Saturday 26 September 2009

 19:00 - Valenciennes FC / Olympique de Marseille 

PRESS KIT: Valenciennes - Marseille

With the Champions League final against AC Milan coming up, Marseille attempted to bribe their northern opponents in the final match before the European showpiece in an attempt to avoid key players being injured to take on the rossoneri. The scandal which broke led to OM being stripped of the Ligue 1 title that season, an honour which has never been re-attributed.

While coach and former OM midfielder Didier Deschamps insists the affair is "in the past," his players could be forgiven for having one eye on the future with next week's enticing Champions League encounter with Real Madrid looming large. Defender Souleymane Diawara, however, believes the squad will only have eyes for Valenciennes.

"You have to take things as they come. We have an important match against Valenciennes - the league is our bread and butter, and we have to focus on a match which isn't going to be easy," said the ex-Bordeaux centre-back. "We'll think about Real Madrid later. We mustn't take our foot off the gas. We have to take as many points as possible in each game, and that's what we'll try to do."

Unbeaten

Diawara was among the scorers as Marseille defeated Montpellier 4-2 in Week 6 to remain two points behind leaders Bordeaux and maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign.

Last season brought a rare Marseille success at the Stade Nungesser with Eric Gerets' side scoring a 3-1 win, and Deschamps will have to try and emulate his Belgian predecessor without forward Bakari Koné (knee), while he will make a late decision on the fitness of full-back Taye Taiwo (knee) and midfielder Stéphane Mbia (knee).

Valenciennes coach Philippe Montanier has injury concerns of his own with first-choice goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau still sidelined with a right knee ligament injury sustained last month and striker Johan Audel a doubt after undergoing tests on an Achilles tendon problem.

Midfielder Siaka Tiené has shaken off an ankle injury as the northerners look to bounce back from their midweek League Cup exit to second division Metz (2-0), a result which took the shine off a recent revival.

Montanier praise

After losing their opening three matches of the season, last weekend's 5-2 win at Sochaux saw VA extend their unbeaten run to three league games, and though they have picked up just a solitary point at home so far, Montanier was pleased by what he saw at Stade Bonal in Week 6.

''We didn't expect such a scoreline, but what pleased me most was to twice come from behind, and the fact that the side had the mental strength to turn things around away from home," said the ex-Boulogne boss, who took over from current Paris Saint-Germain coach Antoine Kombouaré this summer. ''We had worked very hard on crosses and shooting, and it's good to be rewarded for the hard work we put in during the week.''

Top scorer Grégory Pujol (3 goals) and - if fit - on-loan Marseille striker Mamadou Samassa (2 goals) will provide Valenciennes' main attacking threat as they look to boost their paltry tally of four goals at home against the side boasting the best away record in Ligue 1.

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