Friday, May 27, 2011

Ligue 1 preview - Round 38 - 29/05/2011

21:00 Arles Avignon - Sochaux
21:00 Bordeaux - Montpellier
21:00 Brest - Toulouse FC
21:00 Caen - Olympique Marseille
21:00 Lille - Stade Rennes
21:00 Lorient - Auxerre
21:00 Nancy - Lens
21:00 Monaco - Lyon (see full match preview)
21:00 Saint Etienne - PSG
21:00 Valenciennes - OGC Nice







AC Arles Avignon - FC Sochaux

Relegated Arles Avignon secured a second consecutive win, the first time they've achieved that feat in over a year, when they overcame fellow strugglers Lens 1-0.
Sochaux qualified for the Europa League last weekend, thanks to a 2-1 win over fellow European chasers Saint Etienne. Les Lionceaux will finish sixth in Ligue 1 this season.
Should Faruk Hadzibegic's men pull off an unlikely win, this would be their third straight win, the last time that happened was in March 2009.
Francois Gillot's men have prevailed in all but one of their encounters against promoted sides this term.

TEAM NEWS

Arles Avignon
Gael Germany and Kaba Diawara remain sidelined. First choice goalkeeper Cyril Merville is struggling to shake off an injury, meaning Vincent Plante will continue to deputise. Midfielder Emmanuel Correze will also miss the final game after struggling to shake off an injury. Soro Bakary returns from suspension.

Sochaux
Les Lionceaux are still deprived of Jeremie Brechet (Achilles tendon), Jacques Faty (groin), Kevin Anin (hernia), Serdar Gurle (headaches) and Yassin Mikari (ankle). Francois Gillot will also be without the services of Cedric Bakambu (hamstring) and Edouard Butin (thigh) for the final game of the season.

Bordeaux - Montpellier HSC

Bordeaux, who have endured a turbulent season, were consigned to a 2-0 defeat away to Toulouse last weekend. Les Girondins sit ninth with 48 points.
Montpellier succumbed to a 1-0 defeat away to Monaco last weekend with Rene Girard's side one of nine teams in relegation trouble and holding a -9 goal difference.
La Paillade have lost their last three away games.
Should Les Girondins lose, it will hand the visitors a first-ever league double over the Aquitane side.

TEAM NEWS

Bordeaux
Caretaker coach Eric Bedouet has recalled the services of Yoan Gouffran for the final encounter of the season after the midfielder had been out since February. Benoit Tremoulinas is also back in the squad after missing the defeat to Toulouse and could play for the 2009 champions for the final time.

Montpellier
Karim Ait Fana is the only main injury worry for La Paillade, with only long-term absentees on the treatmant table.

Brest - Toulouse FC

Brest ended a winless run of six games with a spirited 1-0 win away to Auxerre on the last matchday. They occupy 13th position in the table, and could still mathematically be relegated.
Toulouse overcame off-colour Bordeaux 1-0 last weekend, with Le Tefece 10th in the table.
Brest's last three games at Stade Francis Le Ble have all ended in draws.
Alain Casanova's men have failed to win any of their last four Ligue 1 away games.

TEAM NEWS

Brest
Alex Dupont has a selection headache in defence with Ahmed Kantari (ruptured Achilles tendon) and Omar Daf (ruptured cruciate ligament) long term absentees. Paul Baysse could return for the visit of Toulouse, but Larsen Traore, Ousmane Coulibaly (sprained knee) and Johan Martial (thigh strain) are all missing.

Toulouse FC
No new injury worries to report from the Toulouse camp, who only have long-term absentees on the injury list. Fode Mansare is the only key player missing for Alain Casanova.

Caen - Olympique Marseille

Caen's unbeaten run stretched to six games last weekend following a hard fought 0-0 draw against Lyon. Despite the run, they remain 16th and require a win to ensure safety.
Marseille's stranglehold on the Ligue 1 title was finally ended after a 2-2 draw against Valenciennes handed Lille the league crown.
OM have won just one of their last five league games.
Promoted Caen won at the Stade Velodrome in the first match of the season, securing a shock 2-1 win.

TEAM NEWS

Caen
Jeremy Sorbon, suspended last week, returns to the side for the visit of Marseille. However, As Sambou Yatabare, Damien Perquis, Pablo Barzola, Branko Lazarevic, Benjamin Morel and Rajiv Van La Parra are still missing for Franck Dumas' side. The same goes for Gregory Tafforeau (back), who is still unavailable.

Olympique Marseille
Gabriel Heinze will feature in his final game for the former champions after he announced on Friday he is leaving the Velodrome after two seasons. Andre-Pierre Gignac will miss the game after going for knee surgery, with long-term absentee Cesar Azpilicueta widely expected to start the game.

Lille - Stade Rennais FC

Lille are the new French champions, having secured their first league title since 1954 following a 2-2 draw against PSG last Saturday.
Fifth-placed Rennes' indifferent end to the season continued with a 2-0 home defeat to Nancy. Frederic Antoinetti's men have secured Europa League football for next season.
Moussa Sow could become the first Lille player to be crowned Ligue 1 top scorer for 61 years. He currently has 22 goals, one ahead of Lorient's Kevin Gameiro.
Rennes have not won away to Les Dogues for 45 years.

TEAM NEWS

Lille
No fresh worries for the newly crowned Ligue 1 champions with Rudi Garcia enjoying the luxury of a full squad.

Stade Rennes
No new injury problems for the visitors. Alexander Tettey and Tongo Doumbia are set to miss the final encounter after picking up knocks in their win two weeks ago, whilst Sylvian Marveaux has been a long-term absentee. Jires Ekoko will also sit out the match after picking up an injury for Les Rouge et Noir in the defeat to Valenciennes at the start of the month.

FC Lorient - Auxerre

Lorient were pipped to the Europa League qualification position by Sochaux after a 2-0 defeat away to Nice put paid to their hopes of continental football.
Auxerre's unbeaten run of nine games came to a disappointing halt after they slumped to a surprise 1-0 defeat to Brest.
Les Merlus are unbeaten in their last 15 home league games.
Auxerre have kept a clean sheet in their last two trips to Stade du Moustoir.

TEAM NEWS

Lorient
Sigamary Diarra continues to be sidelined after picking up tendonitis in the knee. Christian Gourcuff has a lengthy injury list which includes Maxine Beca and Fabien Audard for the final game of the season.

Auxerre
Ireneusz Jelen will miss the final game after picking up a hamstring tear, with the Polish international almost certainly having played his final game for the club. Kamel Chafni could return for the final game of the season, with Jeremy Berthod and captain Benoit Pedretti make the injury issues for AJA all the starker ahead of the encounter

Nancy - Lens

Nancy's hopes of avoiding the drop were boosted after they pulled off a surprise win at Stade Rennes last weekend. They sit 17th, a point ahead of Monaco in 18th.
Lens, who were relegated two weeks ago slipped to a 1-0 defeat at league minnows Arles.
Les Sang et Or have scored in all of their last 11 visits to Pablo Correa's side in Ligue 1.
Les Chardons have not conceded in their last two league games.

TEAM NEWS

Nancy
Pablo Correa's side have been boosted with the news that Marama Vahirua returns for final game of the season. Samba Diakhite is doubtful, with Jordan Loties back from suspension.

Lens
Les Sang et Or have six main players out for their final Ligue 1 game. Sidi Keita, Kanga Akal, Henri Bedimo, Sebastien Roudet, Toifilou Maoulida and Adil Hermach are all out of the squad, along with Vedran Runje who has been released from his contract early.

AS Saint-Etienne - PSG

Saint Etienne's hopes of European football next season were dashed when they were beaten 2-1 by Sochaux, who instead took the coveted sixth and final position.
PSG were held 2-2 by league champions Lille last weekend, despite playing with 10 men for virtually the entire second half. They remain fourth.
Les Parisiens can qualify for the Champions League if they win and Lyon lose to Monaco.
Christophe Galtier's men have lost their last three Ligue 1 games

TEAM NEWS

Saint Etienne
Christophe Galtier has been hit with a number of withdrawals for the visit of PSG. Albin Ebondo is doubtful for the match having struggling to overcome a sore knee. First-choice goalkeeper Jeremie Janot (muscle stretching) is also out along with, Emmanuel Riviere (sprained ankle), Christophe Landrin (groin), Yoric Ravet (thigh), Yohann Andreu (knee) and Sylvain Monsoreau (Achilles tendon).

PSG
Antoine Koumbouare, who was sent to the stands last week, has been hit with further suspensions. Guillaume Hoarau will miss the match after his red card against Lille, with Clement Chantome, Nene and Siaka Tiene also suspended by the LFP having picked up various yellow cards.

Valenciennes - OGC Nice

Valenciennes ended Marseille's dwindling title hopes last weekend when they held the former champions to a 2-2 draw at the Stade Velodrome.
Nice boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation to Ligue 2 after they won 2-0 against Lorient to move to 14th in the table.
However, Les Aiglons could still be mathematically relegated as they sit only two points ahead of 18th placed Monaco, and have a -14 goal difference, the worst of any team facing demotion.
Phillipe Montanier's men, who have drawn their last three Ligue 1 games, are also facing the drop on a tantalising final day of Ligue 1.

TEAM NEWS

Valenciennes
Vincent Aboubakar has recovered from his groin injury to also take his place against Nice. However, Steven Langile (knee) and Rafael (back) are still out for Valenciennes.

Nice
Renato Civelli returns from suspension to feature for Les Aiglons, with Gregory Paisley back into the first team. Abdou Traore remains sidelined until the start of next season.