Bordeaux aim to halt league slide after cup exit

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PARIS, Feb 12, 2010 (AFP) - Defending champions Bordeaux will bid to halt their worrying slump in form when they meet struggling Saint Etienne at home on Sunday after seeing a once nine-point lead cut to just three since Christmas.

Laurent Blanc's side have won just one of their last four league games and their change in fortunes has blown the French title race wide open.

Monaco added to Bordeaux's woes by dumping them out of the French Cup 2-0 on Wednesday and Blanc said his players must improve if they are to sucessfully defend their crown.

"Now we are into a negative spell and every one of us, coaching staff and players alike, must pose themselves some hard questions," the former Manchester United defender said after the game.

At the other end of the table, ailing Paris Saint-Germain travel to 12th-placed Nancy amid calls for coach Antoine Koumbouare to quit.

PSG lie in 15th place with 23 points, just two places above the relegation zone, and a narrow French Cup victory over fourth division amateurs Vesoul has done little to calm their restless supporters.

Tempers flared at the capital club's training ground on Thursday when defender Mamadou Sakho clashed with a local journalist.

Fifth-placed Marseille take on sixth-placed Monaco at the Stade Velodrome with both sides gunning for a place in next season's Europa League.

Marseille coach Didier Deschamps will be without Brazilian forward Brandao after the 29-year-old, who has five goals and four assists this season, limped out of his side's 3-1 midweek French Cup defeat at Lens.

"Brandao has a thigh muscle problem and will be out for at least two weeks," Deschamps said.

Fourth-placed Lyon will be looking to claw their way back into Champions League contention when they meet Lens.

Lyon manager Claude Puel said Lens would be full of confidence after their French Cup triumph.

"They will come with a mentality of a team that has everything to gain. We know what to expect against such a team. They come off the back of good league and cup results. Everything will depend on our involvement and our quality of play."

Basement club Grenoble face a mammoth task to overcome second-placed Montpellier, who are unbeaten in four league games.

"Our team is feeling good and we have a very strong momentum. It's impossible to say how far we can go," Montpellier coach Rene Girard said.

Grenoble are missing several key players but have left-back David Saguet available again after two weeks out injured.

Elsewhere Toulouse are away at fellow mid-table battlers Lorient, Valenciennes host relegation-threatened Nice, Auxerre welcome Rennes. and Le Mans meet Sochaux at home hoping to end an eight game winless league run.

Boulogne meanwhile travel to third-placed Lille, whose Cote d'Ivoire striker Gervinho is still to add his 11-goal tally for the season since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Fixtures

Saturday (1800GMT unless stated)

Monaco v Marseille, Le Mans v Sochaux, Nancy v PSG, Valenciennes v Nice, Lille v Boulogne, Montpellier v Grenoble, Lyon v Lens (2000GMT)

Sunday (1600GMT unless stated)

Lorient v Toulouse, Auxerre v Rennes, Bordeaux v Saint Etienne (2000GMT)