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Ligue 1 Preview: Round 15

Auxerre are the shock leaders of Le Championnat, chased by a pack of nine clubs within six points. The Burgundy outfit fight to defend their advantage this weekend...

Nov 27, 2009 12:25:25 PM

Ligue 1 : Etienne Didot (Toulouse) vs Drissa Diakite (Nice)

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Ligue 1 : Etienne Didot (Toulouse) vs Drissa Diakite (Nice)

Teams

Saturday, November 28, 2009 (all kick-off times CET)

19:00 Lille vs. Valenciennes
19:00 Lorient vs. Grenoble
19:00 Monaco P-P Montpellier (postponed due to swine flu)
19:00 Paris Saint-Germain vs. Auxerre (full preview)
19:00 Sochaux vs. Nice
19:00 Toulouse vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
21:00 Racing Club de Lens vs. Olympique de Marseille (full preview)

Sunday, November 29

17:00 Le Mans vs. Saint-Etienne
17:00 Nancy vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
21:00 Olympique Lyonnais vs. Stade Rennais (full preview available 14:00 CET on Saturday)

Lille vs. Valenciennes

Enigmatic Lille defeated Bordeaux 2-0 before the international break and looked like world beaters in the process, before sliding to a somewhat disappointing loss to Montpellier last weekend. Les Dogues certainly have the potential to beat the very best, but a lack of consistency has hurt them badly this season.

Head coach Rudi Garcia will be as puzzled as anyone regarding his side’s mediocre form, and a local derby against Valenciennes may just be the ideal match to rouse them from their slumbers. Only Nicolas Plestan is certain to miss out, though Stephane Dumont may well be absent too.

If Lille are toiling, near-neighbours Valenciennes are flourishing, especially away from home. They became the first team since October 2007 to win a league match in Bordeaux last weekend, taking their road record to played seven won five this term. Milan Bisevac leads a shortening injury list.

Lorient vs. Grenoble

Christian Gourcuff has Lorient playing really well this term, with a 5-0 victory over Boulogne-Sur-Mer acting as something of a warning shot to a Grenoble side for whom the league table paints an ugly picture. Les Merlus, meanwhile, continued their good form last weekend, winning 2-0 in Saint-Etienne.

The Breton side have received great service from strikers Marama Vahirua and Kevin Gameiro this season, so expect them to keep the visiting defence busy. In addition, they are at close to full strength, with only Jeremy Morel definitely sidelined.

GF38 have picked up of late, claiming points in each of their last two outings. Confidence in the squad appears to be improving, as witnessed by their 1-1 draw with Lyon last weekend, which was achieved, despite having Laurent Courtois, who is banned for Saturday’s match, sent-off. David Jemmali returns from a suspension, while the injury list has shrunk slightly.

Monaco P-P Montpellier

Match postponed due to swine flu epidemic in the Montpellier side.

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Auxerre

For a full preview, click here…

Sochaux vs. Nice

It’s been three weeks since Sochaux were last in action. The international break and last weekend’s scheduled match against Marseille being pushed back has prevented them from taking to the field in anger. Francis Gillot will therefore have a well rested side, though he will hope they don’t show any signs of ring-rustiness against an Aiglons team going well of late.

Les Lionceaux will definitely be without Charlie Davies, whose season is over after a terrible car accident, though at least the young forward is now out of hospital.

Nice, meanwhile, have won each of their last four Ligue 1 encounters, underlining how far they have come in recent weeks under Didier Olle-Nicolle. Few changes are anticipated in the first team squad, with Loic Remy again expected to be the centrepiece of their forward line. The seven-goal striker has supposedly attracted the interest of Arsenal of late, and his form has been exceptional all season.

Toulouse vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer

A disappointing loss to Nice last weekend halted a terrific run of results for le Tefece, who will hope to avoid sliding into the mediocre form that they displayed earlier in the campaign. Head coach Alain Casanova would have been taken aback by the lacklustre defensive showing last weekend, and better will certainly be expected.

Le Tefece have a handful of injuries to squad players, which will make rotation awkward, though they welcome back Yohann Pele, Daniel Braaten and Etienne Capoue from suspension. All three men could be thrust into the starting XI. Andre-Pierre Gignac has a groin problem and may sit this game out.

Toulouse’s injury concerns are trifling compared to those of Boulogne, who have been desperately unfortunate this term on that count. Key striker Gregory Thil is hopeful of a January return following ankle surgery, but Daniel Moreira could face a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Regular starting midfielder Laurent Agouazi is expected to be absent until virtually Christmas with a calf problem. These issues are only the tip of the struggling club’s iceberg.

Racing Club de Lens vs. Olympique de Marseille

For a full preview, click here…

Le Mans vs. Saint-Etienne

Sunday afternoon’s encounter between Le Mans and Saint-Etienne promises to be a tense affair, even at this early stage of the season. Second bottom Le Mans have struggled for points in the formative weeks of the campaign, though they have played some neat football at times. Saint-Etienne, a more erratic but potentially more destructive force, have suffered similar problems.

No regulars are expected to be missing for MUC when they tackle Sainte on Sunday, though Modibo Maiga does remain something of a concern. Geder returns from suspension and may play in the heart of the midfield as opposed to his regular station in defence. Guillaume Loriot is banned after picking up a yellow card in a reserve match, which takes him over the points limit.

Les Verts, meanwhile, have been crippled by injuries all season. There is hope that Boubacar Sanogo and Loic Perrin might return, but Blaise Matuidi, who lasted less than half an hour of the abject 2-0 loss to Lorient last weekend, is a heavy doubt. Mouhamadou Dabo and Moustapha Bayal Sall are also definitely missing.

Nancy vs. Girondins de Bordeaux

Laurent Blanc has said that Bordeaux must focus on their championship charge after their midweek heroics, which saw les Girondins book first place in Champions League Group A via a confident and commanding performance against Italian giants Juventus.

Don’t expect great squad rotation from the visiting side after the midweek tie – they are more likely to give their top stars a break when they travel to Maccabi Haifa in Europe’s premier club competition in a fortnight’s time. Yoann Gourcuff could miss out again, while Jussie, Franck Jurietti and Henrique are the other concerns.

Nancy, whose recent form has been pretty abject of late, have been boosted by the return to training of Michael Chretien, though the versatile full-back is not expected to be back in action just yet. Otherwise there are no other issues for the hosts, who remain in a mid-table position due to their excellent start.

Olympique Lyonnais vs. Stade Rennais

A full preview of this game will be available 14:00 CET on Saturday.

Robin Bairner, Goal.com

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