Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 10y

Ligue 1's second automatic Champions League place at risk after Lille loss

The poor start to European competition made by French clubs this season means Ligue 1 risks losing a Champions League place.

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After losing fifth place in UEFA's coefficient rankings to Portugal in 2012, France has provisionally been overtaken by Russia due to Lille's failure to reach the Champions League group stages, while Zenit St. Petersburg made it through the playoffs.

Dropping to seventh in the rankings would mean only the Ligue 1 champions would be guaranteed a place in the group stage with the runners-up having to go through the third qualifying round and a potentially hazardous playoff to join them.

While third place for Lille last season was enough to earn them the opportunity to go through to the lucrative group stages, the same position in the future would only be enough to reach the Europa League.

France had started the season with just a 500-point advantage over Russia in the coefficient rankings, which are based on clubs' European success over the previous five seasons.

They now find themselves some 300 points behind -- 43,748 to 43,416 -- and though Ligue 1 clubs could yet salvage the situation by enjoying deep runs into European competition this term, Europa League first-leg playoff losses for Saint-Etienne and Lyon -- fourth and fifth in the French top flight last season -- do not bode well.

Reigning Ligue 1 champions PSG and last season's runners-up Monaco are Ligue 1's representatives in the 2014-15 Champions League group stage. 

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