Ligue 1 2012, Week 24 Preview And Fixtures: A Bunch Of Garbage Followed By The Biggest Game Of The Year

Saturday 2/18; 19:00 CET/1:00 PM PT

Ajaccio has allowed more goals than PSG has scored. They have also allowed twice as many goals as Brest has scored, so that first part probably won’t be all that relevant.

Pick: Ajaccio, 2-1

Saturday 2/18; 19:00 CET/1:00 PM PT

What can you say about this game?

No, seriously. They expect me to write about these things and I’m drawing blanks.

Pick: Toulouse, 1-0

Saturday 2/18; 19:00 CET/1:00 PM PT

Neither of these teams are especially good, but at least they’re mediocre in somewhat entertaining ways. There will probably be some nice attacking play and a few goals, and at the end of the day one of these teams may well be in serious relegation trouble.

Pick: Caen, 3-2

Saturday 2/18; 19:00 CET/1:00 PM PT

Dijon continue to reside above the relegation places despite being bad at everything. I’d like to say this is the week where that changes, but Nice are even worse at everything.

Pick: Draw, 1-1

Saturday 2/18; 19:00 CET/1:00 PM PT

Lille’s title hopes are toast, and their European hopes may not be far behind. Lorient is just the kind of team the doctor ordered, because while they are proficient in many ways they don’t have nearly enough firepower to keep up with Lille’s potent attack.

Pick: Lille, 2-0

Saturday 2/18; 19:00 CET/1:00 PM PT

The two most disappointing teams in France each have a chance to get themselves out of the relegation zone for a week, but knowing these two they’ll both get lost on the way to the stadium and be forced to forfeit.

Pick: Draw, 2-2

Saturday 2/18; 21:00 CET/3:00 PM PT

Marseille has cooled off a bit from the height of their red-hot run, but they’ve still got to be considered a favorite to qualify for the Champions League despite currently sitting two points behind third-place Lille. It’s tough to see a decidedly mediocre Valenciennes doing much to derail those aims.

Pick: Marseille, 3-1

Sunday 2/19; 17:00 CET/11:00 AM ET

Bordeaux have clawed their way back to respectability after a pretty difficult run, and last week’s thrilling 5-4 win over Lille makes next season look a whole lot more promising. It’s still this season though, and Lyon is a lot better.

Pick: Lyon, 2-0

Sunday 2/19; 17:00 CET/11:00 AM ET

St. Etienne and Rennes have both got to be cursing their luck; two good teams that are likely to end up in average positions in the table thanks to some unexpectedly great seasons elsewhere. If there’s a winner they may stick around to figure in the European race, but in the end they’re both likely to end up with seasons that don’t do them justice.

Pick: Rennes, 3-2

Sunday 2/19; 21:00 CET/3:00 PM ET

This is the game of the season so far. It’s probably the game of the season period, when all’s said and done. Easily the best thing going in European football all season.

Pick: PSG, 2-1