As the Coupe de France Féminine games and draw welcomed the Division 1 Feminine sides back into action last weekend, the nitty gritty league games have rolled round again. With the majority of teams playing against an opponent in their section of the table, as well as a huge clash to kick off the Sunday action, it should make for great viewing.
Rodez - La Roche-sur-Yon (Saturday, 18:30)
The opening game of the weekend sees Rodez welcome La Roche to the south of France. The promoted side have been the best of the three to come up last season, and are on course to give staying up a real shot. They have conceded considerably less than both Nîmes and Saint-Maur, which has set them up to battle right to the end of the year.
However, the hosts will come into the game knowing how important a win could be. Victory in this game would take Rodez nine points clear of their opponents, a massive boost coming into the final stretch of the season - a gap that would almost see them cruise to another campaign in the top flight.
Flavie Lemaitre, Carolie Austry and Solene Barbance have all been able to chip in with regular goals this season and that should see them past La Roche. Both teams are in a rotten run of form, but the home side's quality is likely to make the difference in the end.
Montpellier - Paris-Saint Germain (Sunday, 13:15)
The meeting of the weekend by a comfortable distance, this game could decide who goes on to challenge Lyon for the remainder of the season. Montpellier and PSG are the two closest challengers to the Stade de Gerland outfit's grip on French football, and sit a mere two and three points, respectively, behind the reigning champions.
Cristiane and Andressa Alves will go head-to-head in the battle of the division's top-scoring Brazilians, while the threat of Anja Mittag and Marie-Charlotte Léger looms large also. The quality on show is quite incredible, and should Lyon slip up at any point these two will be certain to take advantage.
It will be a tight and tense affair, that much is for sure. Montpellier boast the joint best defence in the league, while PSG have also been sturdy at the back and only Lyon have scored more.
The capital club have seen Lindsay Horan, Kosovare Asllani and Josephine Henning leave over Winter. While the latter pair haven't been in action much, Horan's departure could have more of an impact. Either way, this should be an entertaining game from start to finish and is anyone's for the taking.
Juvisy - ASPTT Albi (Sunday, 13:30)
The hosts are in a fine run of form recently and are doing their utmost to keep up their chase to the top three. Juvisy, for not having the stature that Lyon, PSG or Montpellier can offer, are doing a more than admirable job of holding onto the mantle as "best of the rest". That seems a tad harsh, especially given that they are just six points behind the capital outfit - given the unpredictability of football, who knows how their season might end up.
Perhaps the home side are in a gap of their own and ASPTT Albi - as well as the three teams below them, separated by a point - are claiming that crown. Despite these two being beside each other in the table, the 12 point difference is noticeable across the pitch and at both ends.
If there is one real stand-out performer on either side, there is little doubting Gaëtane Thiney's quality and loyalty to Juvisy. The French international has scored 103 goals in 139 games for the club, and the 30-year-old's goalscoring exploits are one of the main reasons they sit fourth - and why they should win this weekend.
Olympique Lyonnais - Guingamp (Sunday, 13:30)
There should be another victory tallied up for Lyon come Sunday evening, as their near-perfect season shows no sign of slowing. The champions won 11-0 in their first game back from a winter break, albeit against ESAP Metz. It hasn't all been sunshine and roses, however, as the continued confusion over Wang Fei's situation at the club has left many baffled.
In spite of that, they'll be supremely confident of claiming all four points in this clash - especially after Ada Hegerberg received a massive personal honour. Arguably the most in-form player in the women's game was crowned Norway's Footballer of the Year last week, and will be out to add to her 22 goal haul and fire Lyon to another win.
Guingamp, going by this season's 0-8 defeat to this weekend's opponents, will be happy to try and keep the score down. The second lowest scorers in the league will depend upon Desire Oparanozie to offer some form of resistance up front, though it looks like it will be a battle from start to finishing for the side lingering just above the drop zone.
Nîmes Metropole Gard - VGA Saint-Maur (Sunday 13:30)
Saint-Maur will be hoping to pick up a vital win when they travel to Nîmes on Sunday. The bottom two will do battle at the Terrain des Costières, with the hosts in dire need of a victory to give themselves any hope of beating the drop. They have been boosted by a penalty shoot-out win over second tier Olympique de Marseille in the cup, however.
Still, their opponents claimed a much more convincing cup triumph - against AS Nancy-Lorraine - and have the key to any relegation battle; a goalscorer. Marlyse Bernadette Ngo Ndoumbouk has netted 10 goals this year, with only three finding the net on a more regular basis.
When the two worst defences in the league go head-to-head with one of the hot-shot strikers, there should be one obvious winner. However, in the first meeting between the sides this season, Saint-Maur only edged out their opponents towards the end of the game. They won that meeting 3-1 with two goals from Ndoumbouk, with both club and player keen to earn a repeat result this weekend.
Soyaux - Saint-Étienne (Sunday, 13:30)
The visitors come into this game as one of the form teams in the division. After matchday eight was finished, they had a mere one win and two draws to their name. 13 points from eight matches didn't represent the form needed to stay clear of the bottom three, but three wins and a draw - with only one loss - in their last five outings has shot them back up the table.
The side directly below them, Soyaux, are also part of the mid-table quartet battling for bragging rights and a gap between themselves and the drop-zone. The home side do have Laura Bourgouin, who has scored five times this season, amongst their ranks and will be hoping she will guide them to a home win.
With Guingamp playing Lyon and La Roche-sur-Yon taking on Rodez, the chance is there for one of them to open up an eight point gap over the bottom three. A draw would surely suit both teams but the incentive is there to beat a fellow rival in that section of the table and give themselves a more comfortable run in.
