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Ligue 1 Preview: Round 28
It's been a hugely successful week for French clubs in Europe, but it's back to regular league business this weekend. With the six top clubs differentiated by only four points, a thrilling run-in is guaranteed...
| Bet: | Returns: | Nancy £24.00 | Draw £30.00 | Toulouse FC £28.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Nancy £25.00 | Draw £32.00 | Toulouse FC £28.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Nancy £25.00 | Draw £30.00 | Toulouse FC £27.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Nancy £25.00 | Draw £32.00 | Toulouse FC £28.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Nancy £25.00 | Draw £31.00 | Toulouse FC £26.50 |
|
Mar 12, 2010 7:00:00 AM
By Robin Bairner
Saturday, March 13, 2010 (all kick-off times CET)
19:00 Le Mans vs. Nice
19:00 Lorient vs. Racing Club de Lens
19:00 Monaco vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
19:00 Montpellier vs. Auxerre
19:00 Nancy vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
19:00 Paris Saint-Germain vs. Sochaux
21:00 Olympique Lyonnais vs. Saint-Etienne (preview)
Sunday, March 14
17:00 Lille vs. Grenoble Foot38
17:00 Valenciennes vs. Stade Rennais
21:00 Toulouse vs. Olympique de Marseille
Le Mans vs. Nice
With the relegation issue in Ligue 1 already beginning to look fairly clear-cut, this could prove to be the pivotal games of the season for Le Mans, who are five points adrift in the red zone, and Nice, who have been slumping badly since the autumn.
Such is the situation with les Aiglons, the board moved to sack coach Didier Olle-Nicolle earlier this week following the club’s 3-2 defeat against Nancy last weekend. Eric Roy will head a group designed to keep le Gym amongst France’s elite, though the task will become a whole lot harder if Nice fail to at least draw Saturday’s game. There will be no Larrys Mabiala in the visitors’ line-up.
MUC had significant injury worries last weekend, when they limped to a 1-1 draw with Grenoble away from home, despite pushing forward in a gung-ho manner towards the end of the match. Many of these issues have cleared up, but it will still be the offensive duo of Anthony Le Tallec and Modibo Maiga who the hosts look to for inspiration.
Lorient vs. Racing Club de Lens
With Lorient chasing European football for next season, Christian Gourcuff’s side will feel that a good result against mid-table Lens will push them closer towards their goal.
Against Marseille last weekend, there can be little doubt that les Merlus relied heavily on the excellence of goalkeeper Fabien Audard to earn them a 1-1 draw. Centre-back Laurent Koscielny picked up their levelling goal and gave a good account of himself in the rearguard but is sidelined due to suspension on Saturday. Gabriel Penalba is the only man not expected to make it because of injury.
Lens’ problems on the selection front are also limited, with Abdoulrazak Boukari missing for three weeks. While their hosts will feel pleased they earned a point last weekend, les Sang et Or will feel they should have had three as they lost a stoppage time equaliser to Paris Saint-Germain at home. Jean-Guy Wallemme will hope his side have not been winded by a such a blow, though relegation is already out of the question.
Monaco vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
Saturday’s trip to Monaco is a huge match for Laurent Blanc’s Bordeaux side, whose recent hiccup continued in midweek against Auxerre. Despite leading early thanks to Benoit Tremoulinas, a pair of second half goals sunk les Girondins, who suffered a further blow as Marc Planus picked up a knee injury and is not set to miss around two of three weeks. Alou Diarra did not appear for the second half, though that was largely precautionary.
With the top of the table now incredibly congested, the visiting side can say with certainty that any failure to win at the Stade Louis II will see them tumbled off their perch at the top of the table, potentially knocking them back into third or fourth.
Monaco’s form has been poor of late, despite their seventh in Ligue 1. Guy Lacombe’s side were virtually untouchable in January but have since crumbled, though they will think back to their Coupe de France success in Bordeaux to inspire them. Djimi Traore is suspended, while les Monegasques suffered a midweek blow when it was revealed that Park Chu-Young will not be risked in this fixture due to a minor problem.
Montpellier vs. Auxerre
After defeating Bordeaux away from home on Wednesday evening, Auxerre’s season does not get a great deal easier when they travel to second placed Montpellier, who earned a 1-1 draw away to the league champions last weekend.
Alberto ‘Tino’ Costa was the hero for la Paillade last Sunday, squeezing a free kick by Cedric Carrasso in stoppage time to gift his side a point against ten men. MHSC were left to rue two missed penalties at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, though for the newly promoted side to still be hanging onto hopes of the title so deep into the campaign truly is remarkable. Nenad Dzodic is their only injury concern.
AJA, meanwhile, are on a charge. Ireneusz Jelen is typically leading the way for the Burgundy club, scoring both goals in their midweek success. Jean Fernandez’s side have been in largely irresistible form, with their bizarre 5-0 defeat against Grenoble continuing to be the obvious and only exception. One point off the top, the Stade Abbe-Deschamps outfit are worth keeping an eye on.
Nancy vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
Pablo Correa’s Nancy side have not been in any kind of special form of late, yet the men from Lorraine will want to maintain their habit of doing just enough when relegation threatened Boulogne come calling on Saturday evening.
ASNL exchanged punches with Nice last weekend before eventually running out 3-2 victors, substitute Issiar Dia scoring the decisive goal of the game with only seconds remaining. Youssouf Hadji and Michael Chretien have both returned to training for Correa’s men, though it’s not yet clear whether either will feature in the matchday squad.
While Nancy continue to recover players, Boulogne’s already badly depleted squad continues to grow thinner as injuries and suspensions hit. Frederic Da Rocha and Florian Bague are the latest men to have been ruled out for the weekend’s game, while a five-match ban for Yoann Lachor also hits the team hard. Coach Laurent Guyot said after last weekend’s encouraging draw with Lyon that he still believes the team can survive, but points are needed in games like Saturday’s if they nine point gap is to be bridged.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Sochaux
PSG limped to a 1-1 draw against Lens last weekend thanks to a stoppage time goal from Benin midfielder Stephane Sessegnon, but les Parisiens again find themselves under pressure when they meet with Sochaux on Saturday evening.
Antoine Kombouare’s side have misfired for much of the second half of the campaign, claiming a victory over Toulouse three weeks ago but struggling to muster much else. Gregory Coupet continues his rehabilitation from serious injury, while Peguy Luyindula is still not training. Ludovic Giuly’s place in the squad is not certain because of injury, though they won’t damage PSG greatly on his showing from last weekend. Sylvain Armand is doubtful too.
Sochaux will hope to nullify the threat of former Lionceaux youth Mevlut Erding, though the record of Francis Gillot’s side hasn’t exactly been brilliant this term. Nevertheless, they reside above Saturday’s opponents in the table and have not registered any new injury problems from their 1-0 success over Toulouse last weekend.
Lille vs. Grenoble Foot38
Fresh from defeating Liverpool in the Europa League, Lille would have what would seem on paper a far simpler task on Sunday, when they welcome Grenoble to the Stade Lille Metropole in league play.
Rudi Garcia’s side still hold ambitions of the league title, though they will need to go on a good run towards the end of the campaign if they are to overcome the four point gap to the leaders. Gervinho remains sidelined for another couple of weeks, as does right-back Mathieu Debuchy. Nicolas Plestan and Tulio de Melo will not appear because of physical problems too.
Bottom club Grenoble have made a belated improvement in their form, though it is much too little too late to save their Ligue 1 lives. Sofiane Feghouli is expected to be named in the first team squad for the first time since the late part of last summer, while there are few especially damaging selection problems for the first XI.
Valenciennes vs. Stade Rennais
Mid-table sides Valenciennes and Rennes can still hold ambitions to qualify for Europe, though these would be badly compromised by a defeat at the weekend.
After an electric start to the campaign, VA have faded somewhat over recent months. Philippe Montanier’s side have threatened something of a resurgence in recent weeks, with a run of three successive wins arrested by a 1-0 loss to Auxerre last weekend. With Filip Sebo and Rudy Mater back, their squad is boosted, though Rafael, Bobo Balde and Jonathan Lacourt are amongst those still sidelined.
Rennes, meanwhile, should have virtually a clean bill of health for their trip all the way along the north coast of France. Frederic Antonetti has failed to get his side playing with any sort of consistency this season, and almost anything could happen at the Stade Nungesser, from the brilliant to the woeful. The Bretons defeated a disappointing Monaco side last weekend.
Toulouse vs. Olympique de Marseille
Concluding the weekend’s action is Marseille’s trip to the Pink City, where they will meet with a Toulouse side who have been stuffy in recent times.
Le Tefece earned much of their success last term from a resolute defensive corps that was ably backed up by Andre-Pierre Gignac in attack. The French international striker is still out with injury, and this is a problem badly effecting the whole side. Though Mauro Cetto is leading a rejuvenation in the rearguard, Alain Casanova’s side are proving impotent in attack.
Marseille don’t boast a full complement of players either as Gabriel Heinze is still a couple of weeks away from reaching full fitness. Les Phoceens picked up a decent midweek draw away against Benfica, keeping their Europa League hopes firmly alive in the process. Expect OM to shuffle their squad a little for this testing encounter.
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19:00 Le Mans vs. Nice
19:00 Lorient vs. Racing Club de Lens
19:00 Monaco vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
19:00 Montpellier vs. Auxerre
19:00 Nancy vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
19:00 Paris Saint-Germain vs. Sochaux
21:00 Olympique Lyonnais vs. Saint-Etienne (preview)
Sunday, March 14
17:00 Lille vs. Grenoble Foot38
17:00 Valenciennes vs. Stade Rennais
21:00 Toulouse vs. Olympique de Marseille
Le Mans vs. Nice
With the relegation issue in Ligue 1 already beginning to look fairly clear-cut, this could prove to be the pivotal games of the season for Le Mans, who are five points adrift in the red zone, and Nice, who have been slumping badly since the autumn.
Such is the situation with les Aiglons, the board moved to sack coach Didier Olle-Nicolle earlier this week following the club’s 3-2 defeat against Nancy last weekend. Eric Roy will head a group designed to keep le Gym amongst France’s elite, though the task will become a whole lot harder if Nice fail to at least draw Saturday’s game. There will be no Larrys Mabiala in the visitors’ line-up.
MUC had significant injury worries last weekend, when they limped to a 1-1 draw with Grenoble away from home, despite pushing forward in a gung-ho manner towards the end of the match. Many of these issues have cleared up, but it will still be the offensive duo of Anthony Le Tallec and Modibo Maiga who the hosts look to for inspiration.
Lorient vs. Racing Club de Lens
With Lorient chasing European football for next season, Christian Gourcuff’s side will feel that a good result against mid-table Lens will push them closer towards their goal.
Against Marseille last weekend, there can be little doubt that les Merlus relied heavily on the excellence of goalkeeper Fabien Audard to earn them a 1-1 draw. Centre-back Laurent Koscielny picked up their levelling goal and gave a good account of himself in the rearguard but is sidelined due to suspension on Saturday. Gabriel Penalba is the only man not expected to make it because of injury.
Lens’ problems on the selection front are also limited, with Abdoulrazak Boukari missing for three weeks. While their hosts will feel pleased they earned a point last weekend, les Sang et Or will feel they should have had three as they lost a stoppage time equaliser to Paris Saint-Germain at home. Jean-Guy Wallemme will hope his side have not been winded by a such a blow, though relegation is already out of the question.
Monaco vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
Saturday’s trip to Monaco is a huge match for Laurent Blanc’s Bordeaux side, whose recent hiccup continued in midweek against Auxerre. Despite leading early thanks to Benoit Tremoulinas, a pair of second half goals sunk les Girondins, who suffered a further blow as Marc Planus picked up a knee injury and is not set to miss around two of three weeks. Alou Diarra did not appear for the second half, though that was largely precautionary.
With the top of the table now incredibly congested, the visiting side can say with certainty that any failure to win at the Stade Louis II will see them tumbled off their perch at the top of the table, potentially knocking them back into third or fourth.
Monaco’s form has been poor of late, despite their seventh in Ligue 1. Guy Lacombe’s side were virtually untouchable in January but have since crumbled, though they will think back to their Coupe de France success in Bordeaux to inspire them. Djimi Traore is suspended, while les Monegasques suffered a midweek blow when it was revealed that Park Chu-Young will not be risked in this fixture due to a minor problem.
Montpellier vs. Auxerre
After defeating Bordeaux away from home on Wednesday evening, Auxerre’s season does not get a great deal easier when they travel to second placed Montpellier, who earned a 1-1 draw away to the league champions last weekend.
Alberto ‘Tino’ Costa was the hero for la Paillade last Sunday, squeezing a free kick by Cedric Carrasso in stoppage time to gift his side a point against ten men. MHSC were left to rue two missed penalties at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, though for the newly promoted side to still be hanging onto hopes of the title so deep into the campaign truly is remarkable. Nenad Dzodic is their only injury concern.
AJA, meanwhile, are on a charge. Ireneusz Jelen is typically leading the way for the Burgundy club, scoring both goals in their midweek success. Jean Fernandez’s side have been in largely irresistible form, with their bizarre 5-0 defeat against Grenoble continuing to be the obvious and only exception. One point off the top, the Stade Abbe-Deschamps outfit are worth keeping an eye on.
Nancy vs. Boulogne-Sur-Mer
Pablo Correa’s Nancy side have not been in any kind of special form of late, yet the men from Lorraine will want to maintain their habit of doing just enough when relegation threatened Boulogne come calling on Saturday evening.
ASNL exchanged punches with Nice last weekend before eventually running out 3-2 victors, substitute Issiar Dia scoring the decisive goal of the game with only seconds remaining. Youssouf Hadji and Michael Chretien have both returned to training for Correa’s men, though it’s not yet clear whether either will feature in the matchday squad.
While Nancy continue to recover players, Boulogne’s already badly depleted squad continues to grow thinner as injuries and suspensions hit. Frederic Da Rocha and Florian Bague are the latest men to have been ruled out for the weekend’s game, while a five-match ban for Yoann Lachor also hits the team hard. Coach Laurent Guyot said after last weekend’s encouraging draw with Lyon that he still believes the team can survive, but points are needed in games like Saturday’s if they nine point gap is to be bridged.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Sochaux
PSG limped to a 1-1 draw against Lens last weekend thanks to a stoppage time goal from Benin midfielder Stephane Sessegnon, but les Parisiens again find themselves under pressure when they meet with Sochaux on Saturday evening.
Antoine Kombouare’s side have misfired for much of the second half of the campaign, claiming a victory over Toulouse three weeks ago but struggling to muster much else. Gregory Coupet continues his rehabilitation from serious injury, while Peguy Luyindula is still not training. Ludovic Giuly’s place in the squad is not certain because of injury, though they won’t damage PSG greatly on his showing from last weekend. Sylvain Armand is doubtful too.
Sochaux will hope to nullify the threat of former Lionceaux youth Mevlut Erding, though the record of Francis Gillot’s side hasn’t exactly been brilliant this term. Nevertheless, they reside above Saturday’s opponents in the table and have not registered any new injury problems from their 1-0 success over Toulouse last weekend.
Lille vs. Grenoble Foot38
Fresh from defeating Liverpool in the Europa League, Lille would have what would seem on paper a far simpler task on Sunday, when they welcome Grenoble to the Stade Lille Metropole in league play.
Rudi Garcia’s side still hold ambitions of the league title, though they will need to go on a good run towards the end of the campaign if they are to overcome the four point gap to the leaders. Gervinho remains sidelined for another couple of weeks, as does right-back Mathieu Debuchy. Nicolas Plestan and Tulio de Melo will not appear because of physical problems too.
Bottom club Grenoble have made a belated improvement in their form, though it is much too little too late to save their Ligue 1 lives. Sofiane Feghouli is expected to be named in the first team squad for the first time since the late part of last summer, while there are few especially damaging selection problems for the first XI.
Valenciennes vs. Stade Rennais
Mid-table sides Valenciennes and Rennes can still hold ambitions to qualify for Europe, though these would be badly compromised by a defeat at the weekend.
After an electric start to the campaign, VA have faded somewhat over recent months. Philippe Montanier’s side have threatened something of a resurgence in recent weeks, with a run of three successive wins arrested by a 1-0 loss to Auxerre last weekend. With Filip Sebo and Rudy Mater back, their squad is boosted, though Rafael, Bobo Balde and Jonathan Lacourt are amongst those still sidelined.
Rennes, meanwhile, should have virtually a clean bill of health for their trip all the way along the north coast of France. Frederic Antonetti has failed to get his side playing with any sort of consistency this season, and almost anything could happen at the Stade Nungesser, from the brilliant to the woeful. The Bretons defeated a disappointing Monaco side last weekend.
Toulouse vs. Olympique de Marseille
Concluding the weekend’s action is Marseille’s trip to the Pink City, where they will meet with a Toulouse side who have been stuffy in recent times.
Le Tefece earned much of their success last term from a resolute defensive corps that was ably backed up by Andre-Pierre Gignac in attack. The French international striker is still out with injury, and this is a problem badly effecting the whole side. Though Mauro Cetto is leading a rejuvenation in the rearguard, Alain Casanova’s side are proving impotent in attack.
Marseille don’t boast a full complement of players either as Gabriel Heinze is still a couple of weeks away from reaching full fitness. Les Phoceens picked up a decent midweek draw away against Benfica, keeping their Europa League hopes firmly alive in the process. Expect OM to shuffle their squad a little for this testing encounter.
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