There's a new team who've now announced themselves as contenders in this season's Ligue 1 title race. Here's what we learned from last weekend's batch of matches.

Things are really starting to heat up in Ligue 1. A few weeks ago, it was looking like it would be a battle between PSG, Lyon, and Lille for the league trophy - until Monaco decided they wanted to get in on the action. Les Rouges-et-Blancs, who prevented PSG from winning a fifth straight title during the 2016/2017 season, have been in excellent form lately and as a result, have surged up the table.

Let's have a look at what took place over this weekend's round of fixtures.

Top five teams in Ligue 1 up to March 1

A very interesting four-horse race has opened up as reigning champs PSG now have to contend with Lille, Lyon, and Monaco in order to retain their league crown

Who are the top three scorers in Ligue 1?

Kylian Mbappe added a brace as PSG cruised to a comfortable 4-0 win over relegation candidates Dijon. The 2018 World Cup winner has consistently led the scoring charts all season and has started to put some distance between himself and his challengers for the coveted prize

Top Ligue 1 headlines

Monaco's amazing run: On December 16th, Monaco suffered a 3-0 reversal to Lens. That's the last time Niko Kovac's side have lost a game in Ligue 1. Since then, Les Rouges-et-Blancs have gone 12 games sans defeat, with wins in ten of them. That includes a 2-0 win over PSG a few weeks ago, and this unbeaten run has seen them vault from eighth all the way up to fourth in record time. More important, Monaco aren't exactly lagging well behind in fourth spot - they are just two points behind PSG and four behind current league leaders Lille, meaning that things really could get quite interesting over the next few months if they can keep this up.

Moise Kean's impressive form: With Neymar sidelined, the former Juventus youngster has taken advantage of getting more game-time as he scored his 11th league goal last weekend as PSG easily swept Dijon aside in a 4-0 win. Kean is actually his team's second top marksman (after Kylian Mbappe) and has scored a goal in four of his last five games across all comps. That includes the game winners against Nice (in Ligue 1) and Caen (in the Coupe de France). If he can keep this up, Pochettino will face a really tough decision as to what to do when Neymar returns from his injury lay-off.

Dijon continue to be cut further and further adrift: Unfortunately, for Dijon, featuring in Ligue 2 is appearing to be more and more likely with each passing round. Les Hiboux escaped the drop last season thanks to a 16th placed finish, but that luck just may have run out this year. Quite like other strugglers including Schalke in the Bundesliga, Dijon sit way behind even fellow relegation threatened sides, and just don't seem to be able to catch a break. With just two wins all season (their last was on December 23rd), it's only a matter of when - not if - when they're officially relegated. That is, unless if they can pull off some kind of comeback that fans have seen teams do in the Bundesliga and Serie A, but they'll need to start making some inroads ASAP. 

Top Ligue 1 matches: March 3, 2021

This round is a unique one as all 20 teams will be playing on the same day (Wednesday, March 3rd). Half of the matches will kick-off at 13:00 EST (19:00 CET) and the other five will begin at 15:00 EST (21:00 CET). After that, all the teams will be on a mini-hiatus from Ligue 1 matches to take part in the Coupe de France, which starts on Friday, March 5th and ends on Monday, March 8th.

Here are the key games to look out for during this midweek round:

Lyon vs Rennes: After their frustrating draw with Marseille in last weekend's derby, Les Gones will look to rebound as they host Rennes. Their opponents haven't won a match since January and will come into this tie having lost their last three games, so this presents a good opportunity for Lyon to try to put some distance between themselves and Monaco - and potentially leap-frog PSG into second place.

Bordeaux vs PSG: Like Lyon, PSG will be facing an opponent who's been in lousy form lately. Bordeaux have earned just one point from their last five matches, and although they, like Rennes, aren't in danger of relegation, their awful showings certainly will be a huge concern for their fans. Meanwhile, PSG could potentially re-claim top spot should they win and Lille stumble in their own clash with Marseille.

Lille vs Marseille: Two draws in their last five games have seen Lille's lead cut down to just two points, and Les Dogues will be feeling the pressure as they prepare to face Marseille. Although their opponents have not had a good campaign, they did notably beat PSG earlier this season, held Lyon to a draw last weekend, and thus could present a challenge for the league leaders in Wednesday's clash.

Strasbourg vs Monaco: As noted before, Monaco haven't lost a Ligue 1 match since December 16, 2020. Their 12-match unbeaten run has taken them from eighth to now in a strong position to join the battle for the league title, and it's not surprising that they'll be the heavy favorites to come out on top when they travel to face Strasbourg on Wednesday. However, despite winning only one of their last five games, Strasbourg gave Monaco quite bit of trouble in their earlier meeting and have pulled off some surprise results in recent times, including beating PSG not too long ago. So, it goes without saying that Kovac's team will not go into this match too over-confident lest they end up dropping valuable points.

And as a bonus, here are some Coupe de France ties you'll want to mark on your calendar:

All four teams in contention for the Ligue 1 title will be in action this weekend. First up on the menu is Lyon vs Sochaux, with Les Gones taking on the Ligue 2 side on Saturday, March 6th at 12:45 EST (18:45 CET). After that, it's Brest vs PSG, which will kick off on the same day at 15:10 EST (21:20 CET).

The following day, on Sunday, March 7th, we have a true David vs Goliath match-up, which features fourth-tier side Gazelec Ajaccio vs Lille at 12:30 EST (18:30 CET). And finally, on Monday, March 8th, Nice vs Monaco, which commences at 15:00 EST (21:00 CET) will conclude all the Coupe de France round of 32 matches. 

Make sure you don't miss out on these key games and stay on top of all the action by checking out our bespoke Ligue 1 match page.

For Coupe de France information, head over to our customized Coupe de France match page.