Blanc puts fire in Bordeaux's bellies

Coach Laurent Blanc has called on his FC Girondins de Bordeaux players to display their competitive edge against AS Roma at Stade Chaban-Delmas as both clubs strive to recover from opening-night defeats in Group A.

'Controlled aggression'
The trip to Chelsea FC a fortnight ago was never likely to prove straightforward for Bordeaux, yet it was the passive nature of their performance rather than the 4-0 scoreline that most concerned Blanc. "When you play teams that are technically better than you, you have to show controlled aggression," the former France captain said. "When you stand off players like Frank Lampard and Joe Cole, you lose. If we allow the Roma players time, we'll have the same problem."

Improved showing
Blanc hinted that nerves, and not a lack of motivation, were behind that below-par showing and is expecting an improvement on Matchday 2. "The boys all want to do well but motivation on its own is not enough," he explained. "It's one of several ingredients you need and it's the easiest one to acquire, because if you're not motivated for the Champions League you never will be. We'll also need to concentrate, impose ourselves physically and avoid making technical mistakes."

Ramé out
Last year Les Girondins took the Ligue 1 title race to the final day in Blanc's first campaign as coach, but they are already eight points adrift of Olympique Lyonnais this term. The five-time French champions were held 1-1 by AS Saint-Etienne on Sunday, losing captain Ulrich Ramé to a groin tear in the process. The experienced goalkeeper should be replaced by Mathieu Valverde, who has only nine senior appearances to his name over five years. With Wendel and Alou Diarra returning from domestic bans, Blanc is tipped to revert to a five-man midfield. "We're not dreamers," the 42-year-old declared. "We have to take Roma's quality into account."

Troubled start
For their part, Roma enjoyed an impressive 2-0 weekend success against Atalanta BC, although the quarter-finalists from the last two seasons have endured a troubled start to their campaign. Tenth in Serie A, the Giallorossi were humbled 2-1 by debutants CFR 1907 Cluj on Matchday 1 in the Italian capital, and their coach Luciano Spalletti knows they can ill-afford a second slip. "It's an extremely important match for both teams, because whichever loses will be left with a mountain to climb," the former Udinese Calcio chief said.

Spalletti confident
Roma captain Francesco Totti is out with a knee injury while midfielder David Pizarro has succumbed to a thigh problem and Júlio Baptista is an unlikely starter having just returned to training after a similar complaint. However, Roma's outstanding record against French teams – they have lost once in seven meetings and thrashed Bordeaux 7-0 on aggregate in the 1990/91 UEFA Cup – combined with the memory a clinical 2-0 triumph at Lyon two years ago, leave Spalletti confident. "I feel we've been on the right track for three or four games," the 49-year-old said. "We have a team capable of winning here. Even though we've lost some players since that night in Lyon, we have replaced them well, and our side is at least as strong today."