Weekend Ligue 1 Predictions: Top two to get back in the groove in round 26

Our weekend Ligue 1 predictions for round 26 of the 2023/24 campaign all take place on Sunday, March 17 with the top two involved in a couple, and a former Arsenal hotshot headlining the other.

All three fixtures will be televised on TNT Sports and this weekend's games will be followed by an international break before the French top-flight kicks back into action on Friday, March 29.

Stade Brestois (H) to beat Lille OSC @ 8/5 (Sunday, March 17 - KO, 12:00)

Brest's three-game winning run was halted at Lens last week as they fell to a 1-0 defeat, but Les Pirates are still in second and four points above their next opponents Lille, who played out a 1-1 draw with Sturm Graz on Thursday to progress into the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League.

I would have fancied the home side's chances of winning anyway, but my belief in Brest is strengthened by the lack of recovery time for Lille, though it has to be said that key players like Jonathan David, Benjamin Andre and Angel Gomes only appeared as second-half substitutes.

Regardless, the average away form of Les Dogues - they've won just one of their four Ligue 1 games on the road in 2024 - does make this an even more enticing prospect, one which I'm happy to back.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to score anytime in Stade Rennais vs Olympique Marseille @ 7/5 (Sunday, March 17 - KO, 16:05)

Marseille are another French side that were in European action on Thursday, with Jean-Louis Gasset's team just about hanging on in a 3-1 defeat at Villarreal to progress to the quarter-finals of the Europa League 5-3 on aggregate.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the club's top scorer this season with 21 goals, was only used in the second half and should be nailed on to start at Roazhon Park on Sunday.

The 34-year-old has scored in his last six starts in all competitions and has five goals in his last three Ligue 1 outings.

The Gabon international's chances of adding to his tally are boosted by a trip to face a Rennes side that hasn't kept a clean sheet in their last seven games, with Les Rouge et Noirs conceding twice in their last two - a 2-2 draw with Lille last weekend and a 2-1 home defeat to Lorient the week prior.

Paris Saint-Germain (A) to beat Montpellier HSC and both teams to score @ 7/4 (Sunday, March 17 - KO, 19:45)

The Ligue 1 title looked to have been sewn up a long time ago but three draws in a row for PSG has offered a chink of light to those clamouring for a new champion in France.

With the distraction of the Champions League now gone until next month, and an international break on the horizon, PSG can now concentrate all their efforts on the league, and that spells bad news for a Montpellier side who have struggled at home this season.

La Paillade have picked up just 14 points at the Stade de la Mosson and have only managed to beat 17th-placed Metz there this calendar year.

Kylian Mbappe and co should be able to score a few here at least, but Luis Enrique's side have only kept one clean sheet in their last five and could leak again against a team that has found the net in each of their last seven matches in all competitions.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips here.