Grenoble Foot38 vs. FC Nantes
Two sides that faced the same joy at the end of last season as both won promotion from Ligue 2 could hardly have suffered more contrasting starts to their campaigns in the top flight.
Grenoble, who will start this match as favourites, have enjoyed a stellar start to the season and currently lie fourth in the table, with four wins from their opening seven encounters. Mehmet Bazdarevic will definitely be without David Jemmali, who will miss ten days, and has heavy doubts over the trio of Le Crom, Paillot and Moreira.
In contrast to the strong start GF38 have made, Nantes’ early season form has been turgid. Injuries have not helped their cause and they will remain without Abdoun, while Guillon joins the midfielder in the treatment room. Tall and Klasnić both continue to struggle.
Le Havre AC vs. Le Mans UC72
Early season optimism is beginning to die away to the grim reality of a relegation battle as Jean-Marc Nobilo’s Le Havre side realise that battling well but losing by a solitary goal every week is not going to be enough to keep them in Ligue 1. Potentially missing only Youssouf, they welcome Le Mans to Normandy as they attempt to extricate themselves from the bottom three.
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Le Mans have made a bright start to the season, with another positive result coming in the form of a draw against Marseille last weekend. MUC’s injury list is short as they make the short trip to Le Havre; Baal and Bouhours, their two main worries all season, are unlikely to feature. Stromstad, who has been a key figure in midfield, is also a doubt.
FC Lorient vs. Girondins de Bordeaux
Until the early weeks of this season, Lorient have always proven to be a stubborn defensive unit, capable of shocking teams on the counter-attack. Christian Gourcuff’s side appear to have lost some of their previous sparkle, failing to win since the opening day of the season.
An upturn in fortunes has been hinted at in the last two weeks, with late goals from Caen and Sochaux denying Gourcuff’s side victories in each of their last two league outings. Still, to go one better here would be quite a shock, especially considering Lorient’s lengthy injury list. Le Pen, Vahirua, Genton and Jallet are amongst the players missing.
Bordeaux’s problems are more likely to be of a psychological sort after another disappointing result in midweek. Les Girondins, who lost 3-1 to Roma, are playing relatively well but cannot seem to get the results much of their play deserves. Wendel is banned while Jussie will almost certainly be missing after picking up a muscular problem in midweek. Saivet and Ramé are Blanc’s other concerns.
Olympique Marseille vs. SM Caen
Like Bordeaux, Marseille also suffered disappointment in the Champions League on Wednesday night and face quite a mission if they are to qualify. But Eric Gerets must pay close attention to their league form too; Lyon are already starting to edge away. Victory over Caen, whom they beat 6-1 at the Stade Vélodrome last season, is an absolute must.
There are rumours that estranged centre-back Gael Givet may start for l’OM on Saturday while Ben Arfa is toiling with an injury. Definitely missing are Rodriguez, Mears and Grandin, who all missed the 2-1 loss to Atlético Madrid in midweek.
Caen, who would leapfrog Marseille if they were to record an unlikely victory, have not reported such injury concerns, with Zubar and Boucansaud still struggling for fitness.
OGC Nice vs. FC Sochaux-Montbéliard
A run of three league matches without a victory has threatened to spoil the positive start to the season made by Nice. Frédéric Antonetti’s side continue to play in an attack-minded 4-3-3 formation and have scored plenty of goals in recent matches while conceding just a few too many for their boss’ liking.
Apam and Kanté were restored to the defence last season and are unlikely to be moved this week while there are not expected to be any selection problems whatsoever for les Aiglons’ head coach.
Although Sochaux continue to linger in the relegation zone, there have been signs that les Lionceaux’s season could take off. Good home points against Lille and Lorient formed a sandwich around a 1-0 victory over Marseille in the Coupe de la Ligue. Head coach Francis Gillot, who will be without Maurice-Belay, Faty, Jokic and El Bounadi, will hope these results do not form the basis of a false start.
Toulouse FC vs. AJ Auxerre
Few commentators would have expected to see Toulouse in the lofty heights of second place after seven games. New head coach Alain Casanova has not changed the style of the club that was seriously threatened by relegation last season but there appears to be a reformed work ethic and greater heart. Casanova will hope this can be maintained as the league settles further.
Last term Toulouse suffered acute injury problems, which have, thus far, not be replicated this term. Paulo Cesar, Blondel and Pentecote are all missing but none would have played a significant role, while Ebondo is banned.
Coming off their strongest performance of the season in beating Le Havre 3-0 last weekend, Auxerre will carry a great deal of confidence into their fixture in the Pink City. With no alterations on the injury front in the last seven days, expect Jean Fernandez to name an unchanged starting eleven.
Lille OSC vs. Valenciennes FC
‘Le Derby du Nord’ will witness a Lille side bubbling nicely towards form face a Valenciennes team that is fragile in the extreme at present. Les Douges have won three of their last four league matches, including a fine 2-0 success over Monaco in the principality last weekend.
Undoubtedly the addition of strikers Vittek and de Melo has made a significant difference for Lille, who boast a fairly reliable defensive unit. Frau, Plestan and Dumont will all sit in the stands due to injury.
VA have their own injury problems, with Sommeil, Pieroni, Grandin, Saez and Schmitz all missing. In addition, Bangoura and Bisevac have missed training due to illness this week and are considered doubtful.
Stade Rennais vs. Olympique Lyon
Rennes crashed out of the UEFA Cup in midweek on the away goals rule, although they certainly had chances to grab a vital away goal against Twente. Unusually for a Guy Lacombe side, Rennes played with close to a full strength side, indicating their desire to progress in the competition.
It remains to be seen how les Rouges et Noirs will cope with the mental and physical fatigue of having to face Lyon on Sunday. Petter Hansson and Jérôme Leroy are missing due to suspension while Esteban, Marveaux. Asamoah and Cheyrou remain injured.
Lyon, who kept their Champions League hopes very much alive with a good point against Bayern Munich in Germany, are still without Grosso and Clerc. Sidney Govou is a new problem; he could be out for up to two months, although a four week lay-off is more likely.
AS Saint-Étienne vs. AS Monaco
Sainté will be bouncing after their triumph over Hapoel Tel Aviv in midweek, their 2-1 victory being the perfect way to welcome European football back to the Loire. Head coach Laurent Roussey played a strong squad in that fixture and will likely replicate it to a large extent against Monaco.
Les Verts are still without Mirallas due to injury while Stathis Tavlaridis, who, remarkably cleared three shots off the line in last weekend’s draw with Bordeaux, is banned. With Monsoreau still considered touch-and-go due to injury, there could be real cause for concern at the heart of the home defence. Matsui is the only other injury worry.
Monaco are a side that are well aware of how injury problems can decimate a season. Already les Monegasques are beginning to heave under the burden of missing several players. Gakpé and Bakar have yet to kick a ball this season in attack while the midfield is short of Gosso, Bernardi and Zola. A one match ban for Leko exacerbates this position. Defensively there are concerns too as Adriano and Muratori are not expected to play.
AS Nancy-Lorraine vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Both Nancy and PSG made comfortable progress in the UEFA Cup, with neither conceding a single goal over the two legs of their fixtures. Defensive solidarity has very much been a theme for these two sides this season, so don’t expect a goalfest at the Stade Marcel-Pichot. Indeed, Nancy have already recorded three 0-0 draws in league play as their offensive threat is as minimal as their defence is strong.
Much the same can be said for a PSG side that has lost its ability to win 1-0 that it possess in the early part of the season. Indeed, les Parisiens have been suffering in a converse manner, losing out to Grenoble and Saint-Étienne in recent weeks by the inverse scoreline.
Both sides have a handful of niggling injuries. Sami picked up a knock for Nancy against Motherwell and appears very unlikely to feature while Curbelo and Camerling were already out. PSG are shorn of Sakho and Giuly while there is a 50-50 chance that Makélélé could make a return from an enforced lay-off.
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