Covid-19, diffusion, race for the podium ... The return of Ligue 1 in 10 questions

1- Is Ligue 1 ready to resume?
Normally yes. The Professional Football League (LFP) has implemented a strict health protocol for the attention of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs. As revealed by  L'Équipe, tests will be carried out 72 to 48 hours before each match and a clinical examination the same morning, to find out if a player or a member of the technical staff is contaminated by Covid-19. In the event of a positive test, a “Covid Commission”, made up of four doctors and two infectious diseases specialists, meets and judges the possibility of playing the match or not, depending on the number of cases within the clubs. Several friendly matches (Sochaux-Metz, Auxerre-Bordeaux ...) have been canceled for a single case, in order not to take any risk. Marseille-Saint-Étienne, scheduled for Friday, was postponed after positive tests from 4 OM players. The Ligue 1 calendar may not have finished being upset.

The top 5 goals for OM in Ligue 1 in 2019-2020

2 - Is the Ligue 1 multiplex always on Saturdays at 8 p.m.?
No. The LFP has kept the Friday 9 p.m. and Saturday 5 p.m. slot, but the rest is different from the last seasons. There will only be one game on Saturday night at 9 p.m. The rest of the day will be spread over Sunday: a match at 1 p.m., a multiplex (4 matches) at 3 p.m., a match at 5 p.m. and the traditional Sunday poster at 9 p.m.

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3 - Where and how to watch Ligue 1 on television?
Ligue 1 has bid farewell to beIN Sports , its main broadcaster since the 2012-13 season. It will now be necessary to subscribe to the Mediapro group , whose Téléfoot channel will broadcast 8 of the 10 matches of each day in Ligue 1, including the 10 most beautiful posters of the season exclusively. In general, the matches of Friday evening and Sunday evening will be on Téléfoot . Canal + , which will broadcast two posters per day (except for rare co-broadcasts), will inherit the Saturday evening game (9 p.m.) and that of Sunday at 5 p.m. The multiplex will be for Téléfoot . In other words, if you support Paris, Lyon or Marseille, expect to see your club regularly on Téléfoot .

4 - Will the public be authorized?
Yes, but sparingly. 5,000 spectators are allowed in each match. This limit for gatherings was extended until October 30 by the government, on August 11. Marseille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg or even Lorient have requested an exemption to accommodate more people in their stadium, but the various prefectures have all refused.

5 - Is PSG untouchable?
With 12 points ahead and one game behind Marseille, ten days from the end of the season, Paris Saint-Germain was crowned without dispute at the end of the 2019-20 fiscal year. Once again, it is difficult to see who could deprive PSG of a 10th league title in its history, which would be the fourth in a row. OM reorganized internally and had to smell the good moves in the transfer window.

The most beautiful technical gestures of Paris Saint-Germain in 2019-2020

6 - Who are the favorites for the podium?
Olympique de Marseille should, a priori, be stronger. Florian Thauvin missed most of last season through injury, and will be a big boost if he is not sold. The rest of the executives (Mandanda, Payet, Kamara ...) are there. For its part, Lyon, not qualified for a European competition, will be focused on the championship and should logically join the fight. Niko Kovac's debut at the helm of Monaco will be one to watch. ASM, 9th in 2019-20, paid for a catastrophic start to the season. Rennes will have to digest its participation in the Champions League despite a good transfer window. Lille should be in the game. Finally, Nice, tied for 5th with Reims last season, managed an ambitious transfer window. The podium is not an unattainable dream for Patrick Vieira's men.

7 - Who will play the maintenance?
Naturally, the two promoted, Lens and Lorient, will be under pressure. Nîmes, 18th last season, did not have to play a dam due to the exceptional context due to the health crisis. It is unlikely that Saint-Étienne, 17th, will experience such a difficult new season. Dijon, Metz and Brest will have to get off to a good start in order to avoid any cold sweat in 2021.

8 - Is the transfer window over?
It is possible to buy and sell players until next Saturday 5 October, which corresponds to the weekend of the 6th day of Ligue 1. This date has been standardized in most European leagues, and most of the French clubs are likely to continue their market until the fall. "We are in the situation of a transfer window which would only be at the beginning of July where not much is happening", remarked on August 12th Nicolas Holveck, the president of Rennes, at the microphone of RMC Sport .

9 - And the lower divisions in all this?
Ligue 2, National and National 2 are in identical situations to Ligue 1. All these championships are launching their 2020-21 season this weekend. The National 3, on the other hand, will kick off a week later.

10 - And the rest of Europe?
After the Community Shield between Arsenal and Liverpool on August 29, the Premier League will resume on the weekend of Saturday September 12. Ditto for La Liga, which still has to validate its schedule with its Federation according to Marca. In Germany, the Bundesliga will kick off its season the following weekend, that of September 19. The same goes for Serie A in Italy. These dates will correspond to the 3rd and 4th days of Ligue 1.

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