Derby games are always passionate affairs and they generate a lot of excitement but the match itself tens to disappoint the viewers, mostly because the managers are always too cautious and they prevent the players from giving their attacking best. The games between Lyon and Marseille have not been exception to this rule in the past and no wonder nobody expected too many goals when these sides met on Sunday, but we saw a remarkable match and no less than 10 goals, five on each side. We can only hope other derbies will follow this example.
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Popularity: 3% [?]

It is difficult for a team to recover after losing few games in a row so you can imagine how Grenoble players feel after losing 12 straight games. The League Cup defeat to Lorient probably wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for 11 defeats in as many Ligue 1 games this term. This is obviously the worst start a team ever had in French top flight and Stade des Alpes is a sad place to be at the moment. Coach Mecha Bazdarevic is so far not thinking about leaving and I am pretty sure that if he was to go it wouldn’t change anything. Nevertheless, this team need something special in order to kick-start this season and they need it as soon as possible.
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Popularity: 3% [?]

French Ligue 1 have become one of the strongest leagues in Europe during the last few years and it is constantly justifying its reputation. Round 10 this season was supposed to bring us the biggest derby of French football but the OM-PSG derby was postponed because two PSG players had contracted the swine flu. We, nevertheless, saw some interesting matches and a couple of surprises as well, the biggest being Nice’s 4:1 win over mighty Lyon.
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Popularity: 2% [?]

France doesn’t have a lot of local rivalries like England for example, since Lyon-Saint Etienne and Lille-Lens do not really portray all the elements of the derby. However, this country has a derby between Olympique Marseille and Paris Saint Germain, a fierce rivalry that doesn’t go such a long way. Every match between these two teams (Marseille-PSG odds) is highly anticipated in whole of France and not only because these are two most supported clubs in the country. Differences between the North and the South, between the capital and the province all meet in this match. The two sides are underperforming this term but the win over the arch rivals is the best way to kick-start a season.
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Popularity: 3% [?]

French Ligue 1 returns into action after the international break and Olympique Lyon are leading the title race at the moment. Bordeaux and surprise package Montpellier are just behind the leaders, while Marseille and PSG are slowly falling behind. Monaco and Lorient are also exceeding expectations at the moment, while Toulouse, Nice and Lille are not doing as well as last season. After eight rounds, Grenoble are the only team yet to pick up any points. Will anything change after this round?
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Popularity: 3% [?]

AS Monaco are the only Ligue 1 club not based in France as they are actually based in the principality of Monaco. They are, nevertheless, one of the most successful clubs in the country but Les Rouge et Blanc have struggled to return to the big stage ever since losing the Champions League final to Porto in 2004. One would thought the club would only progress further seeing it was the biggest success in Monaco’s history but that simply didn’t happen and they have been struggling to escape mediocrity over the last five years. The start of the current season has been very promising but we are yet to see if Guy Lacombe can take this team to another level.
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Popularity: 2% [?]