Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Ligue 1 preview - Round 35

Tuesday
19:00 PSG - Nancy
19:00 Saint Etienne - Lille


Wednesday
19:00 Auxerre - Lyom
19:00 Lens - Bordeaux
19:00 Montpellier - Lorient
19:00 Nice - Arles Avignon
19:00 Rennes - Caen
19:00 Sochaux - Monaco
19:00 Toulouse - Valenciennes
21:00 Marseille - Stade Brestois






PSGPSG - Nancy

  • Paris Saint Germain were held to a 1-1 draw away to Monaco last weekend.
  • The result leaves them two points behind Lyon in the race for Champions League qualification.
  • Nancy were beaten by a Eden Hazard free kick as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat against the league leaders.
  • Les Chardons are in 18th position in the table, and are two points adrift of safety.
TEAM NEWS

PSG
Antoine Koumbouare has a near full squad to pick from, with only Peguy Luyindula injured.

Nancy
Benjamin Jeannot is fit again for Pablo Correa whilst first-teamers Benjamin Gavanon and Marama Vahirua are both out for the trip to the capital.

AS Saint-EtienneSaint Etienne - LilleLille

  • Saint Etienne laboured to a 1-0 win over already-relegated Arles at the weekend.
  • The result leaves Les Verts in eighth place, a point behind the final Europa League spot.
  • Lille also made hard work of dispatching struggling Nancy, with an Eden Hazard goal setting the Dogues on the way to a 1-0 win.
  • Rudi Garcia's side are now four points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
TEAM NEWS

Saint Etienne
Blaise Matuidi is the only injury worry ahead of the visit of the league leaders, with Les Verts otherwise having a full squad to choose from for this encounter.

Lille
Florent Balmont strained a muscle in his thigh and isn't expected back until the Coupe de France final on Saturday. Franck Beria, Yohan Cabaye and Ludovic Obraniak are all suspended whilst Pierre Alain Frau is struggling to shake off a minor problem.

Auxerre - Lyon

  • Injury ravaged Auxerre saw off Montpellier 1-0 at home at the weekend.
  • Jean Fernandez's men are now unbeaten in seven games, moving them away from the relegation zone and into 13th place.
  • Lyon dramatically sealed a 3-2 win over Marseille on Sunday, needing an 84th minute winner from Cris to seal the points.
  • Les Gones are now in the driving seat in the quest for Champions League qualification, moving two points ahead of PSG.
TEAM NEWS

Auxerre
Auxerre have been boosted by the news that Stephane Grichting and Delvin Ndinga look set to win their respective fitness battles ahead of the match. However the lengthening injury list already has Benoit Pedretti (groin) and Jean-Pascal Mignot (thigh) on it as well as a few others, creating a selection headache.

Lyon
Claude Puel has been rocked by the news that Lisandro Lopez has been ruled out for the rest of the season after the Argentinian picked up a muscle injury in the stunning 3-2 win over Marseille. Michel Bastos and Aly Cissokho are set to return from suspension whilst Yoann Gourcuff, Ederson and Jeremy Toulalan are still on the treatment table.

Lens - Bordeaux

  • Relegation-threatened Lens were held to a 1-1 draw to Caen on Saturday evening.
  • Les Sang et Or could have relegation to Ligue 2 confirmed if Nice beat Arles Avignon.
  • Bordeaux were swept away by Sochaux at home in the previous matchday. Les Girondins are now ninth in the table, and European qualification seems unlikely.
  • Jean Tigana resigned from his role as coach following the defeat.
TEAM NEWS

Lens
No fresh worries as Les Sang et Or have Geoffrey Kondogbia on the treatment table, however Sidi Yaya Keita has recovered from his problem to return to first-team action whilst Nenad Kovacevic remains a doubt.

Bordeaux
Yoan Gouffran remains out for the rest of the season. Pierre Ducasse is the only other main injury problem whilst the everpresent Fernando Menegazzo is suspended as Les Girondins prepare for life after Jean Tigana.

Montpellier HSCMontpellier - LorientFC Lorient

  • Montpellier were beaten 1-0 by Auxerre at the weekend, as La Paillade's woeful run continued.
  • Rene Girard's men are now winless in their last five games.
  • Lorient were held to a goalless draw by Toulouse at the weekend.
  • Christian Gourcuff's side are now unbeaten in their previous 10 games.
TEAM NEWS

Montpellier
Karim Ait Fana and John Utaka both picked up knocks in the defeat to Auxerre at the weekend with Garry Bocaly suspended for Rene Girard's side.

Lorient
Christian Gourcuff has a near-full panel to select from as they make a late push for European football. The only absentees are fringe players such as Franco Sosa and those with long-term injuries. Alaixys Romao is suspended.

OGC NiceNice - Arles AvignonAC Arles

  • Nice were held to a goalless draw by Stade Brestois on Saturday evening.
  • Eric Roy's side, who are 17th in Ligue 1, can relegate 19th-placed Lens if they beat Arles Avignon on Wednesday.
  • Already relegated Arles lost to Saint Etienne by a 1-0 scoreline on Saturday.
  • Faruk Hadzibegic's men have only won once all season, by far the worst record in the top five leagues.
TEAM NEWS

Nice
No new injury worries to report for Les Aiglons. Julien Sable is ruled out for 15 days (thigh). Eric Roy also is without Renato Civelli and Eric Mouloungui who are suspended.

Arles
Arles, who are already consigned to Ligue 2, have a few injury worries ahead of this encounter with Fabien Laurenti and Loic Abenzoar still on the treatment table. Gael Germany and Kaba Diawara are both long-term issues, yet the latter could return as the season nears its end. First team keeper Cyril Merville picked up a knock at the weekend whilst Emmanuel Correze is suspended.

Stade Rennais FCStade Rennes - Caen

  • Stade Rennais' woeful run continued as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat away to Valenciennes.
  • Frederic Antoinetti's side have now failed to win in seven games, a period which has seen their title and Champions League hopes implode.
  • Caen were held to a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Lens on Saturday.
  • Despite the draw, Franck Dumas' side 16th, two points clear of safety.
TEAM NEWS

Rennes
A number of key players remain in the treatment room with Kevin Theophile Catherine, Abdoul Camara and Yacine Brahimi all missing out. John Verhoek has shrugged off a knock to take his place, 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.

Caen
Gregory Proment and Gregory Tafforeau continue to be the only man injury worries for Franck Dumas. Sambou Yatabare is suspended.

FC SochauxSochaux - Monaco

  • Sochaux swept away a disappointing Bordeaux side by a 4-0 scoreline, to equal the biggest away win in Ligue 1 this term.
  • The result means Les Lionceaux are now in the driving seat for Europa League football, occupying the final qualification spot.
  • Monaco were held to a 1-1 draw by PSG at Stade Louis II at the weekend.
  • The Monegasque side have improved in recent weeks to move away from the drop zone. They are 15th, two points ahead of a congested drop zone.
TEAM NEWS

Sochaux
Kevin Anin's season is over for Les Lionceaux. Jacques Faty remains a doubt as he is struggling to shake of an injury which has limited his appearances in the last few weeks.

Monaco
Laurent Banide's men have been dealt a blow with the news that Park Chu Young will miss the game as he did against PSG. Fellow forwards Moussa Maazou and Daniel Niculae are also out leaving the Monegasque outfit short up front. Stephane Ruffier has a back problem, but his deputy Sebastian Chabbert proved his worth with a brilliant display against the Parisiens, and is expected to deputise.

Toulouse FCToulouse - Valenciennes
  • Toulouse were held to a goalless draw at Lorient at the weekend.
  • Le Tefece are 11th in Ligue 1, and are set to keep Ligue 1 status for another year.
  • Valenciennes overwhelmed an out-of-sorts Rennes 2-0 at home on Saturday.
  • Phillipe Montanier's men are 12th in the table.
TEAM NEWS

Toulouse
No new injury worries to report from the Toulouse camp who only have long-term absentees on the injury list. They are expected to line-up pretty much with the same starting XI.

Valenciennes
Rafael Schmitz and Vincent Aboubakar have joined Rudy Mater (knee) and Remi Gomis (ankle) as the only injury worries for Phillipe Montanier to mull over in an otherwise fit squad.

MarseilleMarseille - Stade Brestois

  • Marseille's title defence took a huge blow as they were downed 3-2 at Lyon on Sunday evening, despite pulling back on level terms from 2-0 down.
  • Didier Deschamps' men are now four points shy of leaders Lille, with only 12 on offer.
  • Stade Brestois were held to a disappointing draw against struggling Nice.
  • Alex Dupont's men occupy 14th position, four points ahead of the drop zone, with four games to play.
TEAM NEWS

Marseille
Charles Kabore, who initially deputised for Stephane Mbia is suspended for this must-win game for OM. Bruno Cheyrou is expected to move into the holding role, whilst Mbia remains out for another 10-15 days with a groin problem. Vittorino Hilton is also expected to sit out, whilst long-term absentee Cesar Azpilicueta is making good progress from the serious knee injury he suffered in November.

Stade Brestois
No major worries to report from the Stade Brestois camp as Alex Dupont's men have a near-full squad to pick from. Third choice keeper Gaetan Deneuve has picked up an injury and will miss the trip to the French champions. Omar Daf continues to be sidelined.