A heavily reinforced Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to wrestle back the Ligue 1 title from surprise champions Lille when the new season begins this weekend in France with supporters set to return en masse but clubs mired in an economic crisis. 

Ligue 1 kicks off on Friday when Monaco play Nantes, a week before any of the continent’s other leading competitions. The French game, though, is desperately struggling to keep up with its rivals in England, Spain, Germany and Italy, its clubs floored by the combined impact of the pandemic and a collapsed broadcast deal with Spanish company Mediapro.