Ligue 1 matchday 9 preview: PSG at bottom side Le Havre, the Lille v Lens derby, Paris FC host Monaco

Paris Saint-Germain lead Ligue 1 by a point after eight rounds and open matchday 9 on Friday at Le Havre, the bottom side and the only one without a win, four days after beating Lyon. At the same time Rennes, second, go to Nice, and later on Friday Lille, third, host Lens in the northern derby, the match to watch first. Monaco, level with Lille on 15, visit Paris FC on Sunday afternoon, and four points still cover the top seven.

Friday

Le Havre v Paris Saint-Germain (18:00 UTC, Stade Océane). PSG have won five league matches in a row, the latest 2–0 against Lyon on Monday with two goals from substitutes. The league's probable line-ups list four absentees: Nuno Mendes, Marquinhos, Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Le Havre, bottom on two, lost 4–3 at Marseille after trailing 4–0 and have lost their last four; they are without five players, Jelert and Zagadou among them. PSG have won the last four meetings, 1–0 here in February and 3–0 in Paris in November 2025; the last draw was 3–3 in Paris in April 2024.

Nice v Rennes (18:00 UTC, Allianz Riviera). Rennes, second on 16, beat Strasbourg 3–0, Sebastian Szymański scoring twice, and have scored 18, as many as Marseille and more than anyone else. E. Lepaul, the league's top scorer with seven, is among five Rennes players the league lists as doubtful. Nice, tenth on eleven, came from behind to win 2–1 at Brest and are without four, Bombito and Abergel among them, with three more in doubt. Rennes won 4–0 here in March; Nice had won 2–1 in Rennes in October 2025.

Lille v Lens (20:05 UTC, Stade Pierre-Mauroy). Lille, third on 15, drew 1–1 at Monaco and have conceded six, the fewest in the league with Lorient. Tanguy Nianzou, sent off in Monaco, is suspended, and the league lists Ueda, Igamane and Tiago Santos as out. Lens, seventh on 13, came from behind to beat Paris FC 2–1, Thorgan Hazard and Florian Thauvin each scoring once and setting up the other; they are without Edouard, Ganiou, Sima and Nawrocki, with three more doubtful. Lille have won four of the last five derbies, 3–0 here in April the latest; the exception was Lens's 3–0 win at home in September 2025.

Saturday

Lorient v Stade Brestois 29 (19:45 UTC, Stade du Moustoir). Lorient, ninth on twelve, drew 0–0 at Angers and have scored seven, the second-fewest. Brest, thirteenth on nine, lost 2–1 at home to Nice and have won one of their last five. Brest won 2–0 at home in February; the meeting here in October 2025 finished 3–3.

Lyon v Angers (19:45 UTC, Parc Olympique Lyonnais). Lyon, fifth on 14, lost 2–0 in Paris and have lost two of their last three, but Keito Nakamura is back, according to the league, with Pavel Sulc out and five more doubtful, Tolisso among them. Angers, fourteenth on eight, have won one of their last four. Lyon are unbeaten in the last five meetings: they won four, and the latest, in Angers in April, finished 0–0.

Estac Troyes v Le Mans (19:45 UTC, Stade de l'Aube). Two promoted sides near the bottom: Troyes, seventeenth on five, ended a run of five defeats with a 0–0 draw at Toulouse; Le Mans, fifteenth on seven, drew 1–1 at Auxerre. Le Mans won 2–0 here in Ligue 2 in January; the meeting in Le Mans in October 2025 finished 2–2.

Sunday

Strasbourg v Auxerre (14:00 UTC, Stade de la Meinau). Strasbourg, sixteenth on seven, have lost four in a row and conceded 18, as many as Auxerre, the most in the league. Auxerre, twelfth on ten, are unbeaten in two. Strasbourg are unbeaten in the last five meetings, among them a 3–0 win here in October 2025; the latest, in Auxerre in March, finished 0–0.

Paris FC v Monaco (16:15 UTC, Stade Jean Bouin). Monaco, fourth on 15, drew 1–1 at home to Lille with 21 shots, and have won one of their last four. They are without Eric Dier, Idumbo, Benzahra and Ansu Fati, who went off early against Lille. Paris FC, sixth on 14, lost 2–1 at Lens; the league lists Koleosho, who scored there, as out, and Kevin Trapp back. Paris FC have won both league meetings, 1–0 in Monaco in November 2025 and 4–1 here in April.

Marseille v Toulouse (19:45 UTC, Orange Vélodrome). Marseille, eighth on twelve, have won three in a row, the latest 4–3 against Le Havre, and Igor Paixão, who scored in it, is a doubt, according to the league. Toulouse, eleventh on ten, have drawn four of eight and lost two. Marseille are unbeaten in the last five meetings, 1–0 in Toulouse in March the latest; the Coupe de France tie here three days earlier finished 2–2.

The table before the round

#	Team	P	GD	Pts
1	Paris Saint-Germain	8	+7	17
2	Rennes	8	+4	16
3	Lille	8	+5	15
4	Monaco	8	+4	15
5	Lyon	8	+6	14
6	Paris FC	8	+4	14
7	Lens	8	+4	13
…
15	Le Mans	8	−5	7
16	Strasbourg	8	−6	7
17	Estac Troyes	8	−11	5
18	Le Havre	8	−7	2

On Friday PSG and Rennes play at the same time, and Lille v Lens follows. Paris FC v Monaco on Sunday means at least one more of the top six drops points. At the bottom, Troyes host Le Mans, two points above them, on Saturday.

Numbers to know

• PSG have won their last five league matches; Le Havre have lost their last four and are the only side without a win.
• Rennes and Marseille have scored 18, the most; Troyes five, the fewest.
• Lille and Lorient have conceded six, the fewest; Auxerre and Strasbourg 18, the most.
• E. Lepaul (Rennes) leads the scorers with seven, ahead of L. Sinayoko (Paris FC) on six and C. Archer (Auxerre), A. Gouiri (Marseille) and C. Tengstedt (Toulouse) on five.
• Strasbourg have lost four in a row.

The full round with kick-off times in your time zone is on the Ligue 1 page.

Sources for the context: Ligue 1.