French Ligue 1 Winner Without PSG Odds

One team that could win Ligue 1 in the absence of PSG that springs to mind would be Lyon, who have won France’s top-flight title seven times previously.

The astonishing thing about Lyon’s championship victories – they all came consecutively, with Les Gones picking up an unprecedented seven titles in a row between 2001-02 to 2007-08. That is the longest consecutive title-winning run by any side in the history of French football, and it has not been matched since.

They have finished as runners-up five times previously, coming closest in 2000-01 when they finished just four points behind eventual winners Nantes, and again when they finished just six points behind winners Marseille in 2009-10.

Lyon have a talented squad led by experienced Dutch manager Peter Bosz, who has previously taken charge at the likes of Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. Lyon’s squad is a nice mix of young stars and veterans, with 33-year-old Jerome Boateng and 31-year-old goalkeeper Anthony Lopes the most notable of the elder players.

Star players like attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta and Karl Toko Ekambi bring attacking threat, supplemented by the youthful exuberance of 18-year-old winger Rayan Cherki and midfielder Maxence Caqueret.

Former star striker Alexandre Lacazette has returned to the club this summer, and Lyon have made several more smart signings in Corentin Tolisso, Nicolas Tagliafico and 19-year-old midfielder Johann Lepenant.

The most obvious candidate for Ligue 1 champion in the absence of PSG to many would be Marseille, who have won nine Ligue 1 titles previously, making them the second-most successful side in French football in terms of league titles.

Marseille could’ve had more to their name though, finishing as runners-up 13 times. They almost added another to their haul in 2008-09 as they finished just three points behind eventual winners Bordeaux, but they came closest in the 1998-99 season, when they finished just a single point again behind Bordeaux.

Les Olympiens have appointed Croatian Igor Tudor for the upcoming season, and he has already made some smart signings – Arkadiusz Milik’s loan move was made permanent, the promising Matteo Guendouzi joined from Arsenal, and they have snapped up both Cengiz Under and Pau Lopez from Roma.

Younger players like forwards Bamba Dieng and Konrad de la Fuente provide a nice balance to the more experienced players in the side such as Sead Kolasinac, Chancel Mbemba, Jordan Amavi and, of course, talisman Dimitri Payet.

Another side with multiple Ligue 1 titles to their name is Monaco, with the principality side picking up eight championships in their history.

Monaco have also finished as runners-up seven times and will feel aggrieved that they don’t have at least three more titles to their name – they have previously finished, three, four, six, and one point off claiming the top spot throughout the history of Ligue 1, and have even once missed out on the title because of goal difference.

The Stade II Louis club have a squad with some top players and young players who could go on to have much success in the future. Players such as Benoit Badiashile, Myron Boadu and Sofiane Diop are all 22 or under and they were an integral part of Monaco’s effort last season, with Boadu and Diop both making at least 30 appearances and Badiashile making 24.

Clement's men have many experienced attacking players such as the club’s top scorer Wissam Ben Yedder (25 goals) staying for another season, and he has the likes of Kevin Volland and Gelson Martins, along with new signings Breel Embolo and Takumi Minamino to support him. With manager Philippe Clement sure to be backed more as the window goes on, Monaco should have a top squad ready for next season.

Rennes have never won a French top-flight league title – rather, they are just a side who are Ligue 1 regulars, with the occasional European football spot secured if they have had a good season.

But since the takeover of the club by billionaire businessman Francois Pinault, Rennes has improved and impressed many with not only their higher finishes in the table, but how they have managed to sign and develop players who have gone on to make their mark elsewhere in Europe, such as Petr Cech, Sylvain Wiltord, Yoann Gourcuff, Eduardo Camavinga and Ousmane Dembele.

Rennes have not really competed for silverware under the billionaire’s stewardship, with their only piece of major silverware being the 2019 Coupe de France, but that victory was the result of a lot of trying over many years, and gives Rennes a platform for further progress.

Under the management of Frenchman Bruno Genesio, Rennes will be looking to have another impressive season and give a good account of themselves, and will be looking to build on their fourt-place finish last season.

Their squad is a good combination of young and experienced players, with players such as Jeremy Doku, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Adrien Truffert all stand-out players who are under the age of 21. They have sold promising attacker Mathys Tel to Bayern Munich, but will reinvest that money into improving their squad. Experienced central midfielders Flavien Tait and Benjamin Bourigeaud provide leadership and stability in midfield, and upfront in Martin Terrier, Gaetan Laborde and Serhou Guirassy, they have a trio of strikers who are all capable of causing problems for opposition defenders.

OGC Nice, located in the south-east of France, have only won four French league titles in their history, and they all come in the same decade -the 1950s. Nice picked up two in two years in 1951 and 1952, and they won it again four years later in 1956.

They would win it for a final time in 1959, and they have come close since, finishing as runners-up twice in the 70s, but with the purchase of the club in 2019 by one of Britain’s richest men Jim Ratcliffe (who stated his intention to invest in the club), it means that in a league without PSG, Nice could easily be the victors.

Like many of the other clubs in France, while not having a team filled with world-class players like PSG has, Nice do have some talented players in their ranks, in addition to the many highly-rated younger players they have. Players like Amine Gouiri, Calvin Stengs, Jean-Clair Todibo and Marcin Bulka are all 23 or under, and they complement older players like 38-year-old centre-back Dante and defensive midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin very well.

Nice have strikers Kasper Dolberg and Andy Delort (who scored 16 league goals last season) to call on, as well as attacking full-back Youcef Atal and both Alexis Claude-Maurice and Mario Lemina, who add creativity and grit respectively in the midfield. Under experienced manager Lucien Favre, this team could certainly go a long way.

Lille picked up the fourth league title in their history in 2020-21, with Christophe Galtier leading Les Dogues to a shock win. It meant that 10 years since their last league title, Lille picked up their fourth title, and in the process, stunning usual winners PSG.

Galtier left that summer, and after a season with Jocelyn Gourvennec, Lille now have Paulo Fonseca in charge. The Portuguese has previously managed in Italy, Ukraine and with a few clubs in his home country, so is an experienced option.

With 38-year-old Jose Fonte captaining the side, they have a raft of young players to lead the side forward. Attackers Timothy Weah, Angel Gomes, Jonathan David and Edon Zhegrova are all 23 or under, and more experienced players like Renato Sanches, Benjamin Andre, Tiago Djalo, and Jonathan Bamba are still there from that title-winning side – with some investment this summer, they could definitely shock some other sides.