Table of Contents
Although the competition is fierce this weekend Saturday El Clasico between Real Madrid and BarcelonaThis weekend is actually perfect for seeing high-stakes action in France’s Ligue 1, with no fewer than three major matches taking place. RC Lens vs. Lille OSC might have drawn the short straw by going straight against the world-famous Spanish offering, but Sunday’s doubleheader of OGC Nice vs. AS Monaco and Olympique de Marseille vs. Paris Saint-Germain falls on both sides of Arsenal vs. Liverpool in the Premier League. Considering that six of the top eight Championnat clubs are competing against each other this weekend, with notable results in the UEFA Champions League such as LOSC’s wins over Real and Atletico Madrid, as well as ASM’s win over Barca, French football is finally a bull’s eye. weight comparable to his immense collective talent.
We look at why these three competitions have become so important and colorful on the French annual calendar and why they are more than worth seeing this weekend.
Derby du Nord
- Date: Saturday October 26 | Time: 3:00 PM ET
- Location: Stade Bollaert Delelis – Lens, France
- Watch: beIN Sports | Current: Fubo (try for free)
Lens versus Lille: These two northern giants are fierce local rivals and regularly rank among the top in the country. After a period when Les Sang et Or struggled to get out of Ligue 2, the 1998 French champions are now back in the top flight and have been in Europe for the past two seasons, bringing the continental action back to their mythical Stade Bollaert Delelis, home to a strong part of Lens’ cult status. Les Dogues boast three more domestic titles than their bitter neighbors and recently won Ligue 1 in 2021, which certainly marks them as the favorites and Lens as the underdogs when it comes to this match. With an atmosphere very close to that of English football, expect a blood and thunder fight every time these two meet. No exception, as Will Still and his players aim to topple Bruno Genesio’s conquerors of Madrid.
Derby de la Cote d’Azur
- Date: Sunday October 27 | Time: Noon ET
- Location: Allianz Riviera – Nice, France
- Watch: beIN Sports | Current: Fubo (try for free)
Nice vs Monaco: Heading south, Sunday’s meeting between Les Aiglons and Les Monegasques promises to be entertaining, with Adi Hutter’s visitors quietly one of the most solid European sides at the moment given their combined Ligue 1 and Champions League form. Monaco may have lost top spot to PSG last week, but they could take it back immediately as Luis Enrique’s men need to go to Marseille and get a result in the capital, although Nice will be keen to ensure that doesn’t happen before the principality. Home team head coach Franck Haise was the architect of much of Lens’ recent revival and return to Europe and he now finds himself locked in a new challenge: performing with similar consistency at Allianz Riviera, where this showdown between these twelve combined teams will take place. -time French champion. It doesn’t get much more glittering than the Cote d’Azur in France and this is the perfect starter for the main course, which will even follow on Sunday.
Le Classique
- Date: Sunday October 27 | Time: 3:45 PM ET
- Location: Stade Velodrome – Marseille, France
- Watch: beIN Sports | Current: Fubo (try for free)
Marseille vs PSG: Just like El Clasico in Spain, every football fan in France knows when Les Phoceens and Les Parisiens meet – whether it’s in the south, in the capital or somewhere in between. Ligue 1’s undisputed showpiece has added some extra spice this year – although it rarely needs any encouragement – with Roberto De Zerbi overseeing a new Marseille team, including former PSG star Adrien Rabiot, with the fiery and passionate approach from the Italian and a strong match with the fanatical OM fan base. Paris look more vulnerable than they have in a while, despite the huge potential within the young squad led by Luis Enrique. That creates an irresistible recipe for an unmissable match on Sunday between France’s two most successful clubs, with 21 Championnat crowns between them. This one may still lack supporters for the full Classique experience – which at full stretch rivals any major European derby in intensity – but Rabiot’s change of sides and De Zerbi’s exciting new look Marseille means this one has a bigger fascination factor than many of the most recent iterations.