European high flyers Bordeaux target domestic bliss

Bordeaux, buoyed by booking top spot in their Champions League group with a midweek defeat of Juventus, will be out to follow up the good work on the domestic front this weekend against Nancy.

Laurent Blanc’s defending French titleholders lost the league lead with a surprise slip-up at home to Valenciennes last weekend which opened the door to Auxerre to go clear by one point.

But Bordeaux will fancy their chances of reclaiming control as they visit mid-table Nancy and with Auxerre facing a tough road trip to Paris Saint Germain.

Bordeaux’s majestic journey to the Champions League knock out stages in a group that featured not only Juventus but also Bayern Munich, has not been mirrored by their performances on home soil – witness the 1-0 loss to Valenciennes.

And Blanc has urged his players to feel “the knot in the stomach that you have before going out to play a big game” every time they face league opponents like Nancy on Sunday.

Yoann Gourcruff, who has missed the last two outings with a groin strain, resumed training on Thursday but the France international is not expected to have recovered full fitness in time for this weekend.

Marseille, in contrast to Bordeaux, still have work to do in Europe after the 1-1 draw at AC Milan on Wednesday left Didier Deschamps’ men needing a minor miracle to make it into the next round.

The south coast club must beat group leaders Real Madrid by a hefty margin to have any chance of progressing.

Before that however they have a date at fifth from bottom Lens where they will be seeking to build on last weekend’s narrow defeat of bitter rivals PSG.

The Parisians at their Parc des Princes headquarters will represent a stiff test of Auxerre’s title credentials.

The surprise leaders, who have rattled off seven consecutive wins, will be missing Polish striker Ireneusz Jelen, out after a clash in training.

Jean Fernandez’ resurgent outfit will miss the forward, scorer of four goals in eight games and the league’s player of the month in October.

“When he plays, everything is much easier for everybody. He is the one who gives the depth we need in our game,” Fernandez said.

Monaco, the team Auxerre beat last weekend to put them in pole, were due to host Montpellier but the fixture has been postponed after three of the away side’s players went down with swine flu.

Multiple former French champions Lyon, beaten midweek by Fiorentina but still assured of their place in the Champions League knock out round, are out to halt a winless run stretching back to their last four games.

Last weekend’s giant killers Valenciennes meanwhile look to have easier pickings in their sights with a visit to bottom half of the table Lille.

Fixtures (all 1700GMT unless stated)

Saturday

Monaco v Montpellier – postponed

Paris Saint Germain v Auxerre

Sochaux v Nice

Toulouse v Boulogne

Lille v Valenciennes

Lorient v Grenoble

Lens v Marseille (1900)

Sunday

Nancy v Bordeaux (1600)

Le Mans v Saint Etienne (1600)

Lyon v Rennes (2000)