French Ligue 1

Final decision

There were no surprises last week. There were no changes at the top, either. 2.5 goals per match were scored and hosts were better, which is expected in France. There were only two draws, although the teams were expected to be less competitive in the finish. After all, this is France and everyone wants to beat everyone, no matter the place on the standings or how much someone needs points.

PSG managed to escape the relegation zone

The biggest news is certainly PSG escaping from the relegation zone in the duel against St. Etienne and it seems that this point as helped them survive another season. They were losing on halftime but they managed to get the valuable point. Toulouse and Lens lost to fifth-place contenders, Rennes and Lille, as it was expected and they need points in the alst round so tehy don’t depend on others.
Lyon and Bordeaux have managed to get three points and the last round will decide whether Lyon will continue their domination or Blanc, officially the best coach in France, will manage to end the Gerland side\'s spell.
In spite of losing at Gerland, Nancy remained third and they must win in the last round if they wish to stay there. They are now only a point ahead of Marseille who drew against Le Mans seven days ago.
Lille leapfrogged St. Etienne into fifth and Rennes are close. They used the advantage of home ground and caught up with St. Etienne who took only one point at Parc Des Princes.

Match of the round will be played in Lens

Lens will host Bordeaux eager to celebrate their survival after a pathetic season. This won’t be easy at all, since Bordeaux have the chance to get the title if the win and champion fail against Auxerre. Lyon have showed, on several occasions this season that they are not so dominant and that they have a lot of problems away. If they wish not to depend on Bordeaux results, they need a point but the will definitely try to get all three.
Nancy and Marseille are playing in front of their fans. Marseille had a lot of problems at home lately but they shouldn\'t have problems against Strasbourg. Anything but an easy home win will be a big surprise. Nancy will have a much harder work to do, although they are the best hosts in the league and the only team that haven\'t lost in front of their fans. They are hosting Rennes who are in excellent form in the finish, as always. Rennes have gone a long time without losing away but Nancy rely on excellent tradition against Rennes.
In case Marseille lose, a win over Lorient will see Lille climb on fourth place that leads to UEFA Cup. Still, there is almost no chance for such a thing.
Aside from Lens that have a very difficult job in the relegation battle, Toulouse and PSG are also facing difficult rivals. Toulouse are hosting Valenciennes, who are very weak away this season, without motivation which was obvious in the last round. In case they win, the only way they will get relegated is if Lens win Bordeaux and PSG win Sochaux. Even if Toulouse lose, in case Lens do too, they will stay in the league because they have better goal difference than Lens.

Only 90 more minutes and we will know everything. It will be very long 90 minutes. There is no room for mistakes any more and we will see who can handle the pressure and who doesn’t belong in this rank of competition.