MD2: Five things to watch in Ligue 1 McDonald's this weekend

Ligue 1 McDonald's action continues this weekend. We take a look at some of the storylines to follow in Matchday 2.

Torres' time to shine

There is one very notable absentee this weekend: Ousmane Dembélé. PSG confirmed that the Ballon d'Or winner would be rested for Friday night's trip to face Lille OSC. He will return to first-team training on Monday. His absence is good news for new signing Ferran Torres.

Monaco will play in the 2026/27 Conference League league phase! 🇲🇨🟢⚫ pic.twitter.com/3f4ErO7d6z
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 27, 2026

The Spain international came off the bench at Roazhon Park last weekend. In his 45-minute cameo, he scored a brace to rescue a draw for Luis Enrique's side (2-2). Momentum is with the former Barcelona forward, who netted La Roja's winner in the World Cup final against Argentina earlier in the summer. He could now be set for his first start for PSG and will be looking to add to his tally in Ligue 1 McDonald's.

Luís' big test

Filipe Luís has enjoyed an excellent start to life as manager of AS Monaco. The Brazilian replaced Sébastien Pocognoli over the summer and, in three competitive games, has three wins. Two of those wins have come against Górnik Zabrze in the qualifiers for the Europa Conference League. The other came against Le Havre AC on the opening weekend of Ligue 1 McDonald's.

Monaco will play in the 2026/27 Conference League league phase! 🇲🇨🟢⚫ pic.twitter.com/3f4ErO7d6z
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 27, 2026

But Sunday night's game at the Stade Louis II, against Olympique de Marseille, represents a much sterner test for Luís and his youthful side. "It will be a top match, for sure. I believe in my players," said Luís following Thursday night's 4-1 win over Gornik Zabrze.

Lyon on the comeback trail

Unlike Monaco, Lyon didn't reach their objective in their midweek European fixture. Paulo Fonseca's side had drawn against Fenerbahce in Turkiye, but couldn't get the job done at the Groupama Stadium this week, losing 2-1. OL will therefore compete in the Europa League, rather than the Champions League, as they had hoped.

Les Gones got their Ligue 1 McDonald's campaign off to a winning start in Toulouse last week (0-2). They face Le Havre this time out in a game that is just as important for the morale as it is for the table. At this early juncture in the season, Lyon are already in need of a boost after a demoralising week.

Paris FC and OGC Nice in search of goals

Both Paris FC and OGC Nice got their campaigns underway with goalless draws last week. The former's came against newly promoted ESTAC Troyes. The latter's came at home against FC Lorient. Both will look to change that this weekend at the Stade Jean Bouin. But the prospects of them doing so have been dampened. Les Parisiens will be without Pablo Pagis, the creator-in-chief for Liam Rosenior's side. He hobbled off last week. Le Gym, meanwhile, sold Mohamed-Ali Cho to Hull City in midweek. Elye Wahi has since arrived, but it looks unlikely that he will play any part in Paris this weekend.

Dino's Lens look to continue roaring start

It will be a tale of two managers at the Stade de la Meinau on Saturday. On the one hand, you have Dino Toppmoller, who has had an excellent start to life as Lens manager. An excellent pre-season was followed by a victory over PSG in the Trophée des Champions and then a resounding win over Auxerre (5-2) on the opening day of the Ligue 1 McDonald's season. Pierre Sage is a tough act to follow, but Toppmoller has excelled since taking charge at the Stade Bollaert.

The same cannot be said of Hugo Oliveira at Strasbourg. It was a winless pre-season for Le Racing and the Portuguese manager's side were humbled at the Vélodrome by OM last week (4-0). Oliveira needs a reaction from his players; Toppmoller, in contrast, is looking to ride the crest of the wave of momentum.

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