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Ligue 1 Preview: Round 23
With Bordeaux still comfortably clear at the top, the main focus is on Europe, and there are some juicy fixtures in store in Le Championnat this weekend in that regard.
Feb 5, 2010 8:00:00 AM
By Robin Bairner
Saturday, February 6, 2010 (all kick-off times CET)
19:00 Boulogne-Sur-Mer vs. Montpellier
19:00 Grenoble Foot38 vs. Auxerre
19:00 Racing Club de Lens vs. Le Mans
19:00 Nice vs. Lille
19:00 Paris Saint-Germain vs. Lorient
19:00 Sochaux vs. Nancy
21:00 Stade Rennais vs. Girondins de Bordeaux (preview)
Sunday, February 7
17:00 Saint-Etienne vs. Monaco
17:00 Toulouse vs. Olympique Lyonnais
21:00 Olympique de Marseille vs. Valenciennes
Boulogne-Sur-Mer vs. Montpellier
Two sides promoted to the top flight at the beginning of the season meet in the north on Saturday evening having suffered very differing fates this term. Boulogne remain rooted in the drop zone, seemingly with no chance of escape, while Montpellier continue to mix it with the best, very hopeful of a place in Europe next term after an astonishing start to the campaign.
USBCO did manage to hold Bordeaux to a 0-0 draw last weekend, which will have allowed significant confidence to grow in their ranks. Laurent Guyot’s side continue to be ravaged by injuries, though they will hope to welcome back top scorer Gregory Thil in the near future. A host of winter recruits have been used to bulk up the squad but points are needed soon if they are to stand a chance of safety.
Meanwhile, Montpellier are up in second after a magnificent performance to dispatch Olympique de Marseille last weekend. La Paillade are presently in very good touch indeed, with their young players performing consistently to a very high standard. Key defender Emir Spahic continues to miss out through injury.
Grenoble Foot38 vs. Auxerre
A 4-0 defeat away to Rennes last weekend was the latest set-back endured by a Grenoble side who are set to go down in history as one of Ligue 1’s worst ever teams. After a relatively comfortable season last time out, this has to be considered something of a shock, even if they’ve had to do without key midfielder Sofiane Feghouli for much of the campaign.
Mecha Bazdarevic’s side looked to be utterly shorn of any confidence when they slumped to their latest loss, with only a couple of players – Diasuke Matsui and Nassim Akrour – on decent form. The efforts of striker Danijel Ljuboja continue to grow more labored as the club’s fate becomes ever clearer.
Auxerre, on the other hand, continue to scamper after a European place. AJA got somewhat lucky in holding out to beat Saint-Etienne last weekend and will be aware that better is needed against lowly Grenoble. A handful of players are poised to miss out, including Adama Coulibaly and Daniel Niculae.
Racing Club de Lens vs. Le Mans
If it promises to be a season free of relegation worry for Lens, the same cannot be said for Le Mans, who find themselves deeply entrenched in the battle against the drop.
Les Sang et Or have struggled to find their best form since the winter break, losing against Lille and Montpellier, but there were signs of life last time out against Rennes. After a poor first half display, Jean-Guy Wallemme’s side upped the tempo after the restart, deservedly drawing level and narrowly missing out on three points. Nenad Kovacevic is still an injury issue.
Le Mans will be without only Fredrik Stromstad for Saturday’s encounter. They will have to overcome the mental barrier of having lost 3-0 against Sochaux in a Coupe de France tie in midweek, though they did play with a largely shadow squad. Moussa Narry and Olivier Thomert could debut in this fixture.
Nice vs. Lille
The situation at Nice continues to grow ever more critical on a weekly basis. Supporters of the club seem to have lost faith in head coach Didier Olle-Nicolle, leading to protests after last weekend’s derby defeat at Monaco. Les Aiglons actually turned in one of their better performances for some time during that fixture, going down 3-2 ultimately.
Injury problems have certainly hindered the club’s progress, especially as they coincided with the African Cup of Nations, which stripped le Gym of eight players. They are now nearing their full complement, though Mamadou Bagayoko sits out suspended until February 10 for an incident that occurred towards the end of 2009.
At the end of last year Lille were in red-hot form, but they’ve struggled to reproduce such play in 2010 thus far. The African Cup of Nations has not aided their cause and with star man Gervinho back they will look to tear into the fragile confidence of their hosts. Ricardo Costa and Jean-Alain Fanchone could be involved in their squad for the first time, though Nicolas Plestan is injured.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Lorient
Now 14th in the table, PSG have endured another season of underperformance to date. There is still time to turn the situation around for Antoine Kombouare’s unit, who have been hit by injuries to key players and have been bereft of luck at times this term.
They certainly got little in the way of fortune last weekend, when they tackled Olympique Lyonnais. Enjoying a competitive fixture against les Gones, Mamadou Sakho was dismissed with les Parisiens leading 1-0. Come full-time they had lost 2-1, though confidence could be drawn from the promising partnership of Guillaume Hoarau and Mevlut Erding in attack. Gregory Coupet remains absent due to injury.
Lorient, meanwhile, continue to punch somewhere above their weight, but it’s hard to argue that Christian Gourcuff has not done an exceptional job with les Merlus, who will again finish somewhere in the middle of the table barring a great shock. In addition, the Bretons are in the semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue, in which they will face Bordeaux in a fortnight.
Sochaux vs. Nancy
After a disappointing start to the campaign, Francis Gillot has his Sochaux side firing on all cylinders. One of the youngest squads in Le Championnat, Sochaux also have some of the greatest potential stars, seemingly unearthing a new talent over the course of the last week in the form of Nigerian Ideye Brown. Signed from Swiss football, the forward bagged a brace against Le Mans in midweek to send his unit through in the Coupe de France.
Last weekend Sochaux were in a depleted state when they traveled to Valenciennes. A 1-1 draw was earned, albeit somewhat undeservedly, and les Lionceaux will be pleased to be able to welcome back Marvin Martin and Jeremie Brechet after suspension.
Nancy had endured a tough start to the year and had looked to be sinking towards the drop zone before a goal from Youssouf Hadji minutes before half-time sunk Lorient and gave the Lorraine club a valuable three points. Now they must try and build on that in Montbeliard, where they will still be without Jonathan Brison.
Saint-Etienne vs. Monaco
Relegation threatened Saint-Etienne were not at their best in midweek, when they faced Villefranche in the Coupe de France. Against the fourth flight side, Christophe Gautier’s men were taken to extra-time and then penalties after drawing 2-2 over the regulation 90 minutes. Les Verts ultimately triumphed, but it was by no means a convincing result.
That is the story of Sainte’s season. They are floating just above the drop zone, four point clear of Le Mans, but the potential is there for far more. Injuries have plagued the club and are slowly starting to clear up, though it may be another two or three weeks before they are operating at full capacity.
One team just about at their optimal level is Monaco, who have yet to even draw a game since the winter break. Guy Lacombe’s side are in inspired form, catapulted forward by the likes of Nene on the left hand side of midfield and Stephane Ruffier in goal. Both of those men are in a shortlist of three of the league’s Player of the Month award. Lacombe has undoubtedly been the top boss.
Toulouse vs. Olympique Lyonnais
Last term Toulouse and Lyon finished fourth and third respectively, but this season has been a very different story. Le Tefece have been too inconsistent and have tumbled down the rankings, while Lyon have also blown hot and cold and are therefore fourth, well back from league leading Bordeaux.
On Wednesday evening, Alain Casanova’s Toulouse suffered their latest frustration as they were eliminated from the Coupe de la Ligue at the semi-final stages by Marseille. Le Tefece led through an Andre-Pierre Gignac header with five minutes to go but were pegged back before full-time. The two additional periods would see OM dominate and ultimately progress.
Lyon had the luxury of the midweek off. Having only just edged PSG last weekend at Stade Gerland they probably felt they had earned it. Claude Puel’s unit were wholly unconvincing in their 2-1 success, though Bafetimbi Gomis’ excellent performance may be enough to keep him in the first team for another week. OL are walking a tightrope regarding Champions League qualification and can’t afford to slip.
Olympique de Marseille vs. Valenciennes
Marseille are only 90 minutes away from breaking a trophy drought that dates back to 1993. Didier Deschamps led his squad to the Coupe de la Ligue final in midweek, accounting for Toulouse in the Pink City after extra-time. Much-maligned striker Brandao was the hero, striking twice, and will be handed a central role on Sunday evening.
Wednesday’s match may have taken a significant amount from the energy reserves of OM’s players. In addition, there will be no Gabriel Heinze due to injury. The Argentine is not expected back until the latter stages of this month. On the plus side, Taye Taiwo is now available to play left-back after African Cup of Nations duty and will likely go straight back into the team.
Valenciennes also have a clutch of players back from Angola but the performances of certain team members over the Africans’ period of leave may mean that the returning men find it tough to break into the side. VA once boasted the best away record in France this season, but those days have passed. Rafael and Mamadou Samassa will be sat in the stands along with Jonathan Lacourt due to injuries.
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19:00 Boulogne-Sur-Mer vs. Montpellier
19:00 Grenoble Foot38 vs. Auxerre
19:00 Racing Club de Lens vs. Le Mans
19:00 Nice vs. Lille
19:00 Paris Saint-Germain vs. Lorient
19:00 Sochaux vs. Nancy
21:00 Stade Rennais vs. Girondins de Bordeaux (preview)
Sunday, February 7
17:00 Saint-Etienne vs. Monaco
17:00 Toulouse vs. Olympique Lyonnais
21:00 Olympique de Marseille vs. Valenciennes
Boulogne-Sur-Mer vs. Montpellier
Two sides promoted to the top flight at the beginning of the season meet in the north on Saturday evening having suffered very differing fates this term. Boulogne remain rooted in the drop zone, seemingly with no chance of escape, while Montpellier continue to mix it with the best, very hopeful of a place in Europe next term after an astonishing start to the campaign.
USBCO did manage to hold Bordeaux to a 0-0 draw last weekend, which will have allowed significant confidence to grow in their ranks. Laurent Guyot’s side continue to be ravaged by injuries, though they will hope to welcome back top scorer Gregory Thil in the near future. A host of winter recruits have been used to bulk up the squad but points are needed soon if they are to stand a chance of safety.
Meanwhile, Montpellier are up in second after a magnificent performance to dispatch Olympique de Marseille last weekend. La Paillade are presently in very good touch indeed, with their young players performing consistently to a very high standard. Key defender Emir Spahic continues to miss out through injury.
Grenoble Foot38 vs. Auxerre
A 4-0 defeat away to Rennes last weekend was the latest set-back endured by a Grenoble side who are set to go down in history as one of Ligue 1’s worst ever teams. After a relatively comfortable season last time out, this has to be considered something of a shock, even if they’ve had to do without key midfielder Sofiane Feghouli for much of the campaign.
Mecha Bazdarevic’s side looked to be utterly shorn of any confidence when they slumped to their latest loss, with only a couple of players – Diasuke Matsui and Nassim Akrour – on decent form. The efforts of striker Danijel Ljuboja continue to grow more labored as the club’s fate becomes ever clearer.
Auxerre, on the other hand, continue to scamper after a European place. AJA got somewhat lucky in holding out to beat Saint-Etienne last weekend and will be aware that better is needed against lowly Grenoble. A handful of players are poised to miss out, including Adama Coulibaly and Daniel Niculae.
Racing Club de Lens vs. Le Mans
If it promises to be a season free of relegation worry for Lens, the same cannot be said for Le Mans, who find themselves deeply entrenched in the battle against the drop.
Les Sang et Or have struggled to find their best form since the winter break, losing against Lille and Montpellier, but there were signs of life last time out against Rennes. After a poor first half display, Jean-Guy Wallemme’s side upped the tempo after the restart, deservedly drawing level and narrowly missing out on three points. Nenad Kovacevic is still an injury issue.
Le Mans will be without only Fredrik Stromstad for Saturday’s encounter. They will have to overcome the mental barrier of having lost 3-0 against Sochaux in a Coupe de France tie in midweek, though they did play with a largely shadow squad. Moussa Narry and Olivier Thomert could debut in this fixture.
Nice vs. Lille
The situation at Nice continues to grow ever more critical on a weekly basis. Supporters of the club seem to have lost faith in head coach Didier Olle-Nicolle, leading to protests after last weekend’s derby defeat at Monaco. Les Aiglons actually turned in one of their better performances for some time during that fixture, going down 3-2 ultimately.
Injury problems have certainly hindered the club’s progress, especially as they coincided with the African Cup of Nations, which stripped le Gym of eight players. They are now nearing their full complement, though Mamadou Bagayoko sits out suspended until February 10 for an incident that occurred towards the end of 2009.
At the end of last year Lille were in red-hot form, but they’ve struggled to reproduce such play in 2010 thus far. The African Cup of Nations has not aided their cause and with star man Gervinho back they will look to tear into the fragile confidence of their hosts. Ricardo Costa and Jean-Alain Fanchone could be involved in their squad for the first time, though Nicolas Plestan is injured.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Lorient
Now 14th in the table, PSG have endured another season of underperformance to date. There is still time to turn the situation around for Antoine Kombouare’s unit, who have been hit by injuries to key players and have been bereft of luck at times this term.
They certainly got little in the way of fortune last weekend, when they tackled Olympique Lyonnais. Enjoying a competitive fixture against les Gones, Mamadou Sakho was dismissed with les Parisiens leading 1-0. Come full-time they had lost 2-1, though confidence could be drawn from the promising partnership of Guillaume Hoarau and Mevlut Erding in attack. Gregory Coupet remains absent due to injury.
Lorient, meanwhile, continue to punch somewhere above their weight, but it’s hard to argue that Christian Gourcuff has not done an exceptional job with les Merlus, who will again finish somewhere in the middle of the table barring a great shock. In addition, the Bretons are in the semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue, in which they will face Bordeaux in a fortnight.
Sochaux vs. Nancy
After a disappointing start to the campaign, Francis Gillot has his Sochaux side firing on all cylinders. One of the youngest squads in Le Championnat, Sochaux also have some of the greatest potential stars, seemingly unearthing a new talent over the course of the last week in the form of Nigerian Ideye Brown. Signed from Swiss football, the forward bagged a brace against Le Mans in midweek to send his unit through in the Coupe de France.
Last weekend Sochaux were in a depleted state when they traveled to Valenciennes. A 1-1 draw was earned, albeit somewhat undeservedly, and les Lionceaux will be pleased to be able to welcome back Marvin Martin and Jeremie Brechet after suspension.
Nancy had endured a tough start to the year and had looked to be sinking towards the drop zone before a goal from Youssouf Hadji minutes before half-time sunk Lorient and gave the Lorraine club a valuable three points. Now they must try and build on that in Montbeliard, where they will still be without Jonathan Brison.
Saint-Etienne vs. Monaco
Relegation threatened Saint-Etienne were not at their best in midweek, when they faced Villefranche in the Coupe de France. Against the fourth flight side, Christophe Gautier’s men were taken to extra-time and then penalties after drawing 2-2 over the regulation 90 minutes. Les Verts ultimately triumphed, but it was by no means a convincing result.
That is the story of Sainte’s season. They are floating just above the drop zone, four point clear of Le Mans, but the potential is there for far more. Injuries have plagued the club and are slowly starting to clear up, though it may be another two or three weeks before they are operating at full capacity.
One team just about at their optimal level is Monaco, who have yet to even draw a game since the winter break. Guy Lacombe’s side are in inspired form, catapulted forward by the likes of Nene on the left hand side of midfield and Stephane Ruffier in goal. Both of those men are in a shortlist of three of the league’s Player of the Month award. Lacombe has undoubtedly been the top boss.
Toulouse vs. Olympique Lyonnais
Last term Toulouse and Lyon finished fourth and third respectively, but this season has been a very different story. Le Tefece have been too inconsistent and have tumbled down the rankings, while Lyon have also blown hot and cold and are therefore fourth, well back from league leading Bordeaux.
On Wednesday evening, Alain Casanova’s Toulouse suffered their latest frustration as they were eliminated from the Coupe de la Ligue at the semi-final stages by Marseille. Le Tefece led through an Andre-Pierre Gignac header with five minutes to go but were pegged back before full-time. The two additional periods would see OM dominate and ultimately progress.
Lyon had the luxury of the midweek off. Having only just edged PSG last weekend at Stade Gerland they probably felt they had earned it. Claude Puel’s unit were wholly unconvincing in their 2-1 success, though Bafetimbi Gomis’ excellent performance may be enough to keep him in the first team for another week. OL are walking a tightrope regarding Champions League qualification and can’t afford to slip.
Olympique de Marseille vs. Valenciennes
Marseille are only 90 minutes away from breaking a trophy drought that dates back to 1993. Didier Deschamps led his squad to the Coupe de la Ligue final in midweek, accounting for Toulouse in the Pink City after extra-time. Much-maligned striker Brandao was the hero, striking twice, and will be handed a central role on Sunday evening.
Wednesday’s match may have taken a significant amount from the energy reserves of OM’s players. In addition, there will be no Gabriel Heinze due to injury. The Argentine is not expected back until the latter stages of this month. On the plus side, Taye Taiwo is now available to play left-back after African Cup of Nations duty and will likely go straight back into the team.
Valenciennes also have a clutch of players back from Angola but the performances of certain team members over the Africans’ period of leave may mean that the returning men find it tough to break into the side. VA once boasted the best away record in France this season, but those days have passed. Rafael and Mamadou Samassa will be sat in the stands along with Jonathan Lacourt due to injuries.
For the latest news and updates from Goal.com, follow our Twitter account!
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