Ligue 1: for Losc and PSG, one last turn to be negotiated in the title race

The French championship is a marathon that ends like an ascent of Alpe d'Huez. In the final sprint, the road winds as it goes up. This is how the 36th day offers a last turn for the two major candidates for the title, Lille and PSG, separated by one point in favor of the Northerners. The short trip to Lens for Christophe Galtier's men indeed looks like the last difficulty in a calendar where they will then receive Saint-Etienne and move to Angers. These are two clubs that have already been saved and almost coasting. It is very visible in Angers, which has not won in L1 since March 3, with a coach who announced his departure next season. The protected Stéphane Moulin distribute the points as a farewell to their coach, remaining on six defeats and two draws.

In short, if Lille wins this Friday at Bollaert, there will be no real obstacle to collecting his first title of champion of France in ten years.

Since their incredible success in Lyon (2-3), they think only of that, this coronation normally promised to PSG.

But Lens, 5th, has a triple challenge against Lille: to continue to hope to qualify for the Europa League (if Paris or Monaco wins the Coupe de France), to erase its panties from the first leg (a scathing 4-0 defeat) and above all winning the Northern Derby, one of the hot spots of the season.

If Lille still has to get caught in its course, it is here and now, not another time and elsewhere.

Rennes is doing better with Genesio

For the capital club, it's the same scenario. The visit to Rennes this Sunday is the last effort to deliver. Neither Reims au Parc and Brest to finish in Finistère do not seem of a size to repel the desire of Parisians to succeed themselves. Rennes, even deprived of Eduardo Camavinga and Steven Nzonzi, has the answer and has resumed colors since the arrival of Bruno Genesio. His formation, 7th two points behind Marseille and Lens, is aiming for a European qualification and all his players are still at the stage where they are trying to seduce him. For Paris, it's mostly the next game. After the Champions League and after an elimination, a double trap.

This season, Marquinhos' partners lost after the two matches against Barcelona (PSG-Monaco, 0-2, February 21; PSG-Nantes, 1-2, March 14) and Kylian Mbappé had to tear himself away to avoid a disaster against Saint-Etienne (3-2, April 18) after the qualification against Bayern Munich.

The world champion will not wake anyone up on Sunday: he is injured and suspended.

A victory for Paris in Rennes is not obvious even if it remains on a chain of four successes in L 1 (Strasbourg, ASSE, Metz, Lens), a first since the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino in January.

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It's a weekend to imagine a last possible crossover if Lille takes only one point in Lens or worse, inclines. Or a breakaway, if he wins and PSG still gives up points in Brittany. It's a day when Sunday evening, the name of the next French champion will become obvious, even though the red flame has not yet appeared.