Ligue 1 Preview Gameweek 7

 

Lyon v Bastia
Date 23/09/2015 – Venue – Stade de Gerland – Kick Off 18:00 (UK Time)

The home side go into this game in the better form after being unbeaten in their last three matches despite not playing at their best. Lyon have only lost one match this season and have moved up to 7^th in the league standings, just five points behind leaders PSG. Nabil Fekir has been a huge miss for Les Gones and they are still struggling to make up for the lost goals and assists. Lyon’s long injury list could see them without Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Rafael and Henri Bedimo who are all recovering from injuries.

Visitors Bastia started the campaign well; winning two of their first three but have lost their form and are now facing the possibility of a fourth straight defeat. They are playing Lyon at a good time in the season while they are yet to find any real consistency or dominance but it will still be a very tough test for Les Bleus. Francois Kamano faces a fitness test following his calf injury but there are no new concerns for Ghislain Printant.

 

Nice v Bordeaux
Date 23/09/2015 – Venue – Allianz Riviera – Kick Off 18:00 (UK Time)

Bordeaux’s league position of 13^th may undermine a number of strong performances this season against some of the league’s top sides. They are actually unbeaten in five games but have only won once against Nantes; the four draws have come against Saint-Étienne, Lille, PSG and Toulouse so they have done well to gain points from all of those matches. Les Girondins will see the match against Nice as a winnable game and three points would really lift them up the table towards those European spots. Diego Contento picked up a knock in the game against Toulouse last time around but there are no further concerns over that starting eleven.

The hosts will be full of spirit following the 3-1 win over Bastia in the previous game; the three points took Nice to 9^th in the table. A victory in this match could take them into the top six if results go their way and this will be very well-received given their inconsistent start to the season. Les Aiglons will be hoping Alassane Plea recovers from his meniscus injury in time for this match as the attacker has played in all six league games this season, scoring two goals; he would be a big miss for the home side.

 

Troyes v Saint-Étienne
Date 23/09/2015 – Venue – Stade de l’Aube – Kick Off 18:00 (UK Time)

In the bottom three and failing to beat any of the teams around them, Troyes face one of their most difficult tests so far when they host Saint-Étienne on Wednesday. They are struggling to score goals and have conceded the most in the league, thanks to the 6-0 defeat at Marseille. This combination proves why they are so relegation-threatened and it is hard to see them getting anything out of the game here. There is no relevant team news for Troyes but there may be an alternative set-up selected for this game to at least get a point.

Saint-Étienne are one of the in-form teams in the league; unbeaten in five and winning four consecutive matches. After closing the gap on PSG to just one point, they will want to put the pressure on even more with an emphatic win at the Stade de l’Aube. There are no concerns over the side that beat Nantes last weekend so Christophe Galtier may well name an unchanged side.

 

Toulouse v Marseille
Date 23/09/2015 – Venue – Stadium Municipal – Kick Off 20:00 (UK Time)

After an impressive victory against Saint-Étienne on the opening day, Toulouse have failed to get another win in the last five games and this has seen them fall to 17^th in the league. They picked up points against Reims and Bordeaux in the last two matches so there is no reason why they can’t get something out of the game against an unpredictable Marseille team. The hosts have Oscar Trejo sidelined with a suspension after his dismissal versus Bordeaux while Somalia’s thigh injury and Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik’s ankle injury could keep them out of this match.

Marseille are now 12^th in the league and look to be heading in the right direction under new manager Michel, so the last thing they would want is another setback at Toulouse. A comfortable win against Bastia and a draw which could have easily been a win against Lyon is comforting for Les Olympiens as they are finally starting to pick up points after a dismal start. Romain Alessandrini’s red card against Lyon means he isn’t available for this game but there may not be any further changes to the starting eleven from last weekend.

 

Montpellier v Monaco
Date 24/09/2015 – Venue – Stade de la Mosson – Kick Off 17:55 (UK Time)

The final midweek match this week is at the Stade de la Mosson on Thursday evening between Montpellier and Monaco. Montpellier will be disheartened after conceding a late goal to Caen at the weekend which meant they were on the end of another loss, keeping them in 19^th place. They face a Monaco side that does somewhat look out of sorts so the home side have reason to feel optimistic.  There is no relevant team news for Montpellier but it wouldn’t be surprising if Rolland Courbis opted for a more defensive set-up to at least try and get some more points on the board to avoid falling behind the teams above them.

Monaco head into this game on the back of a shock home defeat to Lorient which left them 11^th in the league. They are already six points behind PSG at this early stage in the season so they need to start winning games soon to avoid falling out of contention for the title. Leonardo Jardim’s side will look to take advantage of a Montpellier team who look to be in a relegation battle already. With star man Joao Moutinho back from injury they will probably start to put in stronger performances under his influence and eventually produce better results. Rony Lopes picked up a knock on his first league start this season against Lorient so he may miss the game on Thursday but there are no further concerns for Monaco.

 

There are only nine games midweek as the final match in this round of fixtures between Lille and Nantes is set to be played on 29/09/2015.