All the latest news ahead of the weekend's action in France, with under-fire Johan Micoud being given a break by his boss.

* Girondins Bordeaux travel to Stade Rennes on Saturday without midfielder Johan Micoud, accused of cheating to obtain the penalty which helped his team move towards a Champions League spot in their 2-1 win over Nancy last weekend.

"Johan is not in the squad. He has been castigated by the media and it has greatly affected him. He is not ready to face the challenge of an away game and I decided to spare him," said Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc.

Referee Eric Poulat said he had been tricked by Micoud and has asked for the former Werder Breme playmaker to be severely punished.

Bordeaux will welcome back central defender Marc Planus for Saturday's away game at fifth-placed Stade Rennes. They will however be without Brazilian midfielder Jussie who will have groin surgery on Monday.

* Statistics are against Marseille who host Ligue 1 leaders Lyon on Sunday.

Marseille, in need of a win to keep alive their hopes of a Champions league berth, have not recorded a home win over the six-times champions since the 1997-1998 season.

They were crushed 4-1 in the last encounter between the two teams at the Stade Velodrome in October 2006.

* Valenciennes coach Antoine Kombouare will snub the referee before his team's game at Caen on Saturday after being handed a red card last weekend.

"I'm not going to shake hands with the officials. I'm fed up with the referees' authoritarianism and arrogance," he said.

* Gervais Martel, chairman of 18th-placed Racing Lens, has asked the club's supporters not to demonstrate their anger before Sunday's home game against Metz after being the target of a racist banner during last weekend's League Cup final.

"We need our supporters to mobilise and help the team fight relegation as they did in 1997 when we were in trouble," he told journalists.

Reuters