France

The relegation battle in Ligue 1 this season will be the tightest in years

20-Sep-2022 09:30:07 | The Guardian

There are four relegation spots in Ligue 1 this season and as many as 12 clubs are in danger of going down

By Adam White for Get French Football News

Ten clubs have won Ligue 1 since 1996. Seven of them have also been relegated in the same period. Despite the dominance of Lyon and PSG, French football has remained fiendishly competitive on the whole, often catching bigger clubs out – joint-record champions Saint-Étienne and 2009 winners Bordeaux were both relegated last season. With four clubs going down from an evenly matched division, this season’s battle could be the tightest in the league’s history.

As many as 12 teams will be fighting for survival this season. Losing Bordeaux and Saint-Étienne – who have both played Europa League football in the last three seasons – has intensified the tussle by ridding the league of two clubs who were usually capable of extricating themselves from the bottom half.