Ligue 1 round 35

Grenoble 4-0 PSG
Monaco 1-1 Le Mans
Valenciennes 2-0 Bordeaux

Another defeat for Bordeaux and they are on the brink of relinquishing their title. They lie 14 points off the summit with five games to play. Basically it ain't gonna happen for them as Gregory Pujol and Foued Kadir struck in either half to score a decisive win for VA. Grenoble aren't going quietly and dropped PSG into the bottom half of the table - that's not going to be good enough for the board as they come to reassess Antoine Kombouaré's position - as four different players got themselves on the scoresheet. Laurent Batlles and Nicoas Dieuze made it 2-0 by half time and second half goals from Nassim Akrour and Danijel Ljuboja completed a comprehensive win for the bottom club. Mathieu Dossevi's early strike for Le Mans was pegged back by Ouwa Maazou early in the second half as Monaco came back to draw.

Auxerre v Marseille
Lille v Nancy
Valenciennes v Lorient
Rennes v Sochaux
St Etienne v Lens
Boulogne v Nice
Bordeaux v Toulouse
Montpellier v Lyon

Big game this weekend comes on Friday night at the Abbe-Deschamps where Auxerre and Marseille face off in what almost amounts to a championship play-off. A win for Marseille and they're pretty much uncatchable. A draw helps neither, but Auxerre can do everyone a favour - not least themselves - with a win. They've not lost in the league at home since early December and they were the last side to beat Marseille at the Vélodrome. It's set up for a cracker.

Bordeaux's faltering challenge even for European football next season sees them take on Toulouse. Laurent Blanc is pointing to his own team's lethargy for their downfall, which has been dramatic. "We no longer have the technical, mental or physical force to put our opponents in danger", he said after the VA defeat, which is pretty scathing. The feeling that Blanc himself is already half-way to accepting the national coach job after the World Cup grows with every utterance on these lines.

Montpellier and Lyon are vying for a Champions League place, but given the way Lyon played midweek - and that's off the back of the LFP rearranging games to give them last weekend off - which was so weak and short of ideas, then Montpellier have a great chance. Lille remain in the box seat for that third CL place and are at home to Nancy this week. Should St Etienne get a win at home to Lens on Sunday, then it all but relegates Le Mans and Boulogne. Le Mans have the weekend off, but Boulogne are at home to Nice where three points is a must if they're to stand a chance. Valenciennes are at home to Lorient and Sochaux go to Rennes in a pair of mid-table clashes in the remaining games.