strasbourg vs Monaco: Two teams who were nothing short of admirable last season face off in the first round. Monaco travel to Strasbourg having finished third in 2021/22, but manager Philippe Clement, who racked up rave reviews last term, will have one eye on this match and another on the upcoming UEFA Champions League qualifiers against PSV. Sadly for him, Strasbourg will be a difficult test.

The home side, under the reign of Julien Stephan, nearly secured European football last season, finishing only three points behind Nice to miss out on a UEFA Europa Conference League berth. And after going 11 matches unbeaten between February and April, it will be interesting to see how they perform in this campaign, starting with the weekend clash with Ben Yedder and Co.

Clermont Foot vs PSG: The reigning champions kick off their campaign on Saturday with a trip to Clermont Foot as PSG aim to start their title defense with a win. The Ligue 1 giants enjoyed a lovely pre-season and won the recent French Super Cup, beating Nantes 4-0 in Tel Aviv to lift the trophy. However, the embarrassment of their UEFA Champions League exit from earlier this year remains on everyone's mind and it will be Christophe Galtier's job to erase that past.

The host, meanwhile, nearly got relegated last term, avoiding the danger zone by a mere four points. After enjoying a brilliant start to the campaign, Pascal Gastien's struggled towards the latter half of 2021/22 and suffered as a result. However, Clermont Foot did beat a few heavyweights last season, registering memorable victories over the likes of Marseille, Lille, Rennes, and Nice – who were managed by none other than Galtier.

Marseille vs Reims: The hosts enjoyed a brilliant 2021/22 campaign, finishing second behind PSG and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, but a lot has changed at the club since then. Marseille have unfortunately lost two key members over the summer: William Saliba, who returned back to Arsenal after completing his loan deal, and Jorge Sampaoli, who stepped down as manager out of the blue. Additionally, the French giants have won only once in pre-season so it will be interesting to see how they fare on Matchweek 1.

As for Reims, they too have lost two crucial figures over the summer as goalkeeper Rajkovic and Ekitike have both left the Stade Auguste-Delaune, with the attacker moving to PSG. The visitors finished 12th last term and will be in for a tough test this season, starting from Matchweek 1, but their impressive defensive record from 2021/22 will be crucial.

Who's out for Matchweek 1 of the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season?

PSG: Julian Draxler

Marseille: Pau Lopez

Monaco: Kevin Volland

Nice: No major injuries or concerns

Lyon: Maxence Caqueret

Lille: No major injuries or concerns

Rennes: Warmed Omari

Full list of games for Matchweek 1 of the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season