Ligue 1's Tightly Contested Relegation Battle

As the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season approaches its halfway mark, the relegation battle is heating up. Just two points separate 16th place from 12th, making every matchday crucial. Here's a closer look at the clubs in the thick of the fight, how they're performing, and what lies ahead as the pressure builds.

Stade Rennais (12th place, 14 points)

Stade Rennais have had a challenging season and their struggles eventually led to a managerial change. Jorge Sampaoli replaced Julien Stéphan last month and the Argentine coach secured his first win as Rennes' manager while also snapping a three-match losing streak.

Rennes' attack exploded this past weekend in a 5-0 win over Saint-Étienne that allowed them to climb up the table to 12th place. Les Rouge et Noirs close out 2024 facing two clubs in the relegation battle, FC Nantes on Sunday and Angers SCO on December 15th in Ligue 1 competition. Sampaoli and his team will have to secure positive results these next two matchdays to avoid falling into the direct relegation zone.

RC Strasbourg (13th place, 13 points)

November was a month to forget for Liam Rosenior and his team as the squad lost all four matches, meaning Strasbourg didn't secure a single point out of a possible 12 points, leading them to be right in the middle of a relegation battle.

Strasbourg are hoping for a better December, with their final two league matches of 2024 set to be against Stade de Reims on Sunday and fellow relegation rival Le Havre on December 15th.

Angers SCO (14th place, 13 points)

While Angers are in a relegation battle, the squad is ticking upward as they have secured points in five of their last seven matches (three wins and two draws). This performance has allowed Alexandre Dujeux and his team to climb out of the direct relegation zone after a slow start to the season.

Dujeux and his team secured an impressive 1-0 result last weekend against relegation rival Le Havre. Angers' final two league matches to close out 2024 will be against Olympique Lyonnais on Saturday and then against relegation rival Rennes on December 15.

AS Saint-Étienne (15th place, 13 points)

Les Verts have yet to put together a consistent run of positive results as they have lost three of their last five matches (two wins). Saint-Étienne's defense is a key reason why they're in a relegation battle as the squad has conceded 30 goals in 13 league matches with only Montpellier giving up more goals.

Saint-Étienne will need to bounce back from their 5-0 loss to Rennes this past weekend if they want to avoid falling into the playoff or direct relegation spot. Saint-Étienne's final two Ligue 1 games in 2024 will be against Olympique de Marseille on Sunday and against Toulouse FC on December 13th.

Le Havre (16th place, 12 points)

For Le Havre it's been either a win or a loss this season as they've yet to draw with four wins and nine losses so far. Le Club Doyen have lost three out of their last five matches. Their most recent loss came this past weekend against relegation rival Angers, so they'll need a bounce-back performance if they want to get out of the playoff relegation spot.

Le Havre's final two league contests in 2024 will be against OGC Nice on Saturday and fellow relegation rival Strasbourg on December 15th.

FC Nantes (17th place, 11 points)

Antoine Kombouaré and his team started this season on a positive note, but Nantes struggled in November, resulting in the squad currently occupying a direct relegation spot. Les Canaris didn't win a match in November and secured one point out of a possible 12 points last month.

Nantes did secure an impressive road draw against Paris Saint-Germain and they'll look to use that positive momentum heading into December. The final two Ligue 1 matches of 2024 for them will be against fellow relegation rival Rennes on Sunday and Stade Brestois on December 15th. 
 

Montpellier (18th place, eight points)

Montpellier face an uphill battle to get out of the direct relegation spot, but they did secure a 2-2 draw last weekend against LOSC Lille to build positive momentum heading into December. Jean-Louis Gasset and his team will face RC Lens on Sunday and Nice on December 15th as they look to secure another surprise result in their final two Ligue 1 matches of 2024.

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