Arles-Avignon – Montpellier
With a meagre nine points to their name this season, Arles-Avignon are consigned to relegation unless they are the recipients of some kind of miracle. Though they’ve struggled to pick up points, Faruk Hadzibegic’s side have been surprisingly competitive and worked Marseille hard in a 1-0 defeat at Stade Velodrome last weekend.
The home side are sweating on the fitness of a number of players, who will receive checks prior to the declaration of the squad.
Rene Girard’s Montpellier are on the fringes of what promises to be a manic race for the European spots. They’ve rarely shown convincing away form, but they did manage to overcome Nancy on their last road trip. Additionally, Emir Spahic and Cyril Jeunechamp both return from suspension, while there are no fresh selection problems.
Girondins de Bordeaux – Caen
The last time Bordeaux hosted Caen in a Ligue 1 encounter, it was the fixture that won them the 2008-09 league title. Les Girondins are well outside the race for the crown at present, but they’ve shown form enough in recent weeks to suggest they can mount a push for a Europa League berth.
A strong victory over Nice a fortnight ago was a real boost to the morale of all those around the club, and last weekend’s stoical 0-0 draw in Lyon was another plus. Caen should prove easier pickings, particularly since Jean Tigana has a full panel to choose from, barring the injured Henrique.
Caen have spluttered somewhat of late. A home win over Auxerre a fortnight ago carried them out of the relegation zone, but a 2-0 reverse against Lorient last weekend was a disappointing performance. Last time they visited the Stade Chaban-Delmas, they were consigned to relegation, and they will hope that does not prove a pointer towards doom on Saturday.
Monaco – Lorient
Laurent Banide probably only realised the scale of the task on his hands to prevent Monaco from sliding into the relegation zone last weekend. Pitted against Toulouse away from home, les Monegasques produced a thoroughly insipid performance, and had it not been for the excellence of goalkeeper Stefan Ruffier, their 2-0 reverse could have been a good deal more severe.
Monaco have lost Djimi Traore for the rest of the campaign due to serious injury, and new signing Moussa Maazou joined him on the sidelines at the beginning of last week. Selection problems are not the coach’s biggest headache – he needs to find a way of getting more from the players already at the club.
Christian Gourcuff, meanwhile, is expert at using his resources to the maximum. Les Merlus continue to float about the centre of Ligue 1, and though they’re not yet safe from relegation, they’re on the right route. No key players are expected to be missing for the guests, even if a handful of squad men are struggling.
Nancy – Auxerre
Both Nancy and Auxerre are in real danger of being sucked into Ligue 2 next season, and Saturday evening’s fixture at the Stade Marcel-Picot will go a long way to determining the future of both.
ASNL’s form of late has been utterly wretched, though coach Pablo Correa has been backed from the board. At least the fiery Uruguayan, who is Ligue 1’s longest serving boss, will have almost a complete panel to select from. Paul Alo’o and Gennaro Bracigliano are long-term problems, while Jonathan Brison was ruled out at the start of the week. Bakaye Traore is struggling.
AJA, on the other hand, have been decimated by selection problems, the latest of which is Swiss defender Stephane Grichting, who will miss around a month of action. With a wide array of other issues to cope with, the Burgundy side are once again badly stretched with regard to their first team panel, though their grit and determination allowed them to earn a fortunate draw against Lille last weekend.
Paris Saint-Germain – Racing Club de Lens
Title chasing PSG have this week received praise from Lens coach Laszlo Boloni, who stated that he feels les Parisiens have a stronger side than league leading Lille. Given that Lens were smashed 5-1 in the Coupe de France by the Parc des Princes outfit in January, the coach would be wise to talk up PSG’s abilities.
Les Rouge et Bleu weren’t left looking too smart last weekend, when they were given a bloody nose by Rennes in Brittany. Antoine Kombouare’s men struggled to fashion many openings against depleted opponents and ultimately slumped to a 1-0 reverse. Only Peguy Luyindula is an injury worry.
Lens have bounced back from that cup reverse earlier in the year impressively and are making a real fist of their relegation fight. They’ve lost only one match in four since their heavy defeat in the capital, though last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Valenciennes was a little disappointing.
Sochaux – Olympique de Marseille
If Didier Deschamps’ Marseille are to keep their Ligue 1 hopes alive, they will surely have to overcome a really stern challenge on Saturday night, when they travel to the Stade Bonal to face Le Championnat’s strongest home team in the shape of Sochaux.
Les Lionceaux have been surprisingly effective this season, losing only once in front of their home supporters and playing an exciting brand of attacking football. Francis Gillot may be handcuffed into continuing this thrilling approach on Saturday night as his two primary defensive midfielders, Carlao and Kevin Anin, are both missing. Jeremie Brechet is again absent from the heart of the rearguard.
OM are winding up for the Champions League in a couple of weeks, but their domestic form has been poor. Marseille’s recent record has been littered with draws, keeping them at a six-point distance from leaders Lille. Only Cesar Azpilicueta and Mathieu Valbuena sit out as Hilton has returned to training.
Stade Rennais – Nice
Frederic Antonetti’s Rennes side shot themselves into title contention last weekend by defeating PSG 1-0, and now the Corsican coach will lead the Breton club to face his former side, Nice.
A number of injury problems continue to riddle les Rouge et Noir, who shrugged off these issues impressively last weekend, with youngsters such as Yacine Brahimi and Samuel Souprayen coming to the fore in a memorable success. There has been no easing in Rennes’ crisis, with Sylvain Marveaux ruled out until the end of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
Nice, meanwhile, continue to fight hard against relegation. Eric Roy’s side are not right in the thick of the problems thanks to a win over Sochaux last weekend, but they are on the fringes of the issue and cannot afford a bad spell of form. No fresh problems are reported in les Aiglons’ camp.
Valenciennes – Stade Brestois
Over the past couple of weeks, Valenciennes have scored some important points to help them ease away from the worst of the relegation battle, and they’ll be hoping to maintain that positive momentum when they meet Brest on Sunday afternoon at the Stade Nungesser.
A fortnight ago, Philippe Montanier’s men scored a tremendous success when they beat Lyon 2-1 at home, showing defensive fortitude and offensive efficiency. During last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Lens, these qualities were less on display, but a return of one point was not to be sniffed at. Renaud Cohade continues to battle injury, along with Vincent Aboubakar and a number of long standing issues.
Having gone since November without a Ligue 1 win, Brest produced one of their best performances of the season last weekend to defeat Nancy 2-1. In the end, the score flattered the Bretons’ visitors, who had nearly held out for a point before Bruno Grougi’s wonderful free kick in the penultimate minute of the match. Key man Nolan Roux returns for the guests.
Lille – Toulouse
Ligue 1 leaders Lille are saved until last this weekend, with their fixture against Toulouse the final act of Round 23.
Les Dogues will be cursing their luck after a 1-1 draw in Auxerre last Sunday. Rudi Garcia’s men completely controlled that match for long spells, but a poor refereeing decision in the closing stages allowed their hosts to level up. LOSC have been strong at home this term, and with a full squad will hope to overwhelm le Tefece.
Alain Casanova’s side are no pushovers though. In recent weeks they’ve displayed admirable ball-retention skills, though at the same time they are badly lacking in cutting edge going forward. Long-term problems Xavier Pentecote and Yohann Pele remain their major issues going into the weekend.
