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Ligue 1 Preview: Round 31
Ligue 1 remains a closely fought league and, with just eight matches remaining, the title could still end up in several different hands.
Apr 10, 2009 7:38:48 AM
Saturday April 11, 2009
19:00 Auxerre vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
19:00 Le Havre vs. Caen
19:00 Le Mans vs. Sochaux
19:00 Nancy vs. Valenciennes
19:00 Nice vs. Lorient
19:00 Toulouse vs. Nantes
21:00 Stade Rennais vs. Saint-Etienne
Sunday April 12
17:00 Olympique de Marseille vs. Grenoble
18:45 Lille vs. Paris Saint-Germain
21:00 Olympique Lyonnais vs. Monaco
Auxerre vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
Laurent Blanc has stated that strength-in-depth is a quality required by league champions. His Bordeaux side will certainly be given a real test in this regard on Saturday evening as they prepare to face an Auxerre side whilst depleted in numbers.
Although Fernando will return to the midfield after a four match ban, the former French international central defender is shorn of various options. Henrique will be absent from the defence while Jussie will miss at least a month after going off last weekend with a hamstring problem. Meanwhile, Fernando Cavenaghi is back training but will not be fit for a fortnight. Goalkeeper Ulrich Rame and key midfielder Yoann Gourcuff are both racing against time to be fit. Bordeaux can go top if they win.
AJA, on the other hand, are only missing Robert Popov and Julien Quercia. Jean Fernandez’s outfit have been in bright form lately, despite a 2-0 loss to Valenciennes last weekend. They will be aiming to replicate the success they enjoyed against league leaders Lyon around a month ago.
Le Havre vs. Caen
This Normandy derby features the two bottom sides in Ligue 1 and could have a dramatic bearing on the relegation picture. Le Havre, who sprung a surprise as they defeated Monaco last weekend, are marooned at the foot of the table with only six wins to their name, however, they have already twice beaten Caen this season – once in the league and once in the Coupe de la Ligue. If they were to complete a hat-trick, it would look increasingly likely that les Malherbes would be dragged through the relegation trapdoor with toiling HAC.
Franck Dumas, the Caen head coach, has seen his side display a tenacious edge in recent weeks, however, they are lacking in real self-belief and drive. Youngster Sambou Yatabare was their brightest player in the scoreless draw against Toulouse last weekend and he could be included once again, despite Anthony Deroin’s return from suspension.
Gregory Leca and Gregory Proment are both still banned for Caen while bit-part defender Florian Boucansaud is their only injury concern at present. Time is running out for les Malherbes, who are two points from safety.
Le Mans vs. Sochaux
Although these two outfits are locked together on 32 points each, they are moving rapidly in differing directions. Both teams have suffered defeats at the hands of Lyon in the last fortnight but Sochaux’s 2-0 loss at the Stade Gerland made Claude Puel’s reigning champions sweat just a little harder.
Defeat for les Lionceaux in that fixture was very much a blot on a landscape that has been dominated by draws and victories in recent times. The goals of Vaclav Sverkos have lifted Sochaux to another level while Turkish striker Mevlut Erding is also finding his best form. Stephane Dalmat feature last weekend, despite being arrested earlier in the week, while Sloan Privat and Frederic Duplus are amongst the few injury problems facing the club.
Daniel Jeandupeux’s hosts are also not particularly troubled by knocks. Norwegian midfielder Frederik Stromstad is considered touch-and-go while Thorstein Helstad has been ruled out. Le Mans have won only 14 points from their last 60 on offer.
Nancy vs. Valenciennes
The defensive resolution that guided Nancy impressively towards the summit of Ligue 1 last season has largely departed them this term. However, Pablo Correa finally saw his side’s best face again last weekend as they scrapped towards a 0-0 draw with Bordeaux, despite being down to ten men. True to form, though, les Girondins pinched a late winner to leave ASNL precariously poised above the drop zone.
At home against a Valenciennes side winless on the road this season, they would certainly hope to at least compete hard for three points. Following his red card last weekend, Frederic Biancalani is suspended. Issiar Dia is hopeful of coming back into contention after a lengthy absence.
VA have pushed towards safety with a series of fine results, and have totted up a 13 match unbeaten streak. Wins at home combined with draws on the road have eased Antoine Kombouare’s men into mid-table, though they will be tested severely on Saturday as key defender Rafael is injured while strikers Jean-Claude Darcheville and Gregory Pujol, who shot the team to a 2-0 win over Auxerre last time out, are also toiling.
Nice vs. Lorient
Lacking in offensive effectiveness in recent weeks, the uncertainty of Nice’s strikers has begun to permeate through the side as les Aiglons look to end a baron run of form. Frederic Antonetti’s men could actually be leapfrogged on Saturday evening if they crumbled to a defeat against Lorient and the mercurial head coach will certainly hopes that this threat sparks his lethargic side into action.
Two wins in their last 12 domestic matches illustrates Nice’s bad form, although they are only sweating on the fitness of Vincent Hognon ahead of Saturday’s clash at the Stade du Ray.
On the other hand, Lorient may be coming into the match on a bright run of results, but their injury position will leave them truly stretched. Central defenders Michael Ciani and Sylvan Marchal are both expected to miss the encounter while key midfielder Fabrice Abriel has also been written off with regard to this Saturday’s match. Lorient create few chances but striker Kevin Gameiro does not tend to miss too many openings – it was he that set the club on their way to a 3-1 win over Grenoble last weekend.
Toulouse vs. Nantes
A buoyant Toulouse outfit were held 0-0 away to Caen in a rather disappointing match last Saturday evening. Alain Casanova’s side barely created a chance to speak of and tend to struggle against defensively-orientated sides. As an outfit near the summit of Ligue 1, Nantes will look upon le Tefece as a real threat and will likely sit-in as a result.
Home head coach Casanova was Elie Baup’s assistant in the Pink City during the Nantes’ tenure in charge of Toulouse. It will be an emotional return to the south west for the man who led le Tefece to third spot in Ligue 1 two seasons ago and now his apprentice is attempting to undertake the same task. Meanwhile, Baup is simply aiming to steer his ailing side away from the red zone.
But this is not the only interesting link between the sides. Etienne Capoue, the home side’s dynamic midfielder, will come face-to-face with brother, Aurelien, who plies his trade with les Jeunes. Expect a keenly fought contest, low on chances and goals.
Stade Rennais vs. Saint-Etienne
Guy Lacombe, head coach of Rennes, has admitted that his side are going through something of a tricky time at present. The international break only brought bad news for the Bretons as Jimmy Briand suffered a horrendous knee injury and could miss nine months of play while Kader Mangane was given a two month ban for a leg breaking challenge on Valenciennes’ Jonathan Lacourt.
The Breton outfit’s misery was then compounded by a 3-0 thumping at Sochaux last weekend. Had Mickael Pagis scored a simple early chance it could have been so different but he ballooned over an open goal early on to set the tone for Rennes. Sylvan Marveaux could come into contention after being absent since August.
Saint-Etienne’s injury position is also improving. Key defensive midfielder Blaise Matuidi is expected to be fit for the encounter while full-back Mouhamadou Dabo will also be able to start after overcoming injury. It is not all bright news for Alain Perrin’s side. They are currently rooted into the drop-zone while effervescent forward Dimitri Payet will not play again this season due to injury.
Olympique de Marseille vs. Grenoble
Erik Gerets’ Marseille outfit will have to recover quickly from their UEFA Cup defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday evening. Les Phoceens played well in bursts during their fixture in the Ukraine but were heavily punished on the counterattack and now face a testing home match against Grenoble.
GF38 are exactly the kind of stuffy opposition that OM have struggled against all year at the Stade Velodrome. Of late there have been signs that Marseille have started to form an increased resilience against such opponents, though. Laurent Bonnart and Karim Ziani will still be missing for the home side.
While Marseille have been getting better against more stubborn opposition, Grenoble have been increasingly easy to prise open in recent weeks. Conceding three goals in defeat to Lorient last weekend was almost unheard of by Mecha Bazdarevic’s side this season. Martial Robin, a former OM player, and Milivoje Vitakic both return after bans to strengthen the rearguard. Jimmy Mainfroi and Sofiane Feghouli lead the list of absentees.
Lille vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Arguably the weekend’s most intriguing tie takes place in the Nord region of the country on Sunday evening. Lille and PSG are locked together on points in Ligue 1, however, LOSC are very much the league’s in form side at present. Not only have they won their last four fixtures, they also boast more home wins than any other top flight team in l’Hexagone.
Aside from their daunting record on home turf, Rudy Garcia’s men will also be able to welcome back Yohan Cabaye and Ludovic Obraniak into their ranks as they pair have both just served two match bans. Eden Hazard and Michel Bastos have been in electric form during their absences and Lille could be ready to announce themselves as very real title candidates.
Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, have favoured slow and steady progress all season. This was evident in their UEFA Cup draw against Dynamo Kyiv on Thursday evening. Head coach Paul Le Guen did not risk Ludovic Giuly or Claude Makelele for fear of fatiguing the duo but both return for this encounter. Mamadou Sakho will also come into contention. Loris Arnaud and Sylvan Armand are definitely missing.
Olympique Lyonnais vs. Monaco
By the time that Lyon’s fixture with Monaco kicks-off at the Stade Gerland, it is conceivable that Claude Puel’s side will have dropped down to third in Ligue 1. There will therefore likely be some pressure on les Gones to claim maximum points against their misfiring Monegasque opponents.
It is widely anticipated that Lyon will benefit from not having any midweek fixtures to clutter their calendar and their injury list is already looking far healthier for their fewer games. Jeremy Toulalan will likely miss out while Sidney Govou is back training again after his Achilles problem but is unlikely to be deemed fit.
Monaco, on the other hand, are really toiling physically. Alexandre Licata, Flavio Roma, Kevin Diaz, and Alejandro Alonso will all sit this game out while Brazilian head coach waits on Adriano and Vincent Muratori. Compounding his problems is Dario Simic’s suspension, which was earned due to his red card against Le Havre last weekend. Monaco lost their fixture against the bottom club 1-0, heaping pressure on their Brazilian coach who is aiming to impress a new board.
Robin Bairner, Goal.com
19:00 Auxerre vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
19:00 Le Havre vs. Caen
19:00 Le Mans vs. Sochaux
19:00 Nancy vs. Valenciennes
19:00 Nice vs. Lorient
19:00 Toulouse vs. Nantes
21:00 Stade Rennais vs. Saint-Etienne
Sunday April 12
17:00 Olympique de Marseille vs. Grenoble
18:45 Lille vs. Paris Saint-Germain
21:00 Olympique Lyonnais vs. Monaco
Auxerre vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
Laurent Blanc has stated that strength-in-depth is a quality required by league champions. His Bordeaux side will certainly be given a real test in this regard on Saturday evening as they prepare to face an Auxerre side whilst depleted in numbers.
Although Fernando will return to the midfield after a four match ban, the former French international central defender is shorn of various options. Henrique will be absent from the defence while Jussie will miss at least a month after going off last weekend with a hamstring problem. Meanwhile, Fernando Cavenaghi is back training but will not be fit for a fortnight. Goalkeeper Ulrich Rame and key midfielder Yoann Gourcuff are both racing against time to be fit. Bordeaux can go top if they win.
AJA, on the other hand, are only missing Robert Popov and Julien Quercia. Jean Fernandez’s outfit have been in bright form lately, despite a 2-0 loss to Valenciennes last weekend. They will be aiming to replicate the success they enjoyed against league leaders Lyon around a month ago.
Le Havre vs. Caen
This Normandy derby features the two bottom sides in Ligue 1 and could have a dramatic bearing on the relegation picture. Le Havre, who sprung a surprise as they defeated Monaco last weekend, are marooned at the foot of the table with only six wins to their name, however, they have already twice beaten Caen this season – once in the league and once in the Coupe de la Ligue. If they were to complete a hat-trick, it would look increasingly likely that les Malherbes would be dragged through the relegation trapdoor with toiling HAC.
Franck Dumas, the Caen head coach, has seen his side display a tenacious edge in recent weeks, however, they are lacking in real self-belief and drive. Youngster Sambou Yatabare was their brightest player in the scoreless draw against Toulouse last weekend and he could be included once again, despite Anthony Deroin’s return from suspension.
Gregory Leca and Gregory Proment are both still banned for Caen while bit-part defender Florian Boucansaud is their only injury concern at present. Time is running out for les Malherbes, who are two points from safety.
Le Mans vs. Sochaux
Although these two outfits are locked together on 32 points each, they are moving rapidly in differing directions. Both teams have suffered defeats at the hands of Lyon in the last fortnight but Sochaux’s 2-0 loss at the Stade Gerland made Claude Puel’s reigning champions sweat just a little harder.
Defeat for les Lionceaux in that fixture was very much a blot on a landscape that has been dominated by draws and victories in recent times. The goals of Vaclav Sverkos have lifted Sochaux to another level while Turkish striker Mevlut Erding is also finding his best form. Stephane Dalmat feature last weekend, despite being arrested earlier in the week, while Sloan Privat and Frederic Duplus are amongst the few injury problems facing the club.
Daniel Jeandupeux’s hosts are also not particularly troubled by knocks. Norwegian midfielder Frederik Stromstad is considered touch-and-go while Thorstein Helstad has been ruled out. Le Mans have won only 14 points from their last 60 on offer.
Nancy vs. Valenciennes
The defensive resolution that guided Nancy impressively towards the summit of Ligue 1 last season has largely departed them this term. However, Pablo Correa finally saw his side’s best face again last weekend as they scrapped towards a 0-0 draw with Bordeaux, despite being down to ten men. True to form, though, les Girondins pinched a late winner to leave ASNL precariously poised above the drop zone.
At home against a Valenciennes side winless on the road this season, they would certainly hope to at least compete hard for three points. Following his red card last weekend, Frederic Biancalani is suspended. Issiar Dia is hopeful of coming back into contention after a lengthy absence.
VA have pushed towards safety with a series of fine results, and have totted up a 13 match unbeaten streak. Wins at home combined with draws on the road have eased Antoine Kombouare’s men into mid-table, though they will be tested severely on Saturday as key defender Rafael is injured while strikers Jean-Claude Darcheville and Gregory Pujol, who shot the team to a 2-0 win over Auxerre last time out, are also toiling.
Nice vs. Lorient
Lacking in offensive effectiveness in recent weeks, the uncertainty of Nice’s strikers has begun to permeate through the side as les Aiglons look to end a baron run of form. Frederic Antonetti’s men could actually be leapfrogged on Saturday evening if they crumbled to a defeat against Lorient and the mercurial head coach will certainly hopes that this threat sparks his lethargic side into action.
Two wins in their last 12 domestic matches illustrates Nice’s bad form, although they are only sweating on the fitness of Vincent Hognon ahead of Saturday’s clash at the Stade du Ray.
On the other hand, Lorient may be coming into the match on a bright run of results, but their injury position will leave them truly stretched. Central defenders Michael Ciani and Sylvan Marchal are both expected to miss the encounter while key midfielder Fabrice Abriel has also been written off with regard to this Saturday’s match. Lorient create few chances but striker Kevin Gameiro does not tend to miss too many openings – it was he that set the club on their way to a 3-1 win over Grenoble last weekend.
Toulouse vs. Nantes
A buoyant Toulouse outfit were held 0-0 away to Caen in a rather disappointing match last Saturday evening. Alain Casanova’s side barely created a chance to speak of and tend to struggle against defensively-orientated sides. As an outfit near the summit of Ligue 1, Nantes will look upon le Tefece as a real threat and will likely sit-in as a result.
Home head coach Casanova was Elie Baup’s assistant in the Pink City during the Nantes’ tenure in charge of Toulouse. It will be an emotional return to the south west for the man who led le Tefece to third spot in Ligue 1 two seasons ago and now his apprentice is attempting to undertake the same task. Meanwhile, Baup is simply aiming to steer his ailing side away from the red zone.
But this is not the only interesting link between the sides. Etienne Capoue, the home side’s dynamic midfielder, will come face-to-face with brother, Aurelien, who plies his trade with les Jeunes. Expect a keenly fought contest, low on chances and goals.
Stade Rennais vs. Saint-Etienne
Guy Lacombe, head coach of Rennes, has admitted that his side are going through something of a tricky time at present. The international break only brought bad news for the Bretons as Jimmy Briand suffered a horrendous knee injury and could miss nine months of play while Kader Mangane was given a two month ban for a leg breaking challenge on Valenciennes’ Jonathan Lacourt.
The Breton outfit’s misery was then compounded by a 3-0 thumping at Sochaux last weekend. Had Mickael Pagis scored a simple early chance it could have been so different but he ballooned over an open goal early on to set the tone for Rennes. Sylvan Marveaux could come into contention after being absent since August.
Saint-Etienne’s injury position is also improving. Key defensive midfielder Blaise Matuidi is expected to be fit for the encounter while full-back Mouhamadou Dabo will also be able to start after overcoming injury. It is not all bright news for Alain Perrin’s side. They are currently rooted into the drop-zone while effervescent forward Dimitri Payet will not play again this season due to injury.
Olympique de Marseille vs. Grenoble
Erik Gerets’ Marseille outfit will have to recover quickly from their UEFA Cup defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday evening. Les Phoceens played well in bursts during their fixture in the Ukraine but were heavily punished on the counterattack and now face a testing home match against Grenoble.
GF38 are exactly the kind of stuffy opposition that OM have struggled against all year at the Stade Velodrome. Of late there have been signs that Marseille have started to form an increased resilience against such opponents, though. Laurent Bonnart and Karim Ziani will still be missing for the home side.
While Marseille have been getting better against more stubborn opposition, Grenoble have been increasingly easy to prise open in recent weeks. Conceding three goals in defeat to Lorient last weekend was almost unheard of by Mecha Bazdarevic’s side this season. Martial Robin, a former OM player, and Milivoje Vitakic both return after bans to strengthen the rearguard. Jimmy Mainfroi and Sofiane Feghouli lead the list of absentees.
Lille vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Arguably the weekend’s most intriguing tie takes place in the Nord region of the country on Sunday evening. Lille and PSG are locked together on points in Ligue 1, however, LOSC are very much the league’s in form side at present. Not only have they won their last four fixtures, they also boast more home wins than any other top flight team in l’Hexagone.
Aside from their daunting record on home turf, Rudy Garcia’s men will also be able to welcome back Yohan Cabaye and Ludovic Obraniak into their ranks as they pair have both just served two match bans. Eden Hazard and Michel Bastos have been in electric form during their absences and Lille could be ready to announce themselves as very real title candidates.
Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, have favoured slow and steady progress all season. This was evident in their UEFA Cup draw against Dynamo Kyiv on Thursday evening. Head coach Paul Le Guen did not risk Ludovic Giuly or Claude Makelele for fear of fatiguing the duo but both return for this encounter. Mamadou Sakho will also come into contention. Loris Arnaud and Sylvan Armand are definitely missing.
Olympique Lyonnais vs. Monaco
By the time that Lyon’s fixture with Monaco kicks-off at the Stade Gerland, it is conceivable that Claude Puel’s side will have dropped down to third in Ligue 1. There will therefore likely be some pressure on les Gones to claim maximum points against their misfiring Monegasque opponents.
It is widely anticipated that Lyon will benefit from not having any midweek fixtures to clutter their calendar and their injury list is already looking far healthier for their fewer games. Jeremy Toulalan will likely miss out while Sidney Govou is back training again after his Achilles problem but is unlikely to be deemed fit.
Monaco, on the other hand, are really toiling physically. Alexandre Licata, Flavio Roma, Kevin Diaz, and Alejandro Alonso will all sit this game out while Brazilian head coach waits on Adriano and Vincent Muratori. Compounding his problems is Dario Simic’s suspension, which was earned due to his red card against Le Havre last weekend. Monaco lost their fixture against the bottom club 1-0, heaping pressure on their Brazilian coach who is aiming to impress a new board.
Robin Bairner, Goal.com
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