Monaco look to revive French Ligue 1 title challenge

Leonardo Jardim's Monaco head to Saint-Etienne on Friday hoping to put a recent slump in form firmly behind them with a third straight Ligue 1 victory.

The reigning French champions sit nine points adrift of league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, who visit Rennes on Saturday, after following back-to-back defeats with successive wins over lowly Angers and Troyes.

They should face a tougher test against Saint-Etienne, although Les Verts are also struggling at the wrong end of the table after an eight-match winless streak.

"Saint-Etienne are going through a difficult time but they're a big club," said Monaco coach Jardim.

"They have been at the top of the table in recent years. We have to respect them and play at 100 percent to get the three points."

It has been a difficult season for the principality club after losing Kylian Mbappe, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy during the transfer window, while Djibril Sidibe and Thomas Lemar have struggled with injuries.

There was more bad news for Jardim on Wednesday, as Brazil midfielder Fabinho said he expects to leave Monaco at the end of the season.

But with their European campaign brought to an abrupt end by a string of poor performances and a bottom-placed finish in their Champions League group, Monaco's depleted squad can now turn their attentions solely to domestic matters.

Colombian Radamel Falcao has led from the front with 18 goals in all competitions, including a remarkable 50-yard strike in Tuesday's League Cup win over Caen and Monaco will be hoping for more of the same from their captain.

- PSG bid to stretch further clear -

PSG have already ensured they will head into the winter break top of the table, but have shown signs of weakness this month with losses to Strasbourg and Bayern Munich.

But they brushed aside Strasbourg in the French League Cup on Wednesday without Neymar and Mbappe, who are both expected to return to the starting line-up at the weekend.

Neymar will return to training on Thursday after a trip to his native Brazil for a 'family problem', having also been suspended for last week's win over Lille.

The world's most expensive player hasn't had the smoothest of seasons off the field since joining PSG from Barcelona, and Brazilian website Globoesporte suggested the player could have been at the birthday party of his friend's father.

But Unai Emery's men will be heavy favourites to see off Rennes, as the Spanish coach will be keen to see his side move further clear before they return to Champions League action against holders Real Madrid in the last 16 in February.

Alongside Monaco nine points adrift are Lyon and Marseille.

Those two teams go head-to-head in the big match on Sunday, as the race for a top-three spot and a place in the Champions League takes centre stage.

Marseille will put a 12-match unbeaten run in the league on the line at Lyon, who will be looking to bounce back from a 4-1 League Cup loss at Montpellier.

Player to watch: Guido Carrillo

Argentinian Guido Carrillo has hit form for Monaco in recent days, with close-season additions Stevan Jovetic and Keita Balde both struggling for consistency, scoring three goals in his last two games. "He knows how to seize the opportunities that I give him. It's no coincidence that he's already our second leading scorer," said Jardim. Carrillo has only made two Ligue 1 starts this term, but two of his four goals came last weekend against Troyes.

Fixtures (all times GMT)

Friday

Saint-Etienne v Monaco (1945)

Saturday

Rennes v Paris Saint-Germain (1600), Caen v Guingamp, Dijon v Lille, Montpellier v Metz, Strasbourg v Toulouse, Troyes v Amiens (all 1900)

Sunday

Nantes v Angers (1400), Nice v Bordeaux (1600), Lyon v Marseille (2000)

Source:AFP