Angers and Caen emerge as unlikely Ligue 1 contenders to PSG

Promoted Angers and Normandy minnows Caen could be within two points of mighty Paris Saint-Germain by Sunday night if Saint-Etienne can take maximum points against the defending champions at the Parc des Princes.

Former champions Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux are three of the usual contenders at the top of Ligue 1 but they are struggling to stay in touch.

Neither Angers, a club founded in 1919 and some 300km southwest of Paris who finished third in Ligue 2 last season, or Caen whose best finish in the French first division was fifth in 1992, have ever won the national title.

The odds are they won't achieve that feat in 2016 but their current status in joint-second has certainly raised eyebrows.

Angers have lost just once in ten outings as they host lower-table Brittany club Guingamp on Saturday while Caen kick off the weekend slate on Friday at home to Nantes.

Angers coach Stephane Moulin played down his side's title credentials but said the team's hot form has been a massive lift to the city.

"Candidates for the title? The fact that question is even being asked is incredible in itself. No, not at all, I don't think we are," said the 48-year-old Parisian.

"We are still candidates to avoid relegation and we have done half the job in 10 games. Our run is, to an extent beyond understanding. It is quite incredible.

"The players are playing for one another and playing with desire, and I take pleasure from seeing them take pleasure. There is also quality in this team.

"There are no complexes. It is true that it might seem amazing what is happening to us but we do not want to dismiss it as banal."

Caen coach Patrice Garande took a similar approach and says the club's ambitions remain within reason.

"Our standing has not changed. We are still Stade Malherbe de Caen with our budget of 27 million euros," explained the 54-year-old former striker who was part of the France team that won gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angelas.

"I am not using the word survival as an objective, but we are not getting carried away because we are five points behind PSG.

"We want to play in this division, not simply try to avoid the bottom three places. And I know we will experience harder situations over the course of the season. We will see how we handle it."

While Laurent Blanc's heavily bank-rolled PSG squad look comfortable with an unbeaten start to the season in all competitions, a host of pretenders are jostling for European places.

They include Saint-Etienne and fifth-placed Nice who are the league's top scorers with 24 goals in nine matches and a game in hand.

Nice have been inspired by the sensational return to form of former Newcastle winger and French international Hatem Ben Arfa who sits joint top of the scoring charts with Marseille's Michy Batshuayi after finding the target seven times.

The Cote d'Azur side face rock bottom Gazelec Ajaccio having lost twice in nine matches under veteran coach Claude Puel.

Seven-time champions Lyon, who saw their Champions League chances of reaching the knockout phase virtually extinguished on Tuesday when they went down 3-1 at Zenit St Petersburg, return to league action on Friday with a match at their Stade Gerland against fourth-from-bottom Toulouse.

The rise of Angers and Caen is as equally surprising as the shocking form of 10-time champions Marseille who find themselves just four points above the relegation zone and with only two wins from ten matches.

They travel to the north of the country on Sunday and an afternoon clash against Herve Renard's Lille.  

Fixtures (all times 1800GMT unless stated):

Friday

Caen v Nantes (1630), Lyon v Toulouse (1830)

Saturday

Lorient v Rennes (1500), Montpellier v Bastia, Angers v Guingamp, Angers v Guingamp, Gazelec Ajaccio v Nice

Sunday

Reims v Monaco (1300), Lille v Marseille (1600), Bordeaux v Troyes (1600), Paris Saint-Germain v Saint-Etienne (2000)
Source: AFP