Lyon look to punish Lille slip

By Chris Burke

Unbeaten Ligue 1 leaders Olympique Lyonnais visit FC Sochaux-Montbéliard tonight knowing victory would leave them six points clear at the top after the first fixtures of 2005.

Lille poised
Second-placed LOSC Lille Métropole lost 2-1 at home to Olympique de Marseille last night, to continue a run of mixed form that began before the winter break. That result was welcome for Paul Le Guen's Lyon as they attempt to become only the third French club to win four consecutive championships, a feat last achieved by Marseille in the early 1990s.

Stuttering Sochaux
Sochaux go into their meeting with Lyon keen to forget their disappointing run prior to Christmas, as a return of just two points from their last four games in 2004 saw them drop down to eighth place. Lyon are unlikely to be in generous mood, though, and are buoyed by goalkeeper Grégory Coupet's return from injury and news that club captain Claudio Caçapa is set to sign a new two-year deal.

New managers
Seven points off the pace, third-placed AJ Auxerre make the trip to Stade Rennais FC, while AS Monaco FC, down to fifth after Marseille's Tuesday win, will be the opposition for Xavier Gravelaine and Jean-Louis Gasset, who take charge of FC Istres for the first time following Mehmet Bazdarevic's dismissal. Another coach making his Ligue 1 debut is FC Nantes Atlantique's Serge Le Dizet, who takes his new charges to fellow strugglers SC Bastia.

Rothen return
In tonight's other games, French international Jérôme Rothen is again missing from the Paris Saint-Germain FC squad for the match against SM Caen despite the club thinking he would be fit to feature for the first time since November. Sixth-placed Toulouse FC welcome RC Strasbourg, FC Girondins de Bordeaux visit OGC Nice, AS Saint-Etienne play RC Lens and FC Metz take on AC Ajaccio.