Ligue 1 postpone fixtures to aid French play-off bid

Ligue 1 fixtures scheduled for October will now take place in December to help France prepare for their World Cup playoff, the French Professional League (LFP) said on Tuesday.

France, who host Austria on Wednesday in their last Group Seven qualifier, can only finish second behind Serbia and will face a two-legged playoff on Nov. 14 and 18 for a place at next year's finals in South Africa.

The Ligue 1 games initially scheduled for Oct. 28 will now take place on Dec. 10, 15 and 16, the LFP said on its website.