Bordeaux v Sion background
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Article summary
Bordeaux welcome a table-topping Sion side who have taken four points from their first two fixtures in a UEFA group stage and are coached by former Girondins striker Didier Tholot.
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Article body
FC Girondins de Bordeaux will see a familiar face on UEFA Europa League matchday three as Didier Tholot brings unexpected Group B leaders FC Sion to his old stamping ground.
Previous meetings
• The teams are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition.
• Bordeaux are unbeaten in four games against Swiss opponents: W2 D2 L0 (W1 D1 L0 at home – W1 D1 L0 away).
• Sion's record in four meetings with French sides is W1 D1 L2 (W1 D1 L0 at home – W0 D0 L2 in France). They lost their two games in France by an aggregate score of 7-1.
Form guide
• Bordeaux, unbeaten at home in Europe this term (W2 D1), have started Group B with two draws.
• Sion's 1-1 draw at Liverpool FC on matchday two means they have not won in seven European away fixtures (D4 L3) since a 1-0 success at TPS Turku in the 1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
• Bordeaux made it through to the round of 32 in their first two UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns, but missed the cut in their most recent appearance, in 2013/14.
• Sion are featuring in the group stage of a major UEFA competition for the first time.
Trivia and links
• The journey from Sion to Bordeaux is just under 650km.
• Sion defender Gabriel Cichero played in France with RC Lens (2011/12) and FC Nantes (2012–14).
The coaches
• Bordeaux's Willy Sagnol was appointed in 2014 after a spell as France Under-21 coach. The 38-year-old shone as a right-back, lifting a French title with AS Monaco FC before heading to Germany, where he won five Bundesliga crowns and the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League with FC Bayern München.
• A UEFA Cup finalist with Bordeaux in 1996, striker Tholot ended his playing career as player-coach at Sion and took charge of the club for a third time in 2014. He led Sion to Swiss Cup success in 2009 in his second stint and won that trophy again last term.
• Tholot played for Bordeaux from 1995 to 1997, helping them reach the 1997 League Cup final, where he scored in a 6-5 penalty shoot-out defeat by RC Strasbourg.
