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Ligue 1 Preview: Round 7
Girondins de Bordeaux remain top of the pile after six matches, but can anyone displace Laurent Blanc’s men in Matchday 7?
| Bet: | Returns: | AJ Auxerre £24.00 | Draw £31.00 | FC Lorient £30.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | AJ Auxerre £23.50 | Draw £31.50 | FC Lorient £31.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | AJ Auxerre £24.00 | Draw £30.00 | FC Lorient £30.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | AJ Auxerre £24.00 | Draw £32.00 | FC Lorient £30.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | AJ Auxerre £23.50 | Draw £31.00 | FC Lorient £28.50 |
|
Sep 25, 2009 1:45:30 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, September 26, 2009 (all kick-offs CET)
19:00 Auxerre vs. Grenoble Foot38
19:00 Lorient vs. Paris Saint-Germain
19:00 Monaco vs. Saint-Etienne
19:00 Montpellier vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
19:00 Nancy vs. Sochaux
19:00 Valenciennes vs. Olympique de Marseille (full preview)
21:00 Olympique Lyonnais vs. Toulouse (full preview)
Sunday, September 27
17:00 Le Mans vs. Racing Club de Lens
17:00 Lille vs. Nice
21:00 Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Stade Rennais (full preview)
Auxerre vs. Grenoble Foot38
Even in comparison to Auxerre, who have only accrued five points in their opening six league matches of the season and have been knocked out of the Coupe de la Ligue by Ligue 2 side Sedan, Grenoble have endured a turgid start to the campaign, losing all seven of the matches on offer to them.
They will therefore travel north to Burgundy on Saturday in hope rather than expectation, though head coach Mecha Bazdarevic maintains his belief that his side can turn things around. Until they get key central defenders Bostjan Cesar and Sandy Paillot fit, that will be a tough ask. David Jemmali and Nicolas Dieuze should both be included after a does of flu, but Josip Tadic still misses out.
AJA, who have improved over the last fortnight, also have some injury complaints, with Alexandre Licata and Julien Quercia both missing. After being out for around a year, Quercia is expected to return next month. Jeremy Berthod will sit this game out too.
Lorient vs. Paris Saint-Germain
An intriguing fixture awaits in Brittany this Saturday, where an in-form Lorient side will tackle PSG, who have enjoyed a terrific start to this campaign.
Home coach Christian Gourcuff has watched his side record three victories in their last four games in all competitions, so they host les Parisiens with belief. However, they are short of Yann Jouffre and Yasid Mansouri, both of whom will miss this game due to injury. Look out for Sigamary Diarra, who has impressed over the last couple of weeks on the left wing for the home side.
Meanwhile, PSG coach Antoine Kombouare watched a young team dispatch Boulogne in midweek, and he will want more of the same from his top rotation this weekend. Livewire midfielder Stephane Sessegnon returns after a two match ban, though Zoumana Camara and Mevlut Erding are still absentees.
Monaco vs. Saint-Etienne
The schizophrenia suffered by Monaco this season continued in midweek, as they lost yet again away from home. Aside from last weekend’s 3-1 success over Nice, they have won all their home games (without conceding a goal) and have lost all their away fixtures.
Head coach Guy Lacombe would certainly settle for half of that previous sentence, and he will be hopeful of picking up three points against lowly, but improving, Saint-Etienne. Eidur Gudjohnsen has yet to full fired for les Monegasques, who will be without Juan Pablo Pino due to a knee problem.
Sainte scored a massively impressive 4-1 Coupe de la Ligue victory over Nice in midweek – just the kind of success they have been threatening for much of the season. In Gonzalo Bergessio, it seems that they finally have a player to put the ball in the net, and he could be pivotal to the success of their entire campaign. Club captain Loic Perrin is available once again, having barely played over the course of the last year. However, les Verts’ away record is a source of misery.
Montpellier vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
It’s a clash of two newly promoted clubs at the Stade de la Mosson, and both will have pinpointed this game as a chance to get their season going again after stutters following starts.
Montpellier were undefeated until last week, when they were trounced 4-2 by Marseille. That defeat was followed up by a 4-3 extra-time loss to Lens in the Coupe de la Ligue on Wednesday night. Head coach Rene Girard will remain optimistic as long as his side are finding the net, and he has few injury concerns, with long-term absentee Johann Carrasso likely to be the only miss.
Such bright news cannot be found in the north, where Boulogne are reeling from the reports that star player Gregory Thil could be out for five months after undergoing ankle surgery this week. While Thil was recovering from his operation, Boulogne were busy losing 1-0 to PSG in the Coupe de la Ligue, though it was a rotated side deployed by Laurent Guyot. Without their offensive leader, it could be a long five months for USBCO.
Nancy vs. Sochaux
Pablo Correa’s Nancy side showed their abilities on Wednesday night by eliminating Monaco from the Coupe de la Ligue. Interestingly, it was players such as Julien Feret, who are not considered automatic first team picks who excelled in midweek, giving their coach a real selection dilemma ahead of Saturday’s game against les Lionceaux.
However, he still has a number of injury problems niggling the team. Michael Chretien and Abbes Ouaddou continue to toil with their respective knocks, though Issiar Dia made a goal scoring return against les Monegasques.
Things looked bright for Sochaux earlier in the season, but such hope has faded to some extent, punctured further by a heavy 5-2 defeat against Valenciennes last weekend. Francis Gillot thought he had lost Jacques Faty to serious injury in that game, but the centre-back was fit enough to feature against Rennes in the 2-1 midweek loss. Les Lionceaux have lost four of their opening six games and have won the other two.
Valenciennes vs. Olympique de Marseille
For a full preview of the game, click here…
Olympique Lyonnais vs. Toulouse
For a full preview of the game, click here…
Le Mans vs. Racing Club de Lens
Despite enjoying some very bright performances early in the campaign, Le Mans are rooted to only four points and will feel that there is some degree of pressure on them to score a victory against new promoted Lens. The Sarthe outfit have played some neat stuff and have not been rewarded for their efforts, so they will certainly feel they have a shot at success.
A 3-0 victory over Ligue 2 side Nimes will have boosted the morale of the whole squad, with many fringe players taking part in that game. Anthony Le Tallec has been on great form in the early weeks of the season, while Modibo Maiga and Thorstein Helstad, who have two goals each this season, will compete to start in attack.
Lens go into this match with some degree of confidence – they picked up a good point against Lille last weekend in the derby match, though it should have been three, and they marched to the last 16 of the Coupe de la Ligue on Wednesday with victory over Montpellier after extra-time. They lie tenth in Ligue 1, boasting eight points.
Lille vs. Nice
LOSC remain one of Ligue 1’s great enigmas as they have started the season very slowly indeed, picking up only five points in six games, despite showing good form in the Europa League. However, against a Nice side in a seemingly uncontrollable tailspin, three points should be won at the Stade Lille Metropole on Sunday afternoon.
Head coach Rudi Garcia will be deprived of the services of Michael Landreau and Tulio de Melo for the match, while Nicolas Plestan continues to fight against adductor problems. Aurelien Chedjou has added to the coach’s defensive woes and will miss a month to six weeks due to injury. Yohan Cabaye is banned after being sent-off just 43 seconds after coming on as a substitute against Lens last weekend, a match drawn 1-1 thanks to a late Adil Rami header.
Nice’s situation is chronic at this stage, having lost four league matches on the bounce and then losing heavily to Saint-Etienne in the Coupe de la Ligue in midweek. Coach Didier Olle-Nicolle already finds his job on the line, and answers must be provided soon. Goalkeeper David Ospina, and midfielders Mahamane Traore and Kafoumba Coulibaly all sit out injured.
Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Stade Rennais
For a full preview of the game, click here…
Robin Bairner, Goal.com
19:00 Auxerre vs. Grenoble Foot38
19:00 Lorient vs. Paris Saint-Germain
19:00 Monaco vs. Saint-Etienne
19:00 Montpellier vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
19:00 Nancy vs. Sochaux
19:00 Valenciennes vs. Olympique de Marseille (full preview)
21:00 Olympique Lyonnais vs. Toulouse (full preview)
Sunday, September 27
17:00 Le Mans vs. Racing Club de Lens
17:00 Lille vs. Nice
21:00 Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Stade Rennais (full preview)
Auxerre vs. Grenoble Foot38
Even in comparison to Auxerre, who have only accrued five points in their opening six league matches of the season and have been knocked out of the Coupe de la Ligue by Ligue 2 side Sedan, Grenoble have endured a turgid start to the campaign, losing all seven of the matches on offer to them.
They will therefore travel north to Burgundy on Saturday in hope rather than expectation, though head coach Mecha Bazdarevic maintains his belief that his side can turn things around. Until they get key central defenders Bostjan Cesar and Sandy Paillot fit, that will be a tough ask. David Jemmali and Nicolas Dieuze should both be included after a does of flu, but Josip Tadic still misses out.
AJA, who have improved over the last fortnight, also have some injury complaints, with Alexandre Licata and Julien Quercia both missing. After being out for around a year, Quercia is expected to return next month. Jeremy Berthod will sit this game out too.
Lorient vs. Paris Saint-Germain
An intriguing fixture awaits in Brittany this Saturday, where an in-form Lorient side will tackle PSG, who have enjoyed a terrific start to this campaign.
Home coach Christian Gourcuff has watched his side record three victories in their last four games in all competitions, so they host les Parisiens with belief. However, they are short of Yann Jouffre and Yasid Mansouri, both of whom will miss this game due to injury. Look out for Sigamary Diarra, who has impressed over the last couple of weeks on the left wing for the home side.
Meanwhile, PSG coach Antoine Kombouare watched a young team dispatch Boulogne in midweek, and he will want more of the same from his top rotation this weekend. Livewire midfielder Stephane Sessegnon returns after a two match ban, though Zoumana Camara and Mevlut Erding are still absentees.
Monaco vs. Saint-Etienne
The schizophrenia suffered by Monaco this season continued in midweek, as they lost yet again away from home. Aside from last weekend’s 3-1 success over Nice, they have won all their home games (without conceding a goal) and have lost all their away fixtures.
Head coach Guy Lacombe would certainly settle for half of that previous sentence, and he will be hopeful of picking up three points against lowly, but improving, Saint-Etienne. Eidur Gudjohnsen has yet to full fired for les Monegasques, who will be without Juan Pablo Pino due to a knee problem.
Sainte scored a massively impressive 4-1 Coupe de la Ligue victory over Nice in midweek – just the kind of success they have been threatening for much of the season. In Gonzalo Bergessio, it seems that they finally have a player to put the ball in the net, and he could be pivotal to the success of their entire campaign. Club captain Loic Perrin is available once again, having barely played over the course of the last year. However, les Verts’ away record is a source of misery.
Montpellier vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
It’s a clash of two newly promoted clubs at the Stade de la Mosson, and both will have pinpointed this game as a chance to get their season going again after stutters following starts.
Montpellier were undefeated until last week, when they were trounced 4-2 by Marseille. That defeat was followed up by a 4-3 extra-time loss to Lens in the Coupe de la Ligue on Wednesday night. Head coach Rene Girard will remain optimistic as long as his side are finding the net, and he has few injury concerns, with long-term absentee Johann Carrasso likely to be the only miss.
Such bright news cannot be found in the north, where Boulogne are reeling from the reports that star player Gregory Thil could be out for five months after undergoing ankle surgery this week. While Thil was recovering from his operation, Boulogne were busy losing 1-0 to PSG in the Coupe de la Ligue, though it was a rotated side deployed by Laurent Guyot. Without their offensive leader, it could be a long five months for USBCO.
Nancy vs. Sochaux
Pablo Correa’s Nancy side showed their abilities on Wednesday night by eliminating Monaco from the Coupe de la Ligue. Interestingly, it was players such as Julien Feret, who are not considered automatic first team picks who excelled in midweek, giving their coach a real selection dilemma ahead of Saturday’s game against les Lionceaux.
However, he still has a number of injury problems niggling the team. Michael Chretien and Abbes Ouaddou continue to toil with their respective knocks, though Issiar Dia made a goal scoring return against les Monegasques.
Things looked bright for Sochaux earlier in the season, but such hope has faded to some extent, punctured further by a heavy 5-2 defeat against Valenciennes last weekend. Francis Gillot thought he had lost Jacques Faty to serious injury in that game, but the centre-back was fit enough to feature against Rennes in the 2-1 midweek loss. Les Lionceaux have lost four of their opening six games and have won the other two.
Valenciennes vs. Olympique de Marseille
For a full preview of the game, click here…
Olympique Lyonnais vs. Toulouse
For a full preview of the game, click here…
Le Mans vs. Racing Club de Lens
Despite enjoying some very bright performances early in the campaign, Le Mans are rooted to only four points and will feel that there is some degree of pressure on them to score a victory against new promoted Lens. The Sarthe outfit have played some neat stuff and have not been rewarded for their efforts, so they will certainly feel they have a shot at success.
A 3-0 victory over Ligue 2 side Nimes will have boosted the morale of the whole squad, with many fringe players taking part in that game. Anthony Le Tallec has been on great form in the early weeks of the season, while Modibo Maiga and Thorstein Helstad, who have two goals each this season, will compete to start in attack.
Lens go into this match with some degree of confidence – they picked up a good point against Lille last weekend in the derby match, though it should have been three, and they marched to the last 16 of the Coupe de la Ligue on Wednesday with victory over Montpellier after extra-time. They lie tenth in Ligue 1, boasting eight points.
Lille vs. Nice
LOSC remain one of Ligue 1’s great enigmas as they have started the season very slowly indeed, picking up only five points in six games, despite showing good form in the Europa League. However, against a Nice side in a seemingly uncontrollable tailspin, three points should be won at the Stade Lille Metropole on Sunday afternoon.
Head coach Rudi Garcia will be deprived of the services of Michael Landreau and Tulio de Melo for the match, while Nicolas Plestan continues to fight against adductor problems. Aurelien Chedjou has added to the coach’s defensive woes and will miss a month to six weeks due to injury. Yohan Cabaye is banned after being sent-off just 43 seconds after coming on as a substitute against Lens last weekend, a match drawn 1-1 thanks to a late Adil Rami header.
Nice’s situation is chronic at this stage, having lost four league matches on the bounce and then losing heavily to Saint-Etienne in the Coupe de la Ligue in midweek. Coach Didier Olle-Nicolle already finds his job on the line, and answers must be provided soon. Goalkeeper David Ospina, and midfielders Mahamane Traore and Kafoumba Coulibaly all sit out injured.
Girondins de Bordeaux vs. Stade Rennais
For a full preview of the game, click here…
Robin Bairner, Goal.com
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