Your Ligue 1 Weekend Preview

Behold – the Eden Hazard Glamour Shot.

This week’s matches with the greatest potential all take place on Saturday, so start your stream-hunting early.

Keep an eye on the youngsters this weekend, as Les Gones run out a young team against Bordeaux, while Javier Pastore and Eden Hazard always provide the opportunity for something special.

Saturday, September 23rd:

Lyon v. Bordeaux – Last week saw these clubs experience reversals of fortune, with Lyon falling to Caen and Bordeaux drawing Lille. That allowed Les Girondins to move mid-table, while costing Les Gones their 1st-place spot, making this an important early-season match as the former look to continue their upward movement while the latter will feel pressure to right the ship and continue their push for the league title.

Although these sides met in the quarter-finals of the Champions League just 18 months ago, neither has looked particularly dangerous of late. Lyon’s biggest concern here is that they will be without netminder Hugo Lloris, who will be suspended following his RC against Caen last week, as well as lacking a bit in offense with both Lisandro Lopez and Yannis Tafer out with injuries. Considering that Bordeaux have not lost in their last five domestic matches against Lyon, they looked poised for an upset here, especially when one realizes that their own netminder, Cedric Carrasso, will be returning from suspension for this encounter.

Bordeaux’s defensive duo of Michael Ciani and Benoit Tremoulinas are far more imposing than Lyon’s offering of Anthony Reveillere and Aly Cissokhom, but they will have a busy day trying to contain the in-form Bafetimbi Gomis. Importantly, that emphasis on Gomis will likely free up the midfield tandem of Michel Bastos and Maxime Gonalons, with the latter looking to make a name for himself given Laurent Blanc’s recent interest. Bordeaux will counter will the offensive prowess of Cheick Diabate, who has 3 goals this season, while also hoping that Nicolas Maurice-Belay can finally find the back of the net. Let’s call it a 1-1 draw, with goals coming from Jimmy Briand (Lyon) and Anthony Modeste (Bordeaux).

Montpellier v. Paris Saint-Germain – With Montpellier leading the league and PSG feeling pressure to take the title after their spending spree, this match provides an early-season highlight of potential. It wasn’t that long after Montpellier’s promotion that they looked poise for an excellent finish only to stumble down the stretch, and Rene Girard’s boys will be anxious to avoid repeating that feat.

1st place in Ligue was retaken last week at the expense of an overwhelmed Ajaccio, and Montpellier haven’t lost at home to PSG in the past decade, so they will come into this match full of confidence. The club from the capital, however, will be equally chuffed, having overcome a physical Nice side in a match that saw Nene and Kevin Gameiro get into an argument over who would take the first PK of the evening. Both sides come into this tilt missing a key player, as Abdelhamid El-Kaoutari (Montpellier) and Christophe Jallet (PSG) were dismissed in last week’s affairs.

While PSG continue to wait for the return of Mamadou Sahko in defense, it will be up to a decidedly lackluster Zoumana Camara, aided by Diego Lugano, to stop the high-flying Olivier Giroud. The latter leads Montpellier with 4 goals, although Souleymane Camara (no relation to Zoumana) has 3 of his own. Paris Saint-Germain will respond with the brilliant Gameiro, who also has 4 goals, as well as the midfield presence of Nene and Javier Pastore, both of whom have 2 goals. Given the relatively weak defense presented by Montpellier, particularly with El-Kaoutari missing, there are goals to be had in this match. Call it a 2-1 victory for PSG, with goals coming from Mathieu Bodmer and Kevin Gameiro for PSG, and Geoffrey Dernis for Montpellier.

Lille v. Lorient – These sides are tied in the table on points and goal differential, sitting in 6th place, which represents a significant departure from where they both thought they would be. Last time out Les Dogues stumbled to a draw against Bordeaux, while Les Merlus were held to shared points by a surprising Auxerre side. If Lille hope to move back into the Top 4, they cannot afford to keep losing points and losing ground.

Despite a shaky defense featuring the comedic stylings of Pape Ndiaye Souare and Marko Basa, Lille are able to rely on the formidable presence of netminder Mickael Landreau although he has, worryingly, yet to register a clean sheet. The attack for Lorient will come in the form of Innocent Emeghara (best name in Ligue 1?) and Kevin Monnet-Paquet, with former Gunners Jeremie Aliadiere and Gilles Sunu providing relief. With only an anemic offense (although midfielder Yann Jouffre has had his days) to contend with, Lille will respond with midfield maestro Eden Hazard, as well as linemates Benoit Pedretti and Florent Balmont bombing forward to overwhelm the defensive efforts of Gregory Bourillon and Bruno Ecuele Manga. In front of an energized home crowd, let’s call this one a 3-1 victory for Lille, with goals for Les Dogues coming from Eden Hazard, Dimitri Payet and Ludovic Obraniak, while Lorient get theirs from Mathieu Coutadeur.