Ligue 1 clubs' Champions League prospects analysed
09/17/2024 10:05 AM
Thanks to Lille OSC’s qualification via the play-offs, four Ligue 1 teams will compete in the new ‘league phase’ of the UEFA Champions League this season. Get French Football News analyses their prospects.
PSG
Opta’s supercomputer has calculated that, out of all the teams competing in the Champions League this season, PSG have received the most difficult draw. On paper, it is daunting. Manchester City and Atletico Madrid are among the teams that will visit the Parc des Princes, whilst they also face very difficult trips to face Arsenal and Bayern Munich. The expressions on the faces of Luís Campos and Nasser Al-Khelaifi at the time of the draw said it all.
PSG, if not for their incredibly tough draw, would have been expected to have qualified directly for the knockout rounds, rather than playing through the play-off system. But in light of that draw, finishing below eighth in the ‘league phase’ could hardly be considered a failure.
Equally, they are still capable of avoiding the play-offs. It is early days, but the verdict is that, despite Kylian Mbappé’s exit over the summer, PSG are stronger this year, as noted by pundits and observers, but also opposition managers, including Eric Roy, who stated that without Mbappé, Les Parisiens are stronger, run more and are more efficient in the counter-press.
With individuals such as Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé, and Joao Neves all impressing early on this season, expectations are once again high for the team that last year reached the semi-final stage.
Luke Entwistle
Lille
Lille OSC became the first French team since AS Monaco in 2016/17 to qualify for the Champions League via the playoffs – a feat that has earned them a daunting run in the league phase of the competition.
Lille kick their campaign off with a visit to Sporting tonight before a sequence that sees them play Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, and Juventus. The latter half of the league by comparison is simpler but still a challenge with a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool punctuating games against Bologna, Sturm Graz, and Feyenoord.
Hope will be far from high for Les Dogues. They will be well aware that they're the underdogs for at least half of their matches and well-matched for the rest. However, the Nordistes should be taken seriously as Aston Villa learnt last season when Les Dogues pushed the Premier League side to penalties in the Europa Conference League.
There is more than enough talent in the team with Jonathan David, Angel Gomes, and Edon Zhegrova to suggest that they could be a surprise package.
Nick Hartland
Monaco
AS Monaco were, bar PSG, comfortably the strongest side in Ligue 1 last season, and their league finish reflected that. The Principality club then enjoyed a strong summer, despite losing Wissam Ben Yedder and Youssouf Fofana, importantly adding depth, but also quality. There is back-up in every position, which should allow them to rotate sufficiently to remain competitive, both in Ligue 1 and in the Champions League.
It is a difficult draw for Monaco, who host the likes of Barcelona, arguably the most in-form team in Europe currently, and Aston Villa, whilst also facing difficult trips to Arsenal and Inter Milan.
However, it is thought that eight points may be enough to reach the playoffs to progress to the knockout stage and given the quality in their squad and the calibre of some of their other opponents – Red Star and Dinamo Zagreb most notably – reaching that eight-point bar feels attainable. That is the stated objective in any case – it is now up to Adi Hutter and his youthful side to deliver it.
Luke Entwistle
Brest
Brest's first taste of European football in the club's history will no doubt be a memorable occasion for fans of Les Pirates. However, there could be a few painful nights for Éric Roy's side as they prepare to face several European giants.
A dampener on the European adventure awaiting the Breton club is that they will be unable to hold any of their matches at their home stadium – the Stade Francis Le-Blé. UEFA have deemed the stadium unacceptable and their fans will face a 100km trip to Guingamp for home matches. This will no doubt have an effect on what will already be a difficult ask.
Sparta Prague and Strum Graz perhaps present winnable games for Brest across their eight matches in the competition's new format. Nevertheless, the arrival of the Bundesliga champions, Bayer Leverkusen, and the reigning champions Real Madrid, in Brittany, not to forget a trip to Barcelona, presents an uphill battle for the first-timers.
Liam Wraith
