Ligue 1 - Team news: OM apply pressure

Eurosport - Fri, 24 Apr 21:51:00 2009

Victory at Lille would put huge pressure on Bordeaux in the Ligue 1 title race, Marseille midfielder Karim Ziani said.

FOOTBALL Ligue 1 2008/2009 Marseille Ziani - 0

Marseille lead the standings on 64 points with six games left, with Bordeaux in second place two points behind.

The Aquitaine side, however, play the League Cup final against Ligue 2 side Vannes on Saturday and would be five points off the pace should Marseille win.

"It is a turning point because Bordeaux do not play. They will be under big pressure if we win," Algerian Ziani told L'Equipe.

Marseille will be without captain Lorik Cana for their trip to Lille after the midfielder was handed a one-match suspension for trading punches with Lorient's Arnaud Le Lan on Sunday.

Lille striker Nicolas Fauvergue said his team had put their 2-1 defeat at strugglers St Etienne behind them as they gear up for Marseille.

"After the defeat, we quickly re-focused on our goal (reaching a Champions League spot)," Fauvergue said.

"We had a video session and swept this defeat out of our minds to get into the Marseille game as quickly as possible."

Lille are sixth on 56 points, five adrift of third-placed Lyon , who hold the last Champions League qualifying spot. Lyon drew 0-0 at home to fourth-placed Paris St-Germain on Friday evening.

Christophe Revault, 37, has lost his first-choice keeper spot at bottom club Le Havre to under-21 player Johnny Placide.

Le Havre, who have conceded 59 goals from 32 matches this season, host Grenoble.

Toulouse, knocked out by Ligue 2 side Guingamp in the French Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, have a mental problem, said defender Daniel Congre.

"To me, it is a mental problem. There is no such thing as fatigue in a French Cup semi-final," he told L'Equipe before they host Lorient on Sunday.

Toulouse are fifth in the standings on 56 points.

Reuters

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