Galtier looking to lift St Etienne

New St Etienne coach Christophe Galtier has warned that his side will be looking for a confidence booster to lift their sagging campaign against Marseille on Saturday.

Alain Perrin’s former assistant takes over a side in freefall as they struggle in the relegation zone with just 15 points from 17 games and two games left before the winter break in the French first division.

The club are far from the glory days of the 1960s and 1970s when they were one of the powerhouses of French football – winning the last of their ten league titles way back in 1981.

But former Marseille player Galtier insisted the “pressure and great expectations” on his shoulders would prove a motivator as his team take on second-placed Marseille just days after Perrin’s sacking.

“I’m capable of reversing the slump,” boasted Galtier of a side still reeling from the 3-0 loss at Paris Saint-Germain which cost Perrin his job.

“The group’s confidence is in freefall. The most important thing is to get confidence back into a team hit by poor results.”

But with a long injury list, Galtier will be hard pressed to do better than his predecessor, although he can count on defender Yohan Benalouane, back from suspension, to bolster Guirane N?Daw.

In-form Marseille claimed their third successive win midweek with a 2-1 victory over Lorient to move up to second, six points behind leaders Bordeaux.

And Marseille coach Didier Deschamps admitted his primary concern was the freezing conditions forecast for St Etienne on Saturday.

“The number one worry is the physical shape of the players because the risk of injury is high,” said Deschamps. “To play matches in these conditions is more about balance than football.”

Bordeaux look to consolidate their position before the winter break as they host Lorient after their 1-0 win over Montpellier on Wednesday.

Coach Laurent Blanc knows his side were lucky to come away with a win from Montpellier after their success at Lyon the previous week.

“We weren’t good because the match against Lyon left its mark. Certain players hadn’t recovered and weren’t at a technically high level.”

But Blanc is happy with his side’s first half of the season.

“I’d be happy to have a second half of the season like the first,” said Blanc. “We’ve done almost half the work. We have to prepare ourselves because we mustn’t think that it’s going to happen by itself. Nothing is given, we have to go after it.”

Nevertheless Blanc isn’t underestimating his rivals.

“Christian Gourcuff has a well organised team,” said Blanc of his Lorient counterpart. “With few resources they produce beautiful football and players worthy of the highest level.”

Montpellier, sitting third seven points off the place, host 13th-placed Nancy as Valenciennes take on Lens and midtable rivals Rennes and Paris St Germain slug it out in Brittany.

Tailenders Grenoble host Nice as second-from-bottom Boulogne travel to Sochaux.

On Sunday, Lyon vist Monaco as Lille look to get back into the top four against Le Mans and Auxerre host Toulouse.

Saturday (1800GMT unless stated)

Bordeaux v Lorient, Boulogne v Sochaux, Grenoble v Nice, Montpellier v Nancy, Rennes v PSG, Valenciennes v Lens, St Etienne v Marseille (2000GMT)

Sunday (1600GMT unless stated)

Auxerre v Toulouse, Lille v Le Mans, Monaco v Lyon (2000GMT)