French Ligue 1: Three Key Fixtures This Weekend

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting

Friday Sep 13, 2019. 15:00

French Ligue 1 action resume on Friday evening with Lille and Angers SCO kicking-off matchday five of the 2019/20 season.

Defending league champions Paris Saint-Germain returned to the top of the Ligue 1 standings following a 2-0 win away to Metz before the international break.

Monaco, who narrowly avoided relegation last season, have continued to struggle and have yet to win a game this season while bottom-placed Dijon have yet to conjure a single point.

AfricanFootball.com takes a look at THREE key fixtures from an African perspective this weekend:

Lille vs Angers SCO

Ligue 1’s joint top-scorer, Victor Osimhen, will be hoping to build on his excellent start to life in France’s top division. The Nigeria international followed a brace on debut with a double against Saint-Ettiene and continued his scoring steak in the international break; finding the back of the net for the Super Eagles in a 2-2 draw vs. Ukraine.

Angers boast an African goalscorer of their own in Algeria’s Farid El Melali who has netted in his last two league games. In fact, the club’s attacking force consists mostly of African players with Stephane Bahoken and Rachid Alioui on the club’s books.

PSG vs Strasbourg

Cameroon’s Jean-Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has received a lot of criticism in his time at the capital club, but he has gone some way in shutting up his critics with three goals in his last two matches.

He will be hoping to build on his tally for the season against a Strasbourg side who have struggled thus far. South Africa’s Lebo Mothiba has yet to find the back of the net after four rounds of fixtures this season, something he will be hoping to curb.

Monaco vs Olympique Marseille

Islam Slimani’s three goals in two games has gone a long way in solving Monaco’s attacking problems, but the French giants continue to struggle at the other end of the pitch. The Algerian is part of a truly African attack which includes Keita Balde and Henry Onyekuru.