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Ligue 1 Preview: Round 2
Bordeaux are back to their familiar position atop Ligue 1, but any slips this weekend will likely see them fall. Meanwhile, Marseille's Sunday game against Lille will attract much of the attention as Didier Deschamps' men chase a second victory of the season...
| Bet: | Returns: | AJ Auxerre £24.00 | Draw £31.00 | FC Lorient £30.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | AJ Auxerre £23.80 | Draw £31.00 | FC Lorient £31.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | AJ Auxerre £24.00 | Draw £30.00 | FC Lorient £30.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | AJ Auxerre £23.80 | Draw £32.00 | FC Lorient £30.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | AJ Auxerre £23.50 | Draw £31.50 | FC Lorient £32.50 |
|
Aug 14, 2009 1:15:39 PM
AJ Auxerre, AS Monaco, AS Nancy-Lorraine, AS Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux, FC Lorient, FC Sochaux, Grenoble Foot 38, Le Mans UC 72, LOSC Lille Métropole, Montpellier HSC, OGC Nice, Olympique de Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais, Paris Saint-Germain, RC Lens, Stade Rennais FC, Toulouse FC, US Boulogne, Valenciennes FC
Saturday, August 15, 2009 (all kick-offs CET)
19:00 Racing Club de Lens vs. Auxerre
19:00 Lorient vs. Montpellier
19:00 Olympique Lyonnais vs. Valenciennes
19:00 Nancy vs. Monaco
19:00 Paris Saint-Germain vs. Le Mans
19:00 Sochaux vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
21:00 Toulouse vs. Saint-Etienne
Sunday, August 16
17:00 Boulogne-Sur-Mer vs. Grenoble Foot38
17:00 Nice vs. Stade Rennais
21:00 Olympique de Marseille vs. Lille
Racing Club de Lens vs. Auxerre
Defeat in the opening game for Lens might have been expected, but the margin of their 4-1 loss against Bordeaux was rather unjust, and head coach Jean-Guy Wallemme certainly explained such feelings to the press after the game. However, he will feel his side have a real chance of picking up their first points of the season against an Auxerre side that also suffered opening day defeat.
The football-mad northern town welcomes Ligue 1 action back after little over a year away, and the passionate home fans had been hoping to see Geoffrey Doumeng amongst the home ranks, but he has failed to shake off an injury. Meanwhile, Aruna Dindane appears unlikely to feature in the squad due to a seemingly imminent transfer, while a number of other first team regulars were not included in the team last weekend.
IF Lens’ injury problems are light, Auxerre have a focus of problems in their attack. Definitely out are dangerous attackers Ireneusz Jelen, Julien Quercia and Alexandre Licata. Jean Fernandez will be wondering where the goals are to come from – AJA certainly looked impotent against Sochaux last week.
Lorient vs. Montpellier
Both of these sides will be relatively pleased with their opening match endeavours. Lorient continued their decent form on the road last season in Lille, beating the Nord side 2-1 with goals from Marama Vahirua and Kevin Gameiro, while Montpellier recovered from the loss of Cyril Jeunechamp to a red card to haul themselves to a 1-1 draw against PSG, Emir Spahic scoring a last minute header.
Les Merlus are confident of having close to a full squad to play with as they enjoy their opening home game of the season. James Fanchone will miss the encounter, but he is the only first team member to be sidelined through injury.
Montpellier will have to again cope without long-term absentee Johann Carrasso, while Jeuenchamps’ somewhat harsh dismissal will see him sit out this encounter through suspension. His place in the squad is taken by midfielder Alberto ‘Tino’ Costa, who sat out last weekend due to suspension.
Olympique Lyonnais vs. Valenciennes
Already the pressure is starting to mount on Olympique Lyonnais, who failed to defeat Le Mans last weekend, raising early question marks about their ability to challenge for a league title. Certainly anything other than victory against Valenciennes at the Stade Gerland will see the panic button pressed early in the Rhone Valley.
John Mensah and Kim Kallstrom will both be available to Lyon after suspension, but the Ghanaian defender appears to be in the midst of a move away from the club and may not be included in the squad for that reason. Cesar Delgado continues to build his fitness while Jean-Alain Boumsong missed France’s midweek win over the Faroe Islands with a hamstring problems.
Valenciennes coach Philippe Montanier described his team’s defeat against Nancy last weekend as a “nightmare”. Circumstances contrived against VAFC, who will have goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau suspended for this game. Milan Bisevac and Johan Audel both return from bans, but key striker Gregory Pujol continues to be absent due to injury.
Nancy vs. Monaco
Despite conceding inside the first ten minutes against Valenciennes last weekend, the opening weekend of the season could not have gone a whole lot better for ASNL, who recorded a 3-1 victory away from home. Monaco also claimed opening day success, defeating Toulouse 1-0 at the Stade Louis II.
Floyd Ayite made his debut for Nancy last weekend, marking the occasion with a goal. However, it was not an entirely happy evening for him as he was withdrawn with a slight concern in the second half. Daniel Moreira and Abbes Ouaddou return from bans to strengthen the defence, and though they will likely start, the first XI should not be tinkered with too greatly. Youssouf Hadji, a vital cog in the Nancy team, will return to play in attack.
Guy Lacombe is slowly revolutionising Monaco, although new players have been slow to arrive. Nicolas Pokrivac and Dario Simic lead a raft of previously established players cut from the squad, but with Nene and Juan Pablo Pino on form down either wing, les Monegasques will prove tricky opponents for any side, despite a handful of first team players missing due to injury.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Le Mans
PSG’s inability to beat Montpellier last weekend left many members of their squad seething – it was two simple points thrown away late on, according to midfielder Jeremy Clement. But he also conceded the hunger of the newly promoted side merited a point, hinting his side have to be more ready for a battle.
They will certainly get that against Le Mans, as Olympique Lyonnais found out last weekend, when they struggled to break Paulo Duarte’s side down for long periods. As a result, OL required a late, late free kick to level matters. A similarly organised and disciplined performance in the French capital could well yield another positive result.
While PSG continue to nurse Zoumana Camara back towards health, they are also cautious over Guillaume Hoarau’s fitness, although after playing a reserve game last weekend, it would be a shock if he wasn’t in the squad. Ibrahima Camara and Fredrik Stromstad provide the worries for the visiting side.
Sochaux vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
It could be unlucky 13 for Bordeaux, as they chase yet another Ligue 1 success. With the record of 12 bagged last week, Laurent Blanc’s side have now won their last 15 competitive fixtures – a remarkable record at any level. However, that run has to be broken some time, and Sochaux will fancy themselves to be the party poopers after claiming an impressive 1-0 win of Auxerre last time out.
Francis Gillot, who continues to worry over Carlao and Sloan Privat, could hand American international Charlie Davies his full debut. He looked bright coming off the bench last weekend, and could replace Marvin Martin in the starting XI, partnering Vaclav Sverkos in attack.
Bordeaux’s squad is unlikely to be greatly altered from last weekend. There have been no reports of serious injury concerns as yet, and Blanc’s men, though not hitting their best form as yet, are clearly full of confidence. Expect the same players to feature from the outset as last weekend, when they recorded a flattering 4-1 win over Lens.
Toulouse vs. Saint-Etienne
Saturday night’s focus will turn to the Pink City, where two of Round 1’s losers will face off. Toulouse mustered something of a fight as they went down 1-0 to an impressive looking Monaco, where as Saint-Etienne don’t look as though they’ve taken any steps forward from last season, still dominating games but struggling to create chances.
Defensive weakness cost le Tefece last weekend – something that rarely struck them down last season as they recorded a fourth placed finish. Indeed, they could have lost by more had it not been for the excellence of second choice goalkeeper Olivier Blondel, who was deputising for the injured Yohann Pele. Luan, Soren Larsen and Paulo Cesar are also out.
Sainte are pushing to sign a striker, but they will not have any new faces available by the weekend. Instead, head coach Alain Perrin will hope that Ilan can regain his fitness, while Guarani N’Daw will likely debut in the centre of defence. Notable figures such as captain Loic Perrin and Mouhamadou Dabo sit out.
Boulogne-Sur-Mer vs. Grenoble Foot38
Top flight football will be played at the Stade de la Liberation for the first time on Sunday afternoon, and it seems likely that the small 9,000 capacity stadium will be packed to the gunnels, despite the hosts receiving a heavy 3-0 defeat last weekend against Rennes.
If they are to compete in any form this term, they must aim to take something from matches against the likes of Grenoble, who are little more than functional and difficult to beat. Jean Francois Bedenik will again be sidelined, while striker Jeremy Blayac appears likely to sit out.
Grenoble also have problems in the advanced areas, with Pierre Boya and Yorik Ravet both carrying knocks. Danjiel Ljuboja could come into the starting squad after a lively appearance from the bench last weekend, while fellow substitute Nicolas Dieuze will also be pushing for a place in the first XI. GF38 kicked off their season with a 2-0 loss to Marseille.
Nice vs. Stade Rennais
Hopes are high of a strong season in Nice after les Aiglons won their season opener 2-0 against Saint-Etienne. They will receive a stern test against a Rennes side tipped to do well, and an outfit that barely got out of second gear as they hammered Boulogne 3-0 to go top of the league on the first evening of the season.
Few changes are anticipated in either line-up. Nice will continue to play with three forward players, with Loic Remy likely to be the spearhead again. Indeed, there are only likely to be a couple of changes at most in their squad. Mamadou Bagayoko and Onyekachi Apam are both returning from suspension, while Emerse Fae and Jonathan Quartey were both absent with injury last weekend. Fae is training again, but is unlikely to play.
Bruno Cheyrou is a doubt for Rennes after picking up a bang in training, while Jimmy Briand continues to miss out long-term. Alexander Tettey will not be available to make his debut this weekend, but he should be back in the coming days for the Breton side.
Olympique de Marseille vs. Lille
It took Marseille little under 100 seconds to score their first goal of the season, Mamadou Niang striking against Grenoble en route to a 2-0 victory. This was undeniably a signal of intent from Didier Deschamps’ side, who surely boast the most impressive squad in the league. The following day, Lille under performed, losing 2-1 at home to Lorient.
Worrying for les Dogues, OM have strengthened throughout this week, with Hilton and Laurent Bonnart returning to training, though the latter may not make the squad. Lucho Gonzalez continues to miss out, but Stephane Mbia could make his debut after serving a one match ban. Bakary Kone picked up a knee problem on international duty and is uncertain to feature.
Aside from long-term problem Mickael Landreau, Lille have no great injury worries approaching Sunday’s game. Les Dogues will have to significantly up their level of performance from last weekend, and coach Rudi Garcia may elect to make some subtle changes throughout the side.
This fixture will be played at the Stade de la Mosson in Montpellier as the Stade Velodrome is still closed due to the ongoing investigations into the death of two construction workers who were putting together a stage for a Madonna concert.
Robin Bairner, Goal.com
19:00 Racing Club de Lens vs. Auxerre
19:00 Lorient vs. Montpellier
19:00 Olympique Lyonnais vs. Valenciennes
19:00 Nancy vs. Monaco
19:00 Paris Saint-Germain vs. Le Mans
19:00 Sochaux vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
21:00 Toulouse vs. Saint-Etienne
Sunday, August 16
17:00 Boulogne-Sur-Mer vs. Grenoble Foot38
17:00 Nice vs. Stade Rennais
21:00 Olympique de Marseille vs. Lille
Racing Club de Lens vs. Auxerre
Defeat in the opening game for Lens might have been expected, but the margin of their 4-1 loss against Bordeaux was rather unjust, and head coach Jean-Guy Wallemme certainly explained such feelings to the press after the game. However, he will feel his side have a real chance of picking up their first points of the season against an Auxerre side that also suffered opening day defeat.
The football-mad northern town welcomes Ligue 1 action back after little over a year away, and the passionate home fans had been hoping to see Geoffrey Doumeng amongst the home ranks, but he has failed to shake off an injury. Meanwhile, Aruna Dindane appears unlikely to feature in the squad due to a seemingly imminent transfer, while a number of other first team regulars were not included in the team last weekend.
IF Lens’ injury problems are light, Auxerre have a focus of problems in their attack. Definitely out are dangerous attackers Ireneusz Jelen, Julien Quercia and Alexandre Licata. Jean Fernandez will be wondering where the goals are to come from – AJA certainly looked impotent against Sochaux last week.
Lorient vs. Montpellier
Both of these sides will be relatively pleased with their opening match endeavours. Lorient continued their decent form on the road last season in Lille, beating the Nord side 2-1 with goals from Marama Vahirua and Kevin Gameiro, while Montpellier recovered from the loss of Cyril Jeunechamp to a red card to haul themselves to a 1-1 draw against PSG, Emir Spahic scoring a last minute header.
Les Merlus are confident of having close to a full squad to play with as they enjoy their opening home game of the season. James Fanchone will miss the encounter, but he is the only first team member to be sidelined through injury.
Montpellier will have to again cope without long-term absentee Johann Carrasso, while Jeuenchamps’ somewhat harsh dismissal will see him sit out this encounter through suspension. His place in the squad is taken by midfielder Alberto ‘Tino’ Costa, who sat out last weekend due to suspension.
Olympique Lyonnais vs. Valenciennes
Already the pressure is starting to mount on Olympique Lyonnais, who failed to defeat Le Mans last weekend, raising early question marks about their ability to challenge for a league title. Certainly anything other than victory against Valenciennes at the Stade Gerland will see the panic button pressed early in the Rhone Valley.
John Mensah and Kim Kallstrom will both be available to Lyon after suspension, but the Ghanaian defender appears to be in the midst of a move away from the club and may not be included in the squad for that reason. Cesar Delgado continues to build his fitness while Jean-Alain Boumsong missed France’s midweek win over the Faroe Islands with a hamstring problems.
Valenciennes coach Philippe Montanier described his team’s defeat against Nancy last weekend as a “nightmare”. Circumstances contrived against VAFC, who will have goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau suspended for this game. Milan Bisevac and Johan Audel both return from bans, but key striker Gregory Pujol continues to be absent due to injury.
Nancy vs. Monaco
Despite conceding inside the first ten minutes against Valenciennes last weekend, the opening weekend of the season could not have gone a whole lot better for ASNL, who recorded a 3-1 victory away from home. Monaco also claimed opening day success, defeating Toulouse 1-0 at the Stade Louis II.
Floyd Ayite made his debut for Nancy last weekend, marking the occasion with a goal. However, it was not an entirely happy evening for him as he was withdrawn with a slight concern in the second half. Daniel Moreira and Abbes Ouaddou return from bans to strengthen the defence, and though they will likely start, the first XI should not be tinkered with too greatly. Youssouf Hadji, a vital cog in the Nancy team, will return to play in attack.
Guy Lacombe is slowly revolutionising Monaco, although new players have been slow to arrive. Nicolas Pokrivac and Dario Simic lead a raft of previously established players cut from the squad, but with Nene and Juan Pablo Pino on form down either wing, les Monegasques will prove tricky opponents for any side, despite a handful of first team players missing due to injury.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Le Mans
PSG’s inability to beat Montpellier last weekend left many members of their squad seething – it was two simple points thrown away late on, according to midfielder Jeremy Clement. But he also conceded the hunger of the newly promoted side merited a point, hinting his side have to be more ready for a battle.
They will certainly get that against Le Mans, as Olympique Lyonnais found out last weekend, when they struggled to break Paulo Duarte’s side down for long periods. As a result, OL required a late, late free kick to level matters. A similarly organised and disciplined performance in the French capital could well yield another positive result.
While PSG continue to nurse Zoumana Camara back towards health, they are also cautious over Guillaume Hoarau’s fitness, although after playing a reserve game last weekend, it would be a shock if he wasn’t in the squad. Ibrahima Camara and Fredrik Stromstad provide the worries for the visiting side.
Sochaux vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
It could be unlucky 13 for Bordeaux, as they chase yet another Ligue 1 success. With the record of 12 bagged last week, Laurent Blanc’s side have now won their last 15 competitive fixtures – a remarkable record at any level. However, that run has to be broken some time, and Sochaux will fancy themselves to be the party poopers after claiming an impressive 1-0 win of Auxerre last time out.
Francis Gillot, who continues to worry over Carlao and Sloan Privat, could hand American international Charlie Davies his full debut. He looked bright coming off the bench last weekend, and could replace Marvin Martin in the starting XI, partnering Vaclav Sverkos in attack.
Bordeaux’s squad is unlikely to be greatly altered from last weekend. There have been no reports of serious injury concerns as yet, and Blanc’s men, though not hitting their best form as yet, are clearly full of confidence. Expect the same players to feature from the outset as last weekend, when they recorded a flattering 4-1 win over Lens.
Toulouse vs. Saint-Etienne
Saturday night’s focus will turn to the Pink City, where two of Round 1’s losers will face off. Toulouse mustered something of a fight as they went down 1-0 to an impressive looking Monaco, where as Saint-Etienne don’t look as though they’ve taken any steps forward from last season, still dominating games but struggling to create chances.
Defensive weakness cost le Tefece last weekend – something that rarely struck them down last season as they recorded a fourth placed finish. Indeed, they could have lost by more had it not been for the excellence of second choice goalkeeper Olivier Blondel, who was deputising for the injured Yohann Pele. Luan, Soren Larsen and Paulo Cesar are also out.
Sainte are pushing to sign a striker, but they will not have any new faces available by the weekend. Instead, head coach Alain Perrin will hope that Ilan can regain his fitness, while Guarani N’Daw will likely debut in the centre of defence. Notable figures such as captain Loic Perrin and Mouhamadou Dabo sit out.
Boulogne-Sur-Mer vs. Grenoble Foot38
Top flight football will be played at the Stade de la Liberation for the first time on Sunday afternoon, and it seems likely that the small 9,000 capacity stadium will be packed to the gunnels, despite the hosts receiving a heavy 3-0 defeat last weekend against Rennes.
If they are to compete in any form this term, they must aim to take something from matches against the likes of Grenoble, who are little more than functional and difficult to beat. Jean Francois Bedenik will again be sidelined, while striker Jeremy Blayac appears likely to sit out.
Grenoble also have problems in the advanced areas, with Pierre Boya and Yorik Ravet both carrying knocks. Danjiel Ljuboja could come into the starting squad after a lively appearance from the bench last weekend, while fellow substitute Nicolas Dieuze will also be pushing for a place in the first XI. GF38 kicked off their season with a 2-0 loss to Marseille.
Nice vs. Stade Rennais
Hopes are high of a strong season in Nice after les Aiglons won their season opener 2-0 against Saint-Etienne. They will receive a stern test against a Rennes side tipped to do well, and an outfit that barely got out of second gear as they hammered Boulogne 3-0 to go top of the league on the first evening of the season.
Few changes are anticipated in either line-up. Nice will continue to play with three forward players, with Loic Remy likely to be the spearhead again. Indeed, there are only likely to be a couple of changes at most in their squad. Mamadou Bagayoko and Onyekachi Apam are both returning from suspension, while Emerse Fae and Jonathan Quartey were both absent with injury last weekend. Fae is training again, but is unlikely to play.
Bruno Cheyrou is a doubt for Rennes after picking up a bang in training, while Jimmy Briand continues to miss out long-term. Alexander Tettey will not be available to make his debut this weekend, but he should be back in the coming days for the Breton side.
Olympique de Marseille vs. Lille
It took Marseille little under 100 seconds to score their first goal of the season, Mamadou Niang striking against Grenoble en route to a 2-0 victory. This was undeniably a signal of intent from Didier Deschamps’ side, who surely boast the most impressive squad in the league. The following day, Lille under performed, losing 2-1 at home to Lorient.
Worrying for les Dogues, OM have strengthened throughout this week, with Hilton and Laurent Bonnart returning to training, though the latter may not make the squad. Lucho Gonzalez continues to miss out, but Stephane Mbia could make his debut after serving a one match ban. Bakary Kone picked up a knee problem on international duty and is uncertain to feature.
Aside from long-term problem Mickael Landreau, Lille have no great injury worries approaching Sunday’s game. Les Dogues will have to significantly up their level of performance from last weekend, and coach Rudi Garcia may elect to make some subtle changes throughout the side.
This fixture will be played at the Stade de la Mosson in Montpellier as the Stade Velodrome is still closed due to the ongoing investigations into the death of two construction workers who were putting together a stage for a Madonna concert.
Robin Bairner, Goal.com
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