Ligue 1 round 8

Nice v Valenciennes
Rennes v Auxerre
Grenoble v Montpellier
St Etienne v Bordeaux
Sochaux v Le Mans
Lens v Lyon
Toulouse v Lorient
Boulogne v Lille
Marseille v Monaco

Bordeaux go to St Etienne this week without Yoann Gourcuff who limped out of the 1-0 win over Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League in midweek. This is a major blow to their hopes as everything goes through him and the Brazilian Fernando will replace him. Better news comes as Fernando Cavenaghi is almost back to full fitness and the Argentine's goals will aid their championship push. Even with no Gourcuff, St Etienne are second favourites on their own turf. Lyon go to Lens as league leaders and on the back of a 4-0 win in Europe and in great domestic form, but Lens are always tough opponents. Even so, Lyon are hot favourites. Marseille were walloped in Madrid in midweek and get back to it at home to inconsistent Monaco. It's just impossible to tell which Monaco will show up.

Mismatch of the week sees fourth-placed Montpellier go to rock bottom Grenoble who are still seeking their first point of the season. Even goals would be nice - they've scored just two so far. It's been a dream start for the south coast side and it should continue here. Boulogne also started well following promotion, but they've slipped down and face Lille who are going in the opposite direction and won 5-1 in Prague in the week, three of those coming in the last five minutes. That could be just the spark they were seeking as they emerge from a miserable start to the season. Toulouse were also in European action - a 2-2 draw with Club Brugge - in the week and they remain entrenched in mid-table. Lorient are just on the fringes of the leading pack and they're the visitors to Les Violets this weekend. PSG and Rennes are both in there as well and both are at home, to Nancy and Auxerre respectively. Without their talisman Ireneusz Jelen, sent off last week and therefore suspended, Auxerre will struggle while the Parisians should be too strong for the repidly fading Nancy.

Sochaux and Nice remain down among the dead men - by dead men, I mean Grenoble - and they both have home matches as they seek to pull away from danger. Nice take on Valenciennes which is never an easy task while Sochaux face fellow strugglers Le Mans and that is a huge game, even at this stage of the season.