Ligue 1 preview: Lille title defence on the line

Lille face a tough trip to Lyon on Saturday, desperately needing a win to keep in touch with the top two teams in Ligue 1.

The club from the north-east of France have won just two of their last five games, including two consecutive draws.

That leaves Rudi Garcia’s side third on the ladder, seven points behind second-placed Montpellier and eight short of leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

Their next assignment comes at Stade de Gerland against a Lyon outfit coming off a disappointing exit from the Champions League at the hands of Apoel Nicosia.

The seven-time French league champions recorded their fourth match in a row without a win after succumbing to the Cypriots on Wednesday.

Lille will be hoping to take advantage of their hosts’ poor form, although the visitors will need to improve their ability to wrap up victories after 11 draws from 26 games this season.

Injuries to key defensive players could make it difficult, however, with goalkeeper Mickael Landreau and centre-back Marko Basa both doubtful for Saturday’s game.

If Lille fail to win on Saturday, that could leave the title race to just two clubs.

Montpellier and PSG both play on Sunday, with the league-leaders travelling to Dijon and Montpellier hosting Caen.

AC Ajaccio and Marseille get the round underway on Friday, with Marseille keen to get back on track after a 2-0 loss to Evian last time out, their third consecutive defeat.

Didier Deschamps’ side have not scored a goal in those three defeats, last hitting the net in their 1-0 Champions League victory over Inter Milan a fortnight ago.

The match against Ajaccio will be Marseille’s last chance to overturn their form slump before they face Inter in the reverse leg of their round-of-16 tie.

As Marseille and Lyon have plummeted down the ladder, Rennes, St Etienne and Toulouse have become the front-runners for a Europa League berth.

Rennes hold the qualification spot on goal difference and can improve their grasp on fourth place if they beat second-bottom Auxerre on Sunday.

St Etienne travel to Valenciennes, while Toulouse host Lorient.

In other matches, Bordeaux will head to Brest, Evian take on Sochaux and Nice play Nancy.