Ligue 1 Round 6 Preview, October 9-11

Ligue 1 returns after the international break, and the table after five rounds looks very different from what many expected in August. Monaco lead outright with 13 points and remain unbeaten, followed by Lyon, who have the best defence in the league, and Paris, who are also yet to lose. PSG won twice before the break, including Le Classique at the Velodrome (2-1), and climbed to sixth. Marseille dropped into the direct relegation zone after that defeat, while Le Havre remain the only team in the league without a win. The round opens on Friday with Lens – Lyon, while Troyes and Marseille meet on Sunday in a game that already looks like a fight for survival for both sides.

Lens – Lyon

Lens went into the break in an unfamiliar part of the table. After thrashing Auxerre 5-2 in the opening round, the Blood and Gold collected just one point from four matches and slipped to 15th. In Monaco, Dino Toppmoller's side came back after Paris Brunner opened the scoring, but lost six minutes from time when Jonathan Gradit turned the ball into his own net (1-2). Lyon arrive at Bollaert-Delelis in second place, unbeaten and with the best defence in the league: only two goals conceded in five rounds. Before the break, Paulo Fonseca's team demolished Rennes 4-0, with Ernest Nuamah's brace settling the game inside half an hour. The last head-to-head meeting, in May at Lyon, also ended in a rout, only this time in Lens' favour (4-0).

Match link:

Lens – Lyon

Lille – Le Havre

Lille suffered their first league defeat of the season, and it came where few expected it. In Nice, Les Dogues lost 1-2 to a side that had not won all season: the opener was an own goal by Nathan Ngoy, while Ayase Ueda's goal came too late. Davide Ancelotti's team dropped to fourth, although they had kept clean sheets in the previous two rounds, so the setback in Nice still looks more like an exception. Le Havre are bottom with two points. In Toulouse, Didier Digard's side twice reduced the deficit but never completed the comeback (2-3), and they have scored only four goals in five rounds. At Pierre-Mauroy, Le Havre travel with the same objective they have had all season: to earn their first win.

Match link:

Lille – Le Havre

Brest – Angers

Brest are still without a home win after five rounds. At Francis-Le Ble, Julien Lachuer's team drew 2-2 with Toulouse and lost 0-1 to PSG. Their only victory came away at Le Havre, while they lost a second consecutive game before the break. At Auxerre, Brest went into half-time ahead through Pathe Mboup, conceded immediately after the restart and then lost seven minutes from time because of an own goal (1-2). Angers sit seventh with seven points and have kept clean sheets in their last two rounds: a 0-0 draw at Le Havre and a 2-0 win over Troyes. The most recent meeting, in the final round of last season, ended 1-1.

Match link:

Brest – Angers

Lorient – Paris

Paris are one of only three teams still unbeaten in the league and sit third with 11 points. Liam Rosenior's side have conceded just three goals in five rounds and beat Strasbourg 2-1 before the break. Lorient are 12th with five points and are still without a home win: first they lost 1-2 to Troyes, then surrendered a two-goal lead against Toulouse in a 2-2 draw. Before the break, Alexandre Dujeux's side also lost 1-2 at Le Mans. For the hosts, this is a chance to finally win at home, but only Marseille have managed to score twice against Paris this season.

Match link:

Lorient – Paris

Monaco – Toulouse

Monaco went into the break as outright leaders: 13 points, no defeats and goals scored in all five rounds. The 2-1 win over Lens was hard-fought: Paris Brunner opened the scoring, but the decisive goal came only through an own goal by a visiting defender. Toulouse finally won before the break, beating Le Havre 3-2 thanks to a brace from Kasper Tengstedt and climbing to 13th. The main problem for Jens Berthel Askou's side remains: Toulouse have conceded in all five league matches. At the Stade Louis II, they face an attack that has yet to be shut out in this championship.

Match link:

Monaco – Toulouse

PSG – Le Mans

PSG finally found a winning run before the break: after three rounds without a victory, the Parisians won 1-0 at Brest and 2-1 at the Velodrome. Le Classique was decided by the bench and set pieces: substitute Ferran Torres opened the scoring, and after Marseille equalised, Marquinhos scored from a corner. Luis Enrique's side climbed to sixth, but the gap to Monaco is still five points. Le Mans are ninth and have lost only once this season, at Rennes in the sixth minute of stoppage time (2-3). The promoted side have scored in all five rounds and earned their first Ligue 1 win since returning just before the break, beating Lorient 2-1.

Match link:

PSG – Le Mans

Nice – Strasbourg

Nice escaped last place in the most unexpected way, beating Lille 2-1 while Les Dogues were among the leaders. It was Olivier Pantaloni's side's first win of the season and also the first match in which they scored more than once: they had managed only one goal across the previous four rounds. Mohamed Amoura scored the winner. Strasbourg are eighth with seven points and play the most open football in the league: 20 goals have been scored in five matches involving Hugo Oliveira's team, and Strasbourg have conceded in every one of them. Before the break, they lost 1-2 to Paris.

Match link:

Nice – Strasbourg

Rennes – Auxerre

Rennes remain among the leading group but went into the break with questions over their defence. At Lyon, Franck Haise's team conceded twice to Ernest Nuamah inside the first half hour and lost 0-4, their first defeat of the season. Despite having 10 points, Rennes have a negative goal difference: nine goals conceded in five rounds, more than any other team in the top six. Auxerre climbed from the relegation zone into mid-table over the last two rounds. After losing their first three games, Will Still's side won twice in a row, beating Nice 1-0 and Brest 2-1, with Cameron Archer scoring in both matches. Their defence remains the worst in the league, though, with 12 goals conceded.

Match link:

Rennes – Auxerre

Troyes – Marseille

This is a meeting between the teams sitting 16th and 17th. Troyes took four points from the opening two rounds but have since lost three in a row: 10 goals conceded across those matches and no goals scored in the last two. Marseille are one place lower, in the direct relegation zone, with three points and four consecutive league defeats. Bruno Genesio's side finished Le Classique (1-2) with 10 men after Timothy Weah was sent off, and before that they suffered a heavy 1-4 defeat to Besiktas in the Europa League. Genesio himself admitted after the trip to Istanbul that he is going through one of the most difficult periods of his career. Marseille's only league win came back in the opening round, when they beat Strasbourg 4-0.

Match link:

Troyes – Marseille

Round 6 Summary

Round 6 will show who used the break best. Lyon travel to Lens defending the league's best defensive record against a side that took one point from their last four rounds. Monaco can maintain their lead at home to Toulouse, while PSG host Le Mans on a two-match winning run. The biggest tension is at the bottom: Marseille travel to Troyes at risk of a fifth straight league defeat, while Le Havre once again try to earn their first win of the season away at Lille. Carefully assess each team's post-break form and the schedule load of clubs involved in European competition before choosing bets, and our resources can help with that: https://scores24.live/en/sportbooks-fr