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Lionel Messi's return, more records that could be broken, the amazing Elye Wahi, and everything you need to know about Ligue 1 Gameweek 35
Ligue 1 action is set to excite once more this weekend with Lionel Messi back in action for Paris Saint-Germain against Ajaccio, while AS Monaco and Lille battle for the fate of the European places.
We have compiled seven key numbers ahead of Ligue 1 Gameweek 35 which will help make you more familiar with the happenings in the French top flight.
+5.71
Montpellier’s Elye Wahi grabbed headlines in Gameweek 34 with a four-goal haul against Lyon, which, along with Les Gones’ Alexandre Lacazette’s four goals, equalled a record set 48 years ago as two Ligue 1 sides saw players on opposite sides score four goals for the first time since 1974.
Wahi has been superb in Ligue 1 this season with 17 goals in 30 games, and the +5.71 difference between his actual goals scored and expected goals in the league is the highest so far this season, making him one to watch in Gameweek 35.
10
Nantes fired head coach Antoine Kombouare ahead of Gameweek 35, with the club in danger of being relegated from Ligue 1 after slipping to 17th on the table with only four matches left to play.
Kombouare’s dismissal was the 10th of the season in Ligue 1, making the 2022/23 season the second-most prolific in the league’s history for managerial changes, behind only the 2004/05 season, which had 11 dismissals.
With only four matches left this season, it is unlikely that there will be more managerial changes, but the rate of dismissals has still been freakishly high this campaign.
15
Ligue 1 strikers have been in sensational form this season, and many teams have at least one player with double digits for goals in the 2022/23 campaign.
Raising the bar further, 10 teams have seen their strikers score at least 15 goals this season, which is the highest number of different scorers to reach at least 15 goals in a single Ligue 1 campaign.
From Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe and Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette, who have scored 24 times each, to Les Parisiens’ Lionel Messi, who has scored 15 goals this season, it has been a special season for strikers in the French top flight, and more strikers could still join the ‘15’ before the season ends.
21
Since the start of the 2022/23 season, no team has won more points from losing positions than Olympique Marseille, who refuse to give up whenever they are behind.
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Marseille have been behind on 15 occasions this season, and have ended up as winners six times while claiming three draws and losing six games in the process.
The next best team when behind in Ligue 1 this season has been Lille, who have gotten 17 points from losing positions this season as they look to hold on to the final European qualification place.
31
Lyon’s late-season resurgence means they are a shock contender for the UEFA Europa League qualification place in Ligue 1 this season, and Les Gones will be hoping to continue their superb streak when they take on Clermont in Gameweek 35.
Since the second half of the season started, no team has collected more Ligue 1 points than Lyon’s 31, with PSG the only other side to collect as many.
Lyon will be hoping that more victories will help them leapfrog Lille and Rennes if both teams drop points before the end of the season.
2125
Lyon also said goodbye to long-time president Jean-Michel Aulas, after 36 years under the Frenchman’s leadership.
With 34 seasons of Ligue 1 football under the Democrat, Lyon enjoyed a lot of success under Aulas’ direction, winning a record seven consecutive league titles during his tenure.
During Aulas’ reign as President, Lyon collected 2125 points in Ligue 1, the second-most since the 1989/90 season, with only PSG (2198) scoring more points than Les Gones.
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