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Ligue 1 Preview: Round 22
There are a number of mouth-watering ties in Le Championnat this weekend, with Olympique de Marseille’s trip to Montpellier the highlight of Saturday’s card...
Jan 29, 2010 1:01:00 PM
By Robin Bairner
Saturday, January 30, 2010
19:00 Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
19:00 Le Mans vs. Toulouse
19:00 Lille vs. Racing Club de Lens
19:00 Monaco vs. Nice
19:00 Nancy vs. Lorient
19:00 Stade Rennais vs. Grenoble Foot38
21:00 Montpellier vs. Olympique de Marseille
Sunday, January 31
17:00 Auxerre vs. Saint-Etienne
17:00 Valenciennes vs. Sochaux
21:00 Olympique Lyonnais vs. Paris Saint-Germain (preview)
Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
Runaway league leaders Bordeaux will try to maintain the pressure on the chasing pack when they meet Boulogne on Saturday evening. Bordeaux have the opportunity to win the treble, so coach Laurent Blanc may be keeping one eye on even the Coupe de la Ligue, in which they will meet Ligue 2 side Sedan in midweek. Expect some rotation.
In terms of unavailability, Bordeaux should be able to name virtually a complete squad, with Cedric Carrasso coming back into the fold after a brief break due to a calf injury. Gregory Sertic is expected to be the only absentee.
Boulogne would love to have Bordeaux’s relatively carefree selection issues. A pack of players remain sidelined for the relegation battlers, though Gregory Thil is hopeful of making a comeback to competitive football after suffering a serious ankle injury in the early autumn. Despite missing much of the season, he remains USBCO’s top scorer this term.
Le Mans vs. Toulouse
Eliminated from the Coupe de la Ligue on Tuesday evening by Bordeaux, Arnaud Cormier’s Le Mans side now only have Ligue 1 survival to focus on over the course of the next four months. MUC have shown improved form since their new coach took over, though they appear to be slipping back to their old losing ways.
Anthony Le Tallec continues to star for the Sarthe side, scoring a fine goal against les Girondins in midweek. In addition, Moussa Narry has been signed from Auxerre and will join the squad after the African Cup of Nations. Fredrik Stromstad and Ibrahima Camara are both expected to miss out.
Toulouse, meanwhile, are in the last four of the Coupe de la Ligue after dismissing the challenge of Ligue 2 Guingamp in midweek, avenging their Coupe de France loss of last term. They will recuperate Etienne Didot and Andre-Pierre Gignac, both of whom missed the midweek affair due to suspension. Full-back Albin Ebondo was the unlikely goal hero on Wednesday and should again start.
Lille vs. Racing Club de Lens
After being the form team in France towards the end of the year, Lille’s form has dipped dramatically over the course of the last three games. Each of those matches have ended in a defeat to Rudi Garcia’s side, who lost 2-1 to Marseille in the Coupe de la Ligue in midweek. Having also been knocked out of the Coupe de France to minnows Colmar, LOSC now only have the league to focus on.
They should receive Gervinho and Aurelien Chedjou back from the African Cup of Nations, though it is very questionable as to whether either will be in a fit state to be thrust back into first team football. Nicolas Plestan is the only injury concern for the northerners.
Local rivals Lens continue to go along nicely, through to the last 32 of the Coupe de France, where they will meet Marseille. Les Sang et Or will have to sweat on Alaeddine Yahia and Eduardo before this fixture due to injuries, while it seems likely that Nenad Kovacevic will once again be absent. Lens have only lost two of their last eight competitive games.
Monaco vs. Nice
Monaco’s perfect start to 2010 continued last weekend, when they recorded a 2-1 victory over Olympique Lyonnais in the Coupe de France, coming back from a goal down to give the ailing giants another punch to the gut. Guy Lacombe’s side have won all of their five games since the turn of the year, with Jean-Alain Boumsong’s goal last weekend the only goal they’ve conceded in those fixtures.
Inconsistency dogged their opening half of the campaign, and Lacombe will be eager for his unit to maintain their momentum. Losing Eidur Gudjohnsen to Tottenham Hotspur shouldn’t be a great blow as the ‘Iceman’ had struggled to make an impression at the Stade Louis II this term. New signing Moussa Maazou is doubtful after missing the club’s tie against OL.
In total contrast to their near neighbours, Nice have had an utterly miserable start to the year. When they last played, the fans caused mayhem after the game, with their actions nearly causing star forward Loic Remy to quit the club. A convoy of players have returned from the African Cup of Nations, though most of these men are simply squad players.
Nancy vs. Lorient
Eliminated surprisingly by third tier outfit Plabennec, there is a certain degree of pressure starting to edge its way onto the shoulders of Nancy coach Pablo Correa, who finds his side deep into the lower half of the table. A poor start to 2010 certainly hasn’t helped – Nancy have yet to record a win in normal time against anyone in their last five games.
This is easy to contrast with Lorient, who have shot into the top half of the table. Christian Gourcuff has forged a strong team on a limited budget, with their 1-0 Coupe de la Ligue victory over Olympique Lyonnais in midweek certainly one of the highlights of their campaign to date.
In terms of injuries, les Merlus will go into the weekend’s fixture in a slightly worse position than their hosts. The visitors will be missing left-back Jeremy Morel and midfielder Pierre Ducasse, while ASNL are expected to only be shorn of Jeremy Brison with regards to their first team players.
Stade Rennais vs. Grenoble Foot38
Rennes continue to be one of the great underperforming sides in Ligue 1 this term. Frederic Antonetti’s side have never managed to gain any positive momentum this season, with their month of January promising little more than what was achieved previously. In all competitions, they have won twice, drawn twice and lost once.
European football next term, which would have been their aim at the start of the campaign, looks unlikely at present. No great injury problems are anticipated prior to their meeting with bottom club Grenoble, which is a fixture they will be strongly favoured to win.
GF38’s problems continue to go from bad to worse. Still rooted on just eight points after 21 games, the situation seems hopeless for Mecha Bazdarevic’s men. In addition to their miserable league form, they were also eliminated from the Coupe de France by Ligue 2 outfit Vannes in midweek. Sofiane Feghouli continues to be hotly linked with Valencia, while David Jemmali faces three weeks on the sidelines due to injury.
Montpellier vs. Olympique de Marseille
Montpellier will aim to continue their remarkable charge towards the summit of Ligue 1 at the expense of Marseille at the weekend. Having been eliminated from the Coupe de France last weekend by Grenoble, la Paillade can simply focus on achieving a high finish in Le Championnat. After winning promotion last season, European football is by no means out of the question this.
MHSC have been active in the transfer market over the last week. Garry Bocaly is due to sign on loan from Marseille in the coming hours, while Ligue 2 top scorer Olivier Girourd has been strongly linked with the club over the last week. There are no new injuries for coach Rene Girard to contend with.
Marseille, meanwhile, may have to do without Brandao in this encounter as he is carrying an injury. Also likely to be absent is veteran defender Gabriel Heinze, though Bakari Kone, Charles Kabore and Stephane Mbia are all on their way back from African Cup of Nations duty.
Auxerre vs. Saint-Etienne
Seventh placed Auxerre can dream of challenging for European football in four months’ time, but they will have to remain in the kind of form that they have enjoyed over the course of the last month. Jean Fernandez’s side are unbeaten in 2010, held to a draw only on one occasion.
AJA simply aren’t conceding goals at the present time, with only Sedan breeching their defences since the middle of December. With a striker as potent as Ireneusz Jelen in attack, goals will trickle for the Burgundy side as they are heavily reliant on the Pole to find the net. Incredibly, they are yet to lose when the 28-year-old has been involved this season.
Saint-Etienne continue to have injury headaches going into this encounter, with key players such as striker Gonzalo Bergessio, full-back Mouhamadou Dabo and midfielder Augusto Fernandez just the tip of the injury iceberg. The latter began training over the course of the last week, hopefully signalling a watershed in what has been a frustrating season for his team on the selection front.
Valenciennes vs. Sochaux
After a tremendous start to the season, in which Valenciennes stood toe-to-toe with the big guns of the French game, they have fallen away somewhat dramatically over the course of the last two or three months. In a mid-table position, VA would be overhauled by Sochaux if they were to lose.
A 2-0 victory over Boulogne last time out stopped the rot for Philippe Montanier’s side, who have not been active since that game a week past on Wednesday. In general, they have performed to a decent standard this season, though injuries and unavailability in their defence has hit them. Rafael is still something of a doubt, while Bobo Balde is also an injury problem. Top scorer Mamadou Samassa has returned from the African Cup of Nations with a hip issue.
Sochaux have selection problems of their own, with key centre-back Jeremie Brechet leading the list of absentees due to a suspension. Les Lionceaux have slowly worked their way up the table over the course of the last three months, with victories over Lyon, Lorient, Rennes and Lille proving just how dangerous a side they can be. Francis Gillot’s side have not won a league match on the road since mid-October though.
19:00 Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
19:00 Le Mans vs. Toulouse
19:00 Lille vs. Racing Club de Lens
19:00 Monaco vs. Nice
19:00 Nancy vs. Lorient
19:00 Stade Rennais vs. Grenoble Foot38
21:00 Montpellier vs. Olympique de Marseille
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Sunday, January 31
17:00 Auxerre vs. Saint-Etienne
17:00 Valenciennes vs. Sochaux
21:00 Olympique Lyonnais vs. Paris Saint-Germain (preview)
Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
Runaway league leaders Bordeaux will try to maintain the pressure on the chasing pack when they meet Boulogne on Saturday evening. Bordeaux have the opportunity to win the treble, so coach Laurent Blanc may be keeping one eye on even the Coupe de la Ligue, in which they will meet Ligue 2 side Sedan in midweek. Expect some rotation.
In terms of unavailability, Bordeaux should be able to name virtually a complete squad, with Cedric Carrasso coming back into the fold after a brief break due to a calf injury. Gregory Sertic is expected to be the only absentee.
Boulogne would love to have Bordeaux’s relatively carefree selection issues. A pack of players remain sidelined for the relegation battlers, though Gregory Thil is hopeful of making a comeback to competitive football after suffering a serious ankle injury in the early autumn. Despite missing much of the season, he remains USBCO’s top scorer this term.
Le Mans vs. Toulouse
Eliminated from the Coupe de la Ligue on Tuesday evening by Bordeaux, Arnaud Cormier’s Le Mans side now only have Ligue 1 survival to focus on over the course of the next four months. MUC have shown improved form since their new coach took over, though they appear to be slipping back to their old losing ways.
Anthony Le Tallec continues to star for the Sarthe side, scoring a fine goal against les Girondins in midweek. In addition, Moussa Narry has been signed from Auxerre and will join the squad after the African Cup of Nations. Fredrik Stromstad and Ibrahima Camara are both expected to miss out.
Toulouse, meanwhile, are in the last four of the Coupe de la Ligue after dismissing the challenge of Ligue 2 Guingamp in midweek, avenging their Coupe de France loss of last term. They will recuperate Etienne Didot and Andre-Pierre Gignac, both of whom missed the midweek affair due to suspension. Full-back Albin Ebondo was the unlikely goal hero on Wednesday and should again start.
Lille vs. Racing Club de Lens
After being the form team in France towards the end of the year, Lille’s form has dipped dramatically over the course of the last three games. Each of those matches have ended in a defeat to Rudi Garcia’s side, who lost 2-1 to Marseille in the Coupe de la Ligue in midweek. Having also been knocked out of the Coupe de France to minnows Colmar, LOSC now only have the league to focus on.
They should receive Gervinho and Aurelien Chedjou back from the African Cup of Nations, though it is very questionable as to whether either will be in a fit state to be thrust back into first team football. Nicolas Plestan is the only injury concern for the northerners.
Local rivals Lens continue to go along nicely, through to the last 32 of the Coupe de France, where they will meet Marseille. Les Sang et Or will have to sweat on Alaeddine Yahia and Eduardo before this fixture due to injuries, while it seems likely that Nenad Kovacevic will once again be absent. Lens have only lost two of their last eight competitive games.
Monaco vs. Nice
Monaco’s perfect start to 2010 continued last weekend, when they recorded a 2-1 victory over Olympique Lyonnais in the Coupe de France, coming back from a goal down to give the ailing giants another punch to the gut. Guy Lacombe’s side have won all of their five games since the turn of the year, with Jean-Alain Boumsong’s goal last weekend the only goal they’ve conceded in those fixtures.
Inconsistency dogged their opening half of the campaign, and Lacombe will be eager for his unit to maintain their momentum. Losing Eidur Gudjohnsen to Tottenham Hotspur shouldn’t be a great blow as the ‘Iceman’ had struggled to make an impression at the Stade Louis II this term. New signing Moussa Maazou is doubtful after missing the club’s tie against OL.
In total contrast to their near neighbours, Nice have had an utterly miserable start to the year. When they last played, the fans caused mayhem after the game, with their actions nearly causing star forward Loic Remy to quit the club. A convoy of players have returned from the African Cup of Nations, though most of these men are simply squad players.
Nancy vs. Lorient
Eliminated surprisingly by third tier outfit Plabennec, there is a certain degree of pressure starting to edge its way onto the shoulders of Nancy coach Pablo Correa, who finds his side deep into the lower half of the table. A poor start to 2010 certainly hasn’t helped – Nancy have yet to record a win in normal time against anyone in their last five games.
This is easy to contrast with Lorient, who have shot into the top half of the table. Christian Gourcuff has forged a strong team on a limited budget, with their 1-0 Coupe de la Ligue victory over Olympique Lyonnais in midweek certainly one of the highlights of their campaign to date.
In terms of injuries, les Merlus will go into the weekend’s fixture in a slightly worse position than their hosts. The visitors will be missing left-back Jeremy Morel and midfielder Pierre Ducasse, while ASNL are expected to only be shorn of Jeremy Brison with regards to their first team players.
Stade Rennais vs. Grenoble Foot38
Rennes continue to be one of the great underperforming sides in Ligue 1 this term. Frederic Antonetti’s side have never managed to gain any positive momentum this season, with their month of January promising little more than what was achieved previously. In all competitions, they have won twice, drawn twice and lost once.
European football next term, which would have been their aim at the start of the campaign, looks unlikely at present. No great injury problems are anticipated prior to their meeting with bottom club Grenoble, which is a fixture they will be strongly favoured to win.
GF38’s problems continue to go from bad to worse. Still rooted on just eight points after 21 games, the situation seems hopeless for Mecha Bazdarevic’s men. In addition to their miserable league form, they were also eliminated from the Coupe de France by Ligue 2 outfit Vannes in midweek. Sofiane Feghouli continues to be hotly linked with Valencia, while David Jemmali faces three weeks on the sidelines due to injury.
Montpellier vs. Olympique de Marseille
Montpellier will aim to continue their remarkable charge towards the summit of Ligue 1 at the expense of Marseille at the weekend. Having been eliminated from the Coupe de France last weekend by Grenoble, la Paillade can simply focus on achieving a high finish in Le Championnat. After winning promotion last season, European football is by no means out of the question this.
MHSC have been active in the transfer market over the last week. Garry Bocaly is due to sign on loan from Marseille in the coming hours, while Ligue 2 top scorer Olivier Girourd has been strongly linked with the club over the last week. There are no new injuries for coach Rene Girard to contend with.
Marseille, meanwhile, may have to do without Brandao in this encounter as he is carrying an injury. Also likely to be absent is veteran defender Gabriel Heinze, though Bakari Kone, Charles Kabore and Stephane Mbia are all on their way back from African Cup of Nations duty.
Auxerre vs. Saint-Etienne
Seventh placed Auxerre can dream of challenging for European football in four months’ time, but they will have to remain in the kind of form that they have enjoyed over the course of the last month. Jean Fernandez’s side are unbeaten in 2010, held to a draw only on one occasion.
AJA simply aren’t conceding goals at the present time, with only Sedan breeching their defences since the middle of December. With a striker as potent as Ireneusz Jelen in attack, goals will trickle for the Burgundy side as they are heavily reliant on the Pole to find the net. Incredibly, they are yet to lose when the 28-year-old has been involved this season.
Saint-Etienne continue to have injury headaches going into this encounter, with key players such as striker Gonzalo Bergessio, full-back Mouhamadou Dabo and midfielder Augusto Fernandez just the tip of the injury iceberg. The latter began training over the course of the last week, hopefully signalling a watershed in what has been a frustrating season for his team on the selection front.
Valenciennes vs. Sochaux
After a tremendous start to the season, in which Valenciennes stood toe-to-toe with the big guns of the French game, they have fallen away somewhat dramatically over the course of the last two or three months. In a mid-table position, VA would be overhauled by Sochaux if they were to lose.
A 2-0 victory over Boulogne last time out stopped the rot for Philippe Montanier’s side, who have not been active since that game a week past on Wednesday. In general, they have performed to a decent standard this season, though injuries and unavailability in their defence has hit them. Rafael is still something of a doubt, while Bobo Balde is also an injury problem. Top scorer Mamadou Samassa has returned from the African Cup of Nations with a hip issue.
Sochaux have selection problems of their own, with key centre-back Jeremie Brechet leading the list of absentees due to a suspension. Les Lionceaux have slowly worked their way up the table over the course of the last three months, with victories over Lyon, Lorient, Rennes and Lille proving just how dangerous a side they can be. Francis Gillot’s side have not won a league match on the road since mid-October though.
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