Lille seek league solace as trophy horizons shrink

Published: 10 Feb 2012 - 01:46:46

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Lille seek league solace as trophy horizons shrink

Rudely ejected from the French Cup by neighbours Valenciennes on Wednesday evening, French champions Lille will bid to resurrect the defence of their Ligue 1 crown at home to Bordeaux on Sunday.

Rudi Garcia's side began the season with two trophies in their possession and four tournaments to attack, but having been eliminated from three cup competitions in the last two months, their objectives have narrowed sharply.

The cup holders' 2-1 loss at Valenciennes followed defeat by Lyon in the League Cup last month and a Champions League exit at the group stage in December, but Lille's chances of retaining their league title are also receding.

Heading into the weekend in third place, they trail leaders Paris Saint-Germain by 10 points -- albeit with a game in hand -- and can afford no more missteps if they are to carry any hope of defending their crown into the season's final months.

"Now, it's simple: we have to put all our effort into the championship -- starting with the visit of Bordeaux on Sunday, which is a very important match," said Garcia.

"The players are intelligent and we all want to hold on to third place. We'll do everything to avoid falling behind the teams in front."

Complicating Lille's situation is the fact they find themselves embroiled in a five-way battle for only three Champions League places alongside PSG, Montpellier, Lyon and a resurgent Marseille.

Second-placed Montpellier, 2-0 victors at Ligue 2 side Chateauroux in mid-week, are three points behind PSG but will provisionally take over at the summit if they win at home to Ajaccio on Saturday afternoon.

Rene Girard's side have won their last six games in all competitions and are still to concede a goal in 2012, but in Ajaccio they face a side who have hauled themselves out of the relegation places thanks to a six-game unbeaten run.

"My boys are putting a lot of effort in," said Girard after goals from Olivier Giroud and Younes Belhanda put paid to Chateauroux.

"It will be vitally important to recover properly ahead of the match against Ajaccio on Saturday."

Like Marseille, who they will meet in the League Cup final, fourth-placed Lyon are competing for glory on four fronts, having come from behind to beat Bordeaux 3-1 after extra time in the French Cup on Wednesday.

Lyon face Cypriot side APOEL in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday but coach Remi Garde is hoping the prospect of silverware will be sufficient to banish thoughts of fatigue from his players' minds.

"This run of success is enjoyable," he said. "Victories breed victories. We'll try to recover quickly and win the second of our three consecutive home matches on Saturday."

A point behind Lille and OL in fifth place, Marseille were due to visit Evian on Saturday but must now await a pitch inspection to find out whether the match in Annecy will be able to take place on Sunday instead due to the extreme cold.

The postponement of PSG's mid-week French Cup tie with Dijon means that Carlo Ancelotti's side have benefited from a week off prior to Sunday's trip south to third-bottom Nice.

Nice have not won in the league since December 17 but with only four points separating the bottom nine clubs, the relegation picture remains volatile.

Bottom club Sochaux face a testing assignment at sixth-placed Rennes in Saturday's late game, while second-bottom Auxerre will hope to claim a first victory in five matches at home to mid-table Lorient.

Fixtures (1400GMT unless otherwise stated)

Saturday:

Auxerre v Lorient, Lyon v Caen, Montpellier v Ajaccio, Valenciennes v Nancy, Brest v Dijon (1800GMT), Rennes v Sochaux (2000GMT)

Sunday:

Lille v Bordeaux, Evian v Marseille (pending pitch inspection), Nice v Paris Saint-Germain (1600GMT), Toulouse v Saint-Etienne (2000GMT)