In the match day 3 of the French Ligue 1, PSG will try to extend their lead, Lyon and Marseille are determined to bounce back from the last-week defeats, and the debutants Reims and Nimes hope to surprise again.

Friday

Lyon - Strasbourg

The 1:0 defeat at Reims last week was quite an unpleasant surprise for Lyon. Now the team coached by Bruno Genesio want to bounce back, and Nabil Fekir's return should help to reach their goal. The world champion Fekir, who is Lyon's captain, missed two opening Ligue 1 matches as he was not prepared physically after the World Cup. The Portuguese goalkeeper Anthony Lopes is also due to make a comeback following a suspension.

Strasbourg can be a hard nut to crack - they opened the season with a 2:0 win at Bordeau before splitting points at home with St.Etienne (1:1). Still Lyon are strong favourites in this match, and they are definitely very motivated to redeem themselves after a setback at Reims. 

Saturday

Paris Saint-Germain - Angers

After two wins in as many matches, PSG are already Ligue 1 leaders - and the champions are determined to keep that position until the end of season. That said, a number of key players have not even played for Paris this season because of injuries or prolonged holidays after the World Cup. 

However, Edinson Cavani and Julian Draxler returned to full training this week, so there is a chance that they will play against Angers, at least coming on as substitutes. PSG have a great chance to extend their winning run, especially given that their rivals have not enjoyed the best of starts. Angers, who are yet to claim their first points, are currently 16th in the table. 

Amiens - Reims

Montpellier - St.Etienne

Nantes - Caen

Nice - Dijon

Toulouse - Nimes

The Crocodiles, as Nimes are called, have enjoyed an excellent start of their first Ligue 1 campaign since 1993. The daring debutants have not just claimed two victories, but surprized with their scoring potential. With seven goals in two matches, Nimes are the best-scoring team in the competition, exceeding even the likes of PSG, Monaco and Lyon. 

But now no-one is going underestimate them. At Toulouse, it will not be easy for the Crocodiles to extend their winning streak - but they will definitely try. 

Sunday

Lille - Guingamp

Bordeaux - Monaco

A 0:0 draw against Lille was quite frustrating for Monaco. Despite the presence of attacking talents such as Radamel Falcao, Rony Lopes or Stefan Jovetic, the principality team failed to score for the second time only in their last 56 home matches.

Now they want to do better at Bordeaux, and have a chance to do it given the recent turmoil at Girondins. Last week, the head coach Gustavo Poyet was suspended after he criticised the club at a press conference. With the interim coach Eric Bedouet, the team suffered a defeat at Toulouse, their second in as many matches, and now take just the 18 place. 

Marseille - Rennes

Marseille's start in the new season has been controvercial. Following a 4:0 opening victory against Toulouse, Rudi Garcia's men suffered a surprising defeat against the newly-promoted Nimes (1:3). Steve Mandanda, Adil Rami and Florian Thauvin, all the three world champions, featured in the line-up of Marseille in that game, but even their presence did not help. Moreover, Mandanda got an injury and has to miss several week, so he will be replaced by Yoann Pele for now.

It is amazing to know that last season, Marseille and Rennes were separated by 19 points in the table despite finishing fourth and fifth respectively. Now, however, they are both level on three points, and while Marseille are seen as favourites, Rennes may stun them at Velodrome.