How are you preparing for the trip to Le Mans?
With a lot of motivation and desire as we need the three points. We’ve dropped too many points at home, something we couldn’t afford as they were necessary for getting into third place. Strangely enough, at the same time we were winning games away from home. The Bordeaux game really hit us hard so we’ve prepared as if we were playing in a final. The coach has been focusing on our two remaining games, starting with Le Mans. We’re going there looking for all three points, to play and prove that we have an effective team in all compartiments.

OM are in a position where they must win to stay in with a chance of taking third place. Has that made you change the preparations at all?
This year we have realised that we have been unable to build on a good result.Each time we win, we can’t take that on to the next match  : we’ve won and gotten to third place twice only to lose the following games. We are better when we have to get the result. There are only two games left and Nancy are capable of going unbeaten. Nancy could make an upset and beat Lyon. We are optimistic about our chances of winning our final two games and hope that Nancy slip up. I think it’s 70/30 in our favour…

LE MANS-OM : "DECISIVE"
While Nancy are playing Lyon, OM will be up against Le Mans in need of a win to stay in the race for third place. Unbeaten away from home since January OM are capable of continuing their run.
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Le Mans are still in with a chance of finishing in fifth place and qualifying for the UEFA Cup. Extra motivation for a club that will not go down without a fight …
Whenever teams play againsy us it’s the match of their season. At home, playing against OM is a gala match,the ground is always full, all the ingredients are there for a great performance. We’re forewarned, it’s their last home game of the season and they can still qualify for Europe, Le Mans are going to want to put in a great performance as well. But we’re just concentrating on ourselves, we knwo our qualities and our weaknesses. When we are on form and concentrated from the keeper to the forwards, we’re scared of no-one. But we’ll be vigilant.

Having beaten Lorient, Metz and Monaco OM seem to be more at ease away from home …
It’s quite paradoxal as we are losing at home and winning on the road. Beforehand we had a lot of trouble getting results away from home, not any more, which proves that we have a solid team and we don’t concede many goals. There are only two games left and only victories are any good for us. It’s a big game that we have coming up, we know that the supporters will make the trip to the match as they always do. They will be behind us and that will be a great help in this game.

Nancy would appear to have a more difficult task, playing away to a Lyon side that needs a win to keep Bordeaux at arms length…
We’re only focusing on ourselves, but we will be keeping an eye on their gameas we know Lyon must win. We set the race for the title going again by losing to Bordeaux. Lyon need a win, but we need to beat Le Mans to stay in our race for third place.

LE MANS SQUAD

Goalkeepers : Pelé, Roche
Defenders : Calvé, Geder, Cerdan, Camara, Bouhours, Louvion, Baal, Ben Frej
Midfielders : Sessegnon, Yebda, Coutadeur, Romaric, Maïga, Matsui
Forwards : Gervinho, De Melo, Le Tallec

MARSEILLE SQUAD

Goalkeepers : Mandanda, Hamel
Defenders : Taiwo, Bonnart, Givet, Faty, Zubar
Midfielders : Cana, Cheyrou, M'Bami, Kaboré, Oruma, Nasri, Valbuena, Zenden Forwards : Niang, Akalé, Gnabouyou

F.R.