As the Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco squads are put through their paces in the heat of Doha for the final of the Trophée des Champions, some 6,000km away in the comparative chill of the French Riviera, Nice and Rennes kicked off the second half of the Ligue 1 season on Friday night.
When France's top flight paused on 18 December, Nice lay in sixth spot with 24 points from 15 games. Rennes were further down the food chain in 12th with 17 points – four points from the relegation places to Ligue 2.
