Lyon vs. Rennes (Wednesday, 6.00pm)
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Rennes begin life without Julien Stephan in the dugout on Wednesday when they travel to title-chasing Lyon for a daunting fixture in Ligue 1.
Both teams are eyeing a return to winning ways in this game, with Lyon drawing with Marseille on Sunday evening, while Rennes' defeat to Nice signalled the end of Stephan's tenure.
We say: Lyon 2-0 Rennes
A classic case of the new manager bounce phenomenon would go down extremely well with the Rennes faithful this week, but Bizeul could hardly have been handed a more difficult opening task. Lyon ought to be fired up following the controversial manner of their draw with Marseille in the derby, and given Rennes' woeful form, we can only see Les Gones returning to winning ways on their own turf, despite their poor recent record in this fixture.
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Brest vs. Dijon (Wednesday, 6.00pm)
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Brest will be eyeing a much-needed return to winning ways when they welcome Ligue 1 basement boys Dijon to the Stade Francis-Le Ble for Wednesday's showdown.
The hosts fell to a late 2-0 defeat at Monaco last time out, whereas Dijon's already-slim hopes of survival took yet another hit as they were thrashed by Paris Saint-Germain.
We say: Brest 2-0 Dijon
Dijon have performed better on the road than on their own turf this season, but the league's whipping boys would need nothing short of a miracle to get one over a free-scoring Brest this week. The hosts have not enjoyed a positive set of results recently either, but Dall'Oglio's men should have no trouble returning to winning ways in midweek.
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Metz vs. Angers (Wednesday, 6.00pm)
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Metz take on Angers in Ligue 1 on Wednesday, with the hosts looking to stay in fifth position in the table after back-to-back victories.
Angers, meanwhile, have failed to win any of their last five games, and are clinging onto a top-half place as a result.
We say: Metz 2-1 Angers
We expect Metz to narrowly gain a win here, with the hosts playing the better football of the two sides at present.
Angers were perhaps unfortunate not to beat Lens on Sunday, but Metz are likely to pose a much bigger obstacle to ending their winless run.
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St Etienne vs. Lens (Wednesday, 6.00pm)
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Saint-Etienne will be aiming to bounce back immediately from their dampening defeat to Lorient when they face off against another newly-promoted side in Lens on Wednesday evening.
The visitors, meanwhile, travel to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard after rescuing a point in a 2-2 draw with Angers last time out.
We say: Saint-Etienne 1-2 Lens
It is extremely difficult to back against Lens given their current form on the road and in general, although Saint-Etienne have given a good account of themselves over the past few weeks as well. The loss of midfield lynchpin Doucoure is a blow for the visitors, but we still think that the European hopefuls will do enough to return to winning ways - although Saint-Etienne will not make life easy for them.
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Nice vs. Nimes (Wednesday, 6.00pm)
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Nice host Nimes in Ligue 1 on Wednesday, with the visitors looking for the win which could move them out of the relegation zone.
The hosts, meanwhile, ended a run of three consecutive defeats with a crucial 2-1 win at Rennes on Friday to move seven points clear of Nimes and the bottom three.
We say: Nice 2-1 Nimes
Despite Nimes' recent upturn in form under Plancque, we expect Nice to have taken a great degree of confidence from their win at Rennes.
With relegation fears significantly eased, the hosts should be able to play with more freedom than of late, with their quality likely to tell come the final whistle.
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Lille vs. Marseille (Wednesday, 8.00pm)
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Lille will be desperate to avoid any further slip-ups in the race for Ligue 1 glory when they welcome Marseille to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy for Wednesday's top-flight battle.
The hosts could only take a point from their clash with Strasbourg in a 1-1 draw at the weekend, while Marseille played out a stalemate in the Choc des Olympiques with Lyon by the same scoreline.
We say: Lille 1-0 Marseille
Larguet will be determined to go out with a bang before he passes the torch over to Sampaoli, but Marseille are fighting an uphill battle to upset the league leaders this weekend. Galtier should be demanding an immediate response from his team after a minor setback, and even though Marseille have looked more resolute in recent weeks, their away form is highly concerning and Lille should avoid being usurped at the top with a narrow win on Wednesday.
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Bordeaux vs. PSG (Wednesday, 8.00pm)
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Fresh from a resounding 4-0 triumph against Ligue 1's whipping boys Dijon, Paris Saint-Germain will aim to continue their title charge against an out-of-sorts Bordeaux on Wednesday evening.
Jean-Louis Gasset's hosts are enduring a woeful run of form at present and lost their sixth game in seven against Metz at the weekend.
We say: Bordeaux 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Bordeaux may fancy their chances after looking at PSG's teamsheet without Mbappe, Neymar and Di Maria, but the visitors still possess the quality to get the job done with minimal trouble this week. Gasset's fortunes keep going from bad to worse at Bordeaux, and top spot could be there for the taking for PSG on Wednesday depending on how Lille perform, so a straightforward win for the champions is the only outcome that we can see.
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Montpellier vs. Lorient (Wednesday, 8.00pm)
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In-form Montpellier HSC are out to continue their impressive unbeaten streak when they entertain visitors Lorient at Stade de la Mosson.
Undefeated in their past five matches, La Paillade are full of confidence and eyeing an unlikely European qualification spot.
We say: Montpellier HSC 2-1 Lorient
Montpellier are on a roll, have shown great determination and enjoy a great record against Lorient. All signs point to a victory for them.
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Nantes vs. Reims (Wednesday, 8.00pm)
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Relegation-threatened Nantes will look to climb the Ligue 1 table when they take on Reims at home on Wednesday.
Nantes are second-last on the ladder but just two points adrift of safety, while Reims are out to push away from the chasing pack in 13th spot.
We say: Nantes 1-1 Reims
Both of these teams are increasingly desperate and have trouble turning leads into victories, with a draw the most likely result.
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Strasbourg vs. Monaco (Wednesday, 8.00pm)
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With the top three now within touching distance, Monaco will endeavour to keep the pressure on their Ligue 1 title rivals when they visit Strasbourg at the Stade de la Meinau on Wednesday evening.
Les Monegasques overcame Brest 2-0 last time out to keep their strong run of form going, while Strasbourg impressively held Lille to a 1-1 draw.
We say: Strasbourg 1-3 Monaco
Strasbourg have already taken a point off of one Ligue 1 title hopeful recently and will feel that there is no reason why they cannot repeat that feat on Wednesday. However, Monaco are crushing almost everything in their wake at the moment and their hot streak does not look like ending anytime soon, so we are backing Kovac's men to keep their hopes of silverware alive with a resounding win at a ground where Strasbourg have struggled to find their shooting boots.
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Barney Corkhill
