Paris Saint-Germain remains the team to beat in Ligue 1, with back-to-back Champions League triumphs bolstered by an influx of new arrivals this season. The team's opening match against Stade Rennais this Sunday has been moved to Rennes after their Parc de Prince pitch was deemed unsafe to play on after weeks of sweltering heat in Paris.
Paris Saint-Germain are the overwhelming favourites to continue their dominance of Ligue 1, although there are no shortage of hopefuls seeking to dethrone them.
PSG, who have also won the last two editions of the Champions League, have been boosted by new arrivals this season including Spain's Ferran Torres, the scorer of the only goal in last month’s World Cup final.
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"Ferran is an international-level player," coach Luis Enrique said. “He fits perfectly with what we're looking for. He can play anywhere in attack, with a great mentality.”
PSG have also bought Maghnes Akliouche and Lucas Digne, both in France’s squad at the World Cup, as well as Belgian Mika Godts, signed this week from Ajax Amsterdam.
Unfit for play
The French champions have been forced to move their Ligue 1 opener against Stade Rennais on Sunday after scorching summer heat left their Parc des Princes pitch unsafe, the club said.
PSG alerted France’s professional football league (LFP) on Monday to the poor condition of the playing surface. A specialist team inspected the pitch and ruled it unfit for play, the LFP said.
The match will instead be played at Rennes’ Roazhon Park.
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The extreme heat prevented the grass, which PSG grows from seed rather than installing as rolled turf, from developing properly, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. The stadium’s concrete structure intensified the conditions, the person added.
The club’s Qatari-backed resources have ensured they are able to attract a steady stream of talent as they set off in search of a 15th French championship and sixth in a row.
However, a rare defeat in last weekend’s Trophée des Champions against Racing Lens allows the chasing pack to dream of toppling them.
Lens finished six points adrift of PSG last season in second spot, and won the French Cup. And while they have lost coach Pierre Sage to Crystal Palace, German Dino Toppmöller made a winning start in the season-opening super cup encounter.
Modest hopes
Lille, whose third-place finish last season means they qualify directly for the group phase of the Champions League, have a new coach in 36-year-old Davide Ancelotti.
Former Brazil international Filipe Luis has taken over at Monaco, who had a disappointing campaign by finishing seventh and have offloaded injury-plagued Paul Pogba, who had little impact last season.
Olympique de Marseille were runners-up twice to PSG over the last five campaigns, but with Bruno Genesio arriving from Lille to take the helm they look to be starting a rebuild that will take more than one season for them to be genuine contenders.
Marseille, who open the league campaign at home to Racing Strasbourg on Friday, were last champions in 2010.
Troyes and Le Mans are the two newly promoted sides, replacing Nantes and Metz, while Nice managed to keep their top-flight status by beating Saint-Étienne over two legs in the promotion-relegation playoff at the end of May.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
