What's at stake on the final matchday of Ligue 1?

BeSoccer 3 months ago 784
The 2024/25 Ligue 1 season concludes on Saturday. BeSoccer

The 2024/25 Ligue 1 season concludes on Saturday, with all the sides heading into action at 21:00 CET. With the title wrapped up and one relegated team already confirmed, check out what's at stake on the final matchday of the French top flight.

French top-flight sides head into action for the final time of the season - except PSG, who still have the Champions League and French Cup finals to look forward to later this month - at 21:00 CET, as the 2024/25 Ligue 1 draws to a conclusion

Paris Saint-Germain wrapped up the title more than a month ago and will collect their trophy following their match at home to Auxerre, but European places are still up for grabs in Ligue 1, with a quartet of clubs also scrapping to avoid relegation.

European spots

Marseille and Monaco have already sealed Champions League qualification after clinching the podium places with victories last weekend. That leaves Nice, Lille, Strasbourg and Lyon fighting for the final spot in Europe's elite club competition.

Nice

Sitting in fourth with 57 points, Nice, who fell short in the Champions League play-offs in 2017, are best-placed to take the remaining spot. They come into their final match at home to Brest in fourth place and with the best goal difference of the quartet (+19).

Lille 

With 57 points and a +15 goal difference ahead of their match against Reims, Lille would need to win by a big margin to salvage a top-four spot over Nice. Europa League qualification remains more viable, as they hold a narrow advantage in goal difference over Strasbourg (+13).

Strasbourg

For Strasbourg, the path towards the Champions League is much more difficult. Despite being level with the two above on 57 points, they require an eight-goal margin of victory over Le Havre to go above Nice. If not, they will hope for a slip-up from Lille to at least earn a spot in the Europa League.

Lyon

Sitting three points behind the trio above on 54, Lyon have one final shot to go to Europe. They must win at home to Angers and hope the three teams above them all lose, with the consequences of missing out on the huge prize money on offer in the Champions League likely very serious for them.

Battle for survival and play-offs

Things are also heated further down the table. Montpellier have already sealed their demotion to the second division, leaving a relegation and a play-offs spot to be decided tonight. Reims and Le Havre are fighting to avoid a direct drop, while Saint-Etienne and Nantes look to avoid finishing 16th.

Reims

Reims need points to stay in Ligue 1 for another year. They are 14th with 33 points, two more than Le Havre (16th) and hold a +19 advantage in terms of goal difference. Should they lose, they would need the 16th-placed side not to win or Nantes not to overtake them on goal difference.

Nantes

Nantes earned a golden point on the penultimate matchday. They are 15th and a draw against Montpellier would be enough to guarantee survival, due to their +16 advantage over Le Havre on goal difference. Should Kombouare's side lose, they would just need Le Club Doyen not to win.

Le Havre

Le Havre currently hold the relegation play-off spot, however, a win over Strasbourg and a defeat from one of Reims or Nantes would save them the trouble. But they also need to watch their backs as a loss and a win from Saint-Etienne would condemn them to direct relegation.

Saint-Etienne

One of the historic powerhouses of French football is in mortal danger. Sitting 17th on 33 points, one behind Le Havre, a win at home to Toulouse will see them grab the lifeline of a two-legged play-off against either Dunkerque or Metz to stay in the top flight, provided Le Havre do not win.

Mentioned in the news story

Le Havre
Olympique Lyonnais
Saint-Étienne
Stade de Reims
Strasbourg