Ligue 1 Superthread 2024/25

Tonight sees the traditional Trophee des Champions curtain-raiser as PSG face Nantes at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv. Kick-off is at 6:45pm and is live on BT Sport. Friday evening sees Ligue 1 return proper as Lyon host promoted Ajaccio.

This season sees Christophe Galtier take charge at PSG, reuniting with football advisor Luis Campos after the pair won the title with Lille two seasons ago. Wll he prove a success? The bookies don't forsee any issues domestically with Paris rated 1/9 odds-on favourites, while Lyon and Marseille are considered the next best bets at 14/1 shots.

Some thoughts and predictions on the twenty teams based on the order of where they finished last season:

PSG - Di Maria is the biggest departure, while Vitinha, Mukiele and Ekitike arrive. More names are rumoured before the window shuts. Galtier is a big character and tends to foster a never-say-die attitude, something which PSG could do with having. But has he got the stature to command the respect of perhaps the most difficult dressing room in the sport? The best chance for the other teams is that he does not.

My prediction: 1st

Marseille – There has been upheaval in the summer with Jorge Sampaoli leaving after a dispute over transfer policy. Igor Tudor has taken over after taking Verona from bottom of Serie A to a 9th place finish. Guendouzi and Jonathan Clauss look good buys, while Luis Suarez scored 8 La Liga goals for relegated Granada and could be a decent addition. Despite hopes of signing Saliba, it looks like he’s heading back to Arsenal. I'd worry with CL football and a new coach that Marseille could have the kind of erratic season we've seen in the past.

My prediction: 6th

Monaco – They narrowly missed out on automatic entry to the CL and will face a tricky tie with PSV as they look to progress through the qualifying path. Tchouameni will be a big loss. Can they find a suitable replacement? In attack, Minamino and Embolo look good signings. Manger Philippe Clement ended the season well with them and if he can keep that form up, they look to me the most likely side to keep up with PSG.

My prediction: 2nd

Rennes – Bruno Genesio did a great job last season, leading them to 4th place, with 82 goals scored - 8 behind PSG. Nayef Aguerd has been sold to West Ham, which will hurt them. Arthur Theate has been signed from Bologna as his replacement. Will they lose any more key players? Martin Terrier has been heavily linked with a move away and if he does go, that takes away a lot of goals. Mathys Tel has also been sold to Bayern before getting much of a chance to show what he can do. I see them in the battle for CL football but not quite sustaining it all the way.

My prediction: 5th

Nice - A season that suggested possible CL football, as well as a French cup final, fizzled out with Conference League football, and a cup final loss to Nantes. Galtier has gone to PSG but Lucien Favre looks a very good replacement; he did very well when he was last there at the club. Walter Benitez has gone to PSV and was one of the better keepers in Ligue 1, meaning Pole Marcin Bulka has been signed from PSG to fill the spot. They need further signings, particularly in defense. If they can get some fresh faces before the window shuts, I can see Favre taking the club on.

My prediction: 3rd

Strasbourg – A great season from Julien Stephan's side saw them narrowly miss out on European football. Their main striker Ludovic Ajorque is being linked with a move away, although right-back Colin Dagba has joined on loan from PSG and should do well. Hard to see them repeating what they did last season and I expect a drop off.

My prediction: 7th

Lens – Like Strasbourg, they earned a lot of plaudits for their season under the impressive Franck Haise. Cheick Doucoure has gone to Crystal Palace, and Clauss, as mentioned above, has gone to Marseille. They will be tough to replace. If they lose highly-rated Seko Fofana too, the heart of the team, they will struggle to finish top ten.

My prediction: 9th

Lyon – A dismal season saw them finish 8th, yet Peter Bosz remains in charge. Leo Dubois has gone to Galatasaray and the likes of Houssem Aouar may follow. Corentin Tolisso and Alexandre Lacazette have returned and should make a big difference. Tete’s loan from Shakhtar has been extended, while Nicolas Tagliafico has joined from Ajax. The squad should at the very least be challenging for CL football, but it remains to be seen if Bosz is the one to take them forward. I'm not convinced he's the right man.

My prediction: 4th

Nantes – A great season for Antoine Kombouare’s side saw them finish inside the top ten and win the French Cup, thus qualifying for the Europa League group stages. Randal Kolo Muani’s loss will be badly felt as he managed 13 goals. The impressive Moses Simon and Ludovic Blas have also been linked with moves away. Moussa Sissoko looks a decent signing from Watford, but more new faces are needed to repeat another top ten finish.

My prediction: 12th

Lille – The former champions gave a dismal defence of their crown, finishing 10th, although performing reasonably well in the Champions League. Former Roma coach, Paulo Fonseca, has taken charge but will have a tough start. Sven Botman, Mehmet Zeki Celik, Domagoj Bradaric and Burak Yilmaz have all left. Jonathan David and Renato Sanches are also rumoured to be leaving. Mohamed Bayo has arrived, following a good season at Clermont, as well as a string of low-budget arrivals. I can't see them getting close to the heights of the Galtier era any time soon.

My prediction: 8th

Brest – After a difficult start to the season, Michel der Zakarian’s side rallied to finish just outside the top ten. Pierre Lees-Melou has joined from Norwich, as has youngster Karamoko Dembele from Celtic. Questions remain whether their talisman Franck Honorat will leave or remain. Another mid-table finish would be satisfactory.

My prediction: 11th

Reims – A solid season for Oscar Garcia’s team saw them finish 12th but they have had two big departures: top scorer Hugo Ekitike has gone to PSG, while dependable keeper Predrag Rajkovic has gone to Mallorca. Japanese Winger Junyo Ito is their biggest signing, coming from Genk.

My prediction: 15th

Montpellier – A disappointing season for Olivier Dall’Oglio’s outfit, finishing in the bottom half of the table. One of their better players, Florent Mollet, has signed for Schalke, while Stephy Mavididi is linked with a move away. Wahbi Khazri and Arnaud Nordin have joined from relegated St. Etienne. If the new arrivals settle well they may squeeze back into the top ten.

My prediction: 10th

Angers – It was a strong start to the season for Angers but they fell away in the second half of the season, just about avoiding being pulled into a relegation scrap. There have been significant departures, particularly exciting teenager Mohamed-Ali Cho, who has gone to Real Sociedad, as well as creative midfielder, Angelo Fulgini, who has joined Mainz. Wing-back Jimmy Cabot, now at Lens, should be another loss. Several players have joined for free and on loan, with former Rennes striker Adrien Hunou perhaps the most reliable of the bunch. It could be a tricky season ahead.

My prediction: 14th

Troyes – Bruno Irles took over from Laurent Battles in January, after the latter fell out with owners City Football Group. It’s unclear if Irles will be in charge for the new season after they finished 15th, with 38 points. The RB Giulian Biancone has joined Nottingham Forest, but their connections with Man City should see them attract decent talent, with Brazilian winger Savio and Ecuador CB Jackson Porozo joining from Atletico Mineiro and Boavista respectively, having been linked with City initially.

My prediction: 13th

Lorient – It looked bleak for Lorient at certain times but they produced results at the right time to survive on 36 points. Christophe Pelissier, who kept them up, has been dismissed, with Regis Le Bris replacing him, who had been working at their academy. Top scorer Terem Moffi has been linked with a move away. Survival would be a successful season.

My prediction: 17th

Clermont Foot – After being promoted to Ligue 1 for the first time, coach Pascal Gastien saw them just about survive, as they finished 17th. Top scorer Mohamed Bayo joining Lille will leave a big void, while their CB Cedric Hountondji has joined rivals Angers. Polish international Mateusz Wieteska has arrived to bolster the defence, while Serbian striker Komnen Andric has arrived from Dinamo Zagreb to fill Bayo’s absence. It could be another tough campaign.

My prediction: 19th

Toulouse – Promoted after winning Ligue 2, Toulouse are back after going down in the 2019/20 season. Englishman Rhys Healey was top scorer in Ligue 2 with 20 goals but has been linked with a move to the Championship. Dutch midfielder Branco van den Boomen managed 12 goals and will be important.

My prediction: 18th 

Ajaccio – The Corsican side are back after being relegated in the 2015/16 season. Remarkably, they were promoted after scoring just 39 goals in 38 games. They will need more goals if they are to stay up. Romain Hamouma has joined from relegated St. Etienne, while Thomas Mangani looks a solid recruit from Angers. Kevin Spadanuda scored 18 goals in the Swiss second-tier and has also signed.

My prediction: 20th

Auxerre – Returning to Ligue 1 after an absence of 10 years after winning a penalty shootout in the relegation/promotion play-off with St. Etienne, Auxerre will be reliant on Gaetan Charbonnier, who managed 15 goals in 28 games last season. Keeper Benoit Costil has joined for free from relegated Bordeaux, while former Barca and PSG youngster Kays Ruiz-Atil has also arrived on a free.

My prediction: 16th