Only a few months ago, Girondins de Bordeaux against Olympique Lyonnais would have been billed as a top of the table clash, but five matches into the new season both sides are languishing deep in the lower half of the table, desperately seeking inspiration for better.
Bordeaux’s slump doesn’t really come as a great surprise, though the fact it’s been so deep is somewhat of a shock. Under Jean Tigana, stripped of key players last term such as Marouane Chamakh and Yoann Gourcuff, who controversially fled to Lyon, les Marine et Blanc have picked up just one league victory.
Last weekend, the 2008-09 champions sunk to 18th in the table, a position that would suggest a battle against the drop, and their coach didn’t deny that’s exactly how his side played as they turned in a simply dreadful showing against Nice to lose 2-1 on the Cote d’Azur.
“We just didn’t play and in the first half we were catastrophic before improving after that and creating chances,” Tigana scorched to the press, according to Ligue 1’s official website. “It’s not good enough. We’ve got a lot of work to do and the players need to ask hard questions of themselves. From January to the present day Bordeaux’s form has been relegation form.”
Les Girondins have been unable to replace last season’s aces. Though Anthony Modeste has contributed two goals in four games, he is too raw to be a top class centre forward, while Fahid Ben Khalfallah has been hugely disappointing to date. But it’s not just Bordeaux’s new boys; their established first team picks must raise their game too, as Tigana intimated last Sunday.
No Trigger Required
Lyon are little better off than les Girondins in terms of league position. Presently les Gones are stationed 16th with just five points from their five matches, though at least Claude Puel can point to an improving trend in performance level as reason for optimism.
Last Saturday his men played reasonably well to take a 1-1 home draw with Valenciennes, though the full-time score was ultimately a disappointment, particularly after taking the lead. But the midweek success over Schalke in the Champions League may be the catalyst OL need for their season to finally take off.
“We don’t really need anything in particular to trigger our season,” Puel argued to the media, according to the LFP’s official website. “It was like the match against Valenciennes - these two matches represent some very solid groundwork.
“We’ve seen that we have a lot of technical potential. We were well balanced [against Schalke]. We need to fine-tune the understanding among the players in the final 25 metres but I think our last two matches have shown many promising signs in terms of our progress.”
Yoann Gourcuff has proven to be something of a catalyst in OL’s improvement, but his return to the Stade Chaban-Delmas will spark high feelings on Sunday due to the manner and timing in which he declared his desire to leave.
“It's a bit special to play against my former club,” he told Football365. “I spent two wonderful years there; it went very well with Laurent Blanc. We managed some good things in the league and Champions League; there was a lot of satisfaction.
“I have never cheated there. Today, Bordeaux is over. I think the fans will not like me and could whistle, but that’s football.”
Gourcuff and Lyon have much to prove.
TEAM NEWS
Bordeaux
Jean Tigana has a number of injury worries approaching this fixture. Goalkeepers Ulrich Rame and Abdoulaye Keita continue to miss out through injury, but there are greater problems elsewhere on the field. Centre-back Marc Planus has been training with the first team again, albeit with a huge bandage on his leg, while Anthony Modeste is liable to miss out after scoring two goals in four appearances.
Better news surrounds Wendel, who should return to the team after missing last weekend’s defeat.
Any number of changes could be made by Tigana such has been the abject nature of les Girondins’ start to the season.
Probable Starting XI: Carrasso; Chalme, Sane, Ciani, Tremoulinas; A. Diarra, Fernando; Ben Khalfallah, Plasil, Wendel; Maazou
Lyon
Slowly but surely, Claude Puel’s early season injury headaches are starting to clear up. Cris returned to normal training on Thursday, indicating that he could possibly come into contention, while Aly Cissokho is nearing fitness too. Cesar Delgado is in the final stages of his rehabilitation following a muscular problem, while Michel Bastos and Lisandro Lopez have each played the last two games.
Only Ederson is now a long-term issue.
Changes may be made after the Schalke victory, though Puel won’t touch his squad too much after a rare win.
Probable Starting XI: Lloris; Reveillere, Lovren, Diakhate, Kolodziejczak; Toulalan, Pjanic; Briand, Gourcuff, Michel Bastos; Lisandro
Prediction
These are undoubtedly two clubs in crisis, though Bordeaux’s problems are clearly far deeper than Lyon’s. Jean Tigana’s side are playing hopelessly poorly at the moment, and though they’ve recorded positive results against Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille, don’t back on them completing a hat-trick against OL. There are signs les Gones are starting to get going, and this could kick-start their season.
Bordeaux 1-1 O. Lyon 
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