c'est du grand classique

Les Rouge et Bleu quest to win the championnat continues as Paul Le Guen and company venture to Stade Gerland Friday evening in the showcase match of weekend for Ligue 1.

Trailing the perennial champion a victory would catapult Paris Saint-Germain to within two points of first-place l'OM. For Lyonnais the situation is quite different. Winners of seven successive Ligue 1 championships, The droghte of March hath perced to the roote has carried forward to a stretch run with performances far below their pedigree. With six matches remaining in the campaign Claude Puel's side is not only fighting to continue its dominance in the decade but equally fall out of European competition that would have a massive financial impact.

Paul Le Guen will be without the services of Serbia maestro Mateja Kežman, Clément Chantôme and veteran defender Sammy Traoré whist Sidney Govou and César Delgado will miss for l'OL. To be successful in Lyon, PSG's attack of hometown hero Jérôme Rothen, Stéphane Sessegnon, Ludovic Giuly and Guillaume Hoarau will need to press their hosts without tactical guile whist Claude Makélélé, in what is appearing more and more like his final year playing, will need to keep Karim Benzema under-wraps.