Lyon resume title quest in French soccer league

Lyon resume their bid for an eighth consecutive title at the Stade Gerland Saturday against relatively lightweight opposition in the shape of Lorient.

But some of Lyon’s shaky pre-Christmas performances – as well as the question marks over the futures of Juninho and Karim Benzema – have given hope to challengers like Bordeaux, Rennes, Paris St Germain and Marseille.

Bordeaux face Paris Saint Germain in Sunday’s only game and they will be hoping their entire squad is fit and ready.

Given an extra week of holidays, Brazilian trio Fernando, Wendel and Henrique repaid Bordeaux’s generosity by getting stuck at Roissy airport outside the capital because of heavy snowfall.

They eventually managed to rally the west coast, but it remains to be seen how missing midweek training affects their performance against a PSG side which seems to be going from strength to strength.

Lyon will be looking for an easy three points against Lorient, but the Brittany side, in ninth place, will be seeking chinks in the champions’ armour.

Lyon’s former Brazilian international midfielder Juninho, the inspiration behind seven successive championships since arriving from Vasco da Gama in 2001, admitted on Tuesday that his stellar career was drawing to an end.

“I feel it is the moment to prepare for the future with my family,” conceded 33-year-old Juninho, who was capped 44 times and scored seven goals for Brazil.

“I am under contract till 2010 and don’t dare ask for an extension.”

Lyon are also looking to quell the constant speculation surrounding star striker Benzema.

Benzema, only 21 and with a contract till 2013, remains a target for European heavyweights such as Barcelona, who he rejected after being offered a move in the summer.

Marseille, sitting in fifth, six points adrift of Lyon, will be expected to pocket all three points when they travel to Auxerre on Saturday.

With Jean Fernandez’s strugglers sixth from bottom, the Auxerre coach isn’t exactly riding a wave of optimism.

“Our main aim is to give a good account of ourselves,” he said.

“We need the points but so do Marseille after they were beat 3-0 at home by Nancy. But Marseille are very good away from home and concede very few goals.”

Nevertheless, it could be a potential banana skin for Eric Gerets’ Marseille side, who are still missing a key striker.

Marseille gave up pursuing Swedish international Henrik Larsson, for a proposed loan deal, in midweek and have until the end of the month to find a replacement striker for injured Mamadou Niang.

Fixtures

Saturday

Rennes v Grenoble, Sochaux v Saint-Etienne, Valenciennes v Caen, Auxerre v Marseille, Le Havre v Toulouse, Le Mans v Lille, Lyon v Lorient, Monaco v Nantes, Nancy v Nice

Sunday

Bordeaux v Paris St Germain