Ligue 1 Preview: Round 15

Saturday 22 November 2008 (all kick-off times CET)

1900 Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Stade Rennais
1900 SM Caen vs. AJ Auxerre
1900 Grenoble Foot38 vs. Le Havre AC
1900 FC Lorient vs. Toulouse FC
1900 AS Saint-Étienne vs. OGC Nice
1900 Valenciennes vs. FC Sochaux-Montbéliard
2100 Paris Saint-Germain vs. Olympique Lyonnais

Sunday 16 November

1700 AS Monaco vs. Le Mans UC72
1700 FC Nantes vs. AS Nancy-Lorraine
2100 Olympique de Marseille vs. Lille OSC


Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Stade Rennais

Sixth plays third in this intriguing clash at the Stade Chaban Delmas on Saturday evening. Les Girondins, still smarting from a defeat against Olympique Lyonnais last weekend, will look to swiftly recover against a side that has gone unbeaten since mid-August.

Achieving victory will be no easy task for Laurent Blanc’s men, particularly as they will have half an eye on a forthcoming Champions League clash with Chelsea next Wednesday. First-choice goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé is still the main absentee, while central defender Henrique may still be out.

Guy Lacombe’s Rennes side moved into third spot last weekend following a victory over Monaco - their third in succession in Ligue 1. Defensively, the Breton side remain sound, although their offensive sector may be short in numbers. Olivier Thomert is a doubt due to injury, while Mickaël Pagis and Olivier Sorlin have both picked up the flu. Romain Danzé may also sit out with the longer-term concerns Patrice Luzi, Julien Esteban (who is nearing a comeback) and Sylvain Marveaux.

SM Caen vs. AJ Auxerre

There has been a great deal of fanfare over the last seven days about Caen striker Steve Savidan’s inclusion in the French squad, making him the third player from the Normandy club to be capped for les Bleus. The club’s official website carried minute-by-minute reports on ‘Savigol’s’ progress on Wednesday evening, but it is very much a case of back to reality for all concerned this weekend.

The French international forward will start in attack, but his usual wingmen are absent. Khalid Ben Khalfallah and Juan Eluchans will both be missing until 2009, while Anthony Deroin and Grégory Leca could also be sidelined for a similar time span.

Opponents Auxerre will also have their selection headaches. Captain and key midfielder Benoit Pedretti will not feature before the Christmas break, while Ireneusz Jelen, Robert Popov and Jérémy Berthod will also be absent. There is hope that Julien Quercia could return from a groin problem, though.

Grenoble Foot38 vs. Le Havre AC

In pre-season, both of these newly promoted clubs would have pinpointed this fixture as a key match in their season. Having made a strong start, it may not be quite as important to Grenoble at present as it is to Le Havre. However, the home side will be keen to secure a victory in order to continue treading water in the centre of the table.

GF38’s recent form has slipped a little in recent times, picking up only one win in their last seven matches. Back-to-back losses against Olympique de Marseille (3-0) and Toulouse (2-0) have sent Mehmet Bazdarevic’s side out of the top ten for the first time this season. They have defensive problems for this fixture as Milivoje Vitakic is banned, while Maxene Flachez is an injury doubt. Jimmy Mainfroi is, of course, missing long-term.

Le Havre’s problems come in attack, although Jean-Marc Nobilo remains hopeful of being able to call upon the services of either Yannick Boli or Cédric Fauré to privide a goal threat. The in-form Jean-Michel Lesage should certainly start.

FC Lorient vs. Toulouse FC

Once a hero at the Stade du Moustoir, André-Pierre Gignac is really starting to find his feet in Toulouse after a difficult first season with the club. With eight goals to his name already, he has scored approximately 75% of his side’s league goals this season. This will be a huge worry for Alain Casanova, head coach of the Pink City side, should his star man pick up an injury or lose form. At present, though, he can be content.

The injury situation for le Téfécé is looking very good at just now. Only third choice goalkeeper Olivier Blondel will sit out.

This is in stark contrast to the Breton club’s worries, although they have managed to bring back goalkeeper Fabien Audard, central defender Sylvain Marchal and full-back Christophe Jallet to the fold. Yann Jouffre, Rafik Saifi and Jérémy Morel are all definitely missing, while Bakary Soro will probably sit out, too.

AS Saint-Étienne vs. OGC Nice

Crisis-hit club Saint-Étienne continue to lurch from one disaster to the next. Although Alain Perrin’s arrival may have temporarily steadied the ship off the field, les Verts continue to lack fortune on the park. Perrin will have a massive injury headache on his hands for the next two weeks as Sainté have been shorn of their first-choice back four.

Central defenders Stathis Tavlaridis and Sylvain Monsoreau will both sit out due to injuries sustained over the course of the week and join left-back Mouhamadou Dabo and right-back Loïc Perrin on the unavailable list. Adding to their woes is Bayal Sall’s continued suspension. Sainté’s best defensive midfielders - Christophe Landrin (injury) and Blaise Matuidi (suspension) - are also absent.

Nice’s form, in contrast to their hosts', is rather strong. Les Aiglons have won each of their last four games and should be able to welcome back top scorer Loïc Rémy to their side. Le Gym will view this fixture as a fantastic chance to move into the top three.

Valenciennes vs. FC Sochaux-Montbéliard

Each match that Valenciennes play at present could be head coach Antoine Kombouaré’s last. A former Paris Saint-Germain central defender, he is beginning to lose the support of the fans, despite being highly regarded in many circles.

Injuries have been the main problem for VA this season, although this is little excuse for dropping to the foot of the table and failing to secure a three point haul since mid-August. The latest blow for the northern club is that Yassine Bezzaz will be missing until the New Year, while Filip Sebo joins Karba Bangoura and Jean-Louis Leca on the sidelines for this key match. Johan Audel, Rafael Schmitz and Rudy Mater are all doubts of varying degrees.

Francis Gillot will be able to empathise with Kombouaré as his side, too, have been hit with selection problems. These have been most acute in defence, where the ex-Lens boss cannot call upon starters Stéphane Pichot or Jacques Faty, while a number of back-ups are also struggling. Carlao should return from a nasty head knock last weekend to play, while there are also doubts over Nicolas Maurice-Belay, key striker Mevlut Erding and his deputy, Francileudo Santos.

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Olympique Lyonnais

Undoubtedly Saturday’s biggest fixture is the fascinating clash between PSG and Lyon. Les Gones have complained bitterly about the timing of this match, noting that it clashes with their Champions League schedule. Still, with a seven point advantage at the summit of Ligue 1, they can afford to drop points - even in an encounter against one of their supposed rivals.

For this reason, it is difficult to envisage the use of Jérémy Toulalan or Fabio Grosso in this fixture, as both are considered doubtful by the Rhône Valley club. Although John Mensah should be fit again, Anthony Réveillère will go to left-back with Lamine Gassama playing on the right. Bodmer is now a long-term problem for les Gones, who will also be without François Clerc, Fabio Santos, Miralem Pjanic and Cesar Delgado.

Les Parisiens will approach this game on a high and boasting a strong record against the other top contenders in Ligue 1; Paul Le Guen’s men have beaten both Bordeaux and Marseille already this season. Buoyed by what is sure to be a stunning atmosphere at the Parc des Princes, the home side will be missing only Loris Arnaud for sure. Kezman and Chantôme are doubtful.

AS Monaco vs. Le Mans UC72

Defeats in their last two fixtures have kept Monaco firmly anchored in the bottom half of the league table after two successive victories had threatened to lift Ricardo’s side out of total obscurity. However, the Brazilian coach faces this banana skin of a home match against Le Mans still some way short of his strongest squad.

In terms of first team picks, goalkeeper Stéphane Ruffier has a broken finger and will, of course, make way for Flavio Roma, while Vincent Muratori continues to be sidelined with a knock. Strikers Djamel Bakar and Serge Gakpé have yet to feature this season, with the latter expected to miss out until January at the earliest.

Le Mans, who boasted a terrific away record before losing to Lyon - a defeat that was quickly followed up with a loss in Sochaux - travel to the principality hoping to replicate last weekend’s excellent showing. MUC beat Valenciennes 1-0 courtesy of a goal straight from a corner kick by Mathieu Coutadeur. Even so, the Sarthe side created a hatful of chances and could easily have won by a greater margin. Saber Ben Frej, Thorstein Helstad and Fredrik Stromstad are their injury concerns this week, with the latter two in with a chance of playing.

FC Nantes vs. AS Nancy-Lorraine

Do not expect an open, attractive game of football at the Stade Beaujoire on Sunday, when two of the league’s most notoriously scrappy teams meet. It may only be November, but both these sides will be looking to quickly boost their league position and will see this as a winnable fixture.

Nantes, who have not won in their last five matches, have endured a run of form that is far from impressive. Never the most subtle of sides at the best of times, les Jeunes have picked up only two points from a possible 15, although they have lost only once at home all season. Their injury position is improving too, with only David De Freitas, William Vainqueur and Stefan Babovic missing this week.

Pablo Correa, the Nancy coach, continues to have injury headaches as he is desperately short of defenders. Abbes Ouaddou and Michael Chretien may be the only first team players missing but, with a whole raft of reserves out, the Lorraine coach is very limited in his options.

Olympique de Marseille vs. Lille OSC

Following their shocking capitulation against Lorient last weekend, Marseille have been charged with the very tricky task of unhinging Lille if they wish to keep their title dreams alive. Trailing Lyon by seven points, les Phocéens cannot afford to allow les Gones to disappear over the horizon.

This match will be a real test of priorities for Eric Gerets, as l’OM play Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday – a match that will eliminate the Mediterranean club if they cannot win it. Definitely out are Tyrone Mears, Renato Civelli, Mathieu Valbuena and Mamadou Samassa, while Bakary Koné and Karim Ziani both seem unlikely to feature.

Lille, who recorded a stunning win over Saint-Étienne last weekend, are a side packed with talent and certainly should not be written off here...they are one of those sides in Ligue 1 capable of beating anyone if they play well. With Debuchy back from suspension, Rudy Garcia could have the luxury of a full squad, as Tulio de Melo, Grégory Tafforeau and Franck Béria near fitness.

--Robin Bairner, Goal.com