Matches against Brest have not been kind to Lille in recent seasons, with the northern club having failed to win any of their last four matches against the Breton side. Indeed, they have lost their last couple of trips to Stade Francis Le Ble, including a 3-2 defeat in their title-winning 2020/21 season.

This match is unlikely to be as exciting as that game was. For a start, matches between these clubs since then have been close-fought affairs. None of the last three have produced more than 2.5 goals, with the last fixture a 2-0 win for Brest in Brittany nearly a year ago exactly.

Lille, meanwhile, have cooled off after a start to the season that saw goals flying in. None of their last six competitive matches – three before the World Cup and three after – have seen more than two goals scored in them. All these fixtures have been against Ligue 1 opponents, including a 2-0 victory over Troyes in the Coupe de France on Sunday.

Brest will be under the guidance of new head coach Eric Roy for just the second time. They started with a 2-0 win over third-tier side Avranches on Saturday, but they were gearing up for this game. Expect them to carry a defensive focus into this match, with the idea that even a point would be a bonus.

With Brest having scored just seven home goals all season, they will do their best to make this game a dogfight, so expect to see it fall into line with previous matches between the clubs, which have been hard fought and low scoring.

Lyon are favourites ahead of their trip to Stade de la Beaujoire on Wednesday, but there is little recent evidence that suggests they should be. After all, Laurent Blanc’s side have been woeful on the road in Ligue 1 so far this season, losing five of their previous eight matches. By contrast, Nantes have been a robust home team, suffering only one defeat in eight games, despite struggling to juggle European and domestic football in the first part of the season.

OL might have changed coaches relatively recently, but there has been little evidence that Blanc is changing the fortunes of his side. Lyon still remain a highly volatile team, with a fine 4-2 win in Brest followed up by an embarrassing New Year’s Day loss against Clermont at home. Even last weekend’s cup win over Metz was achieved with the minimum of panache. Questions are now being raised over the quality of their players.

Nantes, by contrast, have steadily picked up a head of steam under Antoine Kombouare. They have suffered only one loss in their last 10 games and have undoubtedly benefited from the break in European football to allow them to concentrate on their domestic chores.

With key defender Nicolas Pallois ruled out and a number of doubts in the spine of the team, it’s worth keeping an eye on Nantes’ team news, but the price on them looks attractive given Lyon’s inability to show any type of reliability, particularly away from home.

Monaco head coach Philippe Clement was left furious by his side’s shock Coupe de France exit at the weekend against Ligue 2 strugglers Rodez. In that match, Monaco were 2-0 up and cruising at home but conceded twice and lost on penalties. Expect to see a reaction when they travel to Lorient on Wednesday for a big match in the context of their Champions League hopes.

Monaco have been erratic at home this term but strong on the road. Indeed, they have six wins from eight Ligue 1 away matches, with trips to PSG (1-1) and Lille (4-3) the only occasions in which they have dropped points. They have won six of their last seven on the road domestically.

Lorient, meanwhile, are sixth but after starting the season so well are not playing like a side challenging for European football any longer. Prior to overcoming bottom side Angers 2-1 at the weekend, they had failed to win any of their previous six Ligue 1 matches, only one of which came against a team in the top half of the table.

Their home record has also been something of a weak point. They have suffered three successive defeats at the Moustoir, going down against Nice (2-1), PSG (2-1) and most recently Montpellier (2-0).

Les Merlus do have a decent record in this fixture over the past couple of years, winning one and drawing two, but expect that sequence to end this time around.

PSG and Angers is one of the most one-sided rivalries in Ligue 1 presently. The Parisian side have won their last 14 matches against the Breton side and there is nothing to suggest that they will fail to make it 15 when the sides tussle at Parc des Princes in midweek.

Angers, after all, go into this match having lost their last nine in the league, and though they beat Strasbourg in the Coupe de France at the weekend, that was a victory that came on penalties.

PSG, though, have made something of a staccato return from the World Cup break. They struggled to overcome Strasbourg 2-1 at home, with a late Kylian Mbappe goal unlocking that game for them, while they were comfortably defeated 3-1 against Lens on New Year’s Day away from home – their first defeat of the league season. At the weekend, a fringe side toiled against third-tier Chareauroux in the cup before winning 3-1.

Mbappe is not expected to play in this game, making PSG less of a threat, while Lionel Messi could make his first appearance after the World Cup, though something of a hangover is to be expected. Neymar is also available again.

PSG, though, will be planning ahead. They visit Rennes on Sunday in a match that is very losable if they are off the boil. As such, expect key players to be managed carefully in this game. Furthermore, Mbappe has been their offensive talisman, so missing him is a heavy blow.

As such, the odds of a blowout game undoubtedly reduce. In any case, PSG have not necessarily been winning matches by handsome margins this season. Six of their last seven home Ligue 1 matches have produced under 5 goals, and with Angers doubtless seeking to keep things tight and PSG having one eye on the weekend, this is liable to be a tighter fixture than many predict.