Barely 72 hours after their dramatic draw with Montpellier, Bordeaux will be looking to put daylight between themselves and the chasing pack once again when they play host to Auxerre in a rescheduled week 25 encounter. 
 Wednesday 10 March

  19:00 - Girondins de Bordeaux / AJ Auxerre 

With a League Cup final and the second-leg of their Champions League last sixteen tie with Olympiakos to fit in this month, the fixtures are coming thick and fast for Laurent Blanc’s men as they bid for glory on three fronts.

Sunday’s top of the table clash with Montpellier may have ended in immense frustration with Cédric Carrasso’s late handling error gifting the visitors a point after Les Girondins had fought gamely with ten men for much of the night, but at least the champions have an opportunity to move on quickly.

Coach Blanc is confident that his squad can cope with the demanding schedule that lies in front of his side. “Physically, the team is fine. The work we put in last week, when we didn’t have a game, will pay off. It has prepared us for the challenges that lie ahead.”

Diarra set to return

Blanc admits that his side have missed Alou Diarra in recent matches, but the Bordeaux captain is fit again and is set to return to the side. However, Michael Ciani is suspended following his weekend red card. In his absence, Henrique and Lamine Sané are competing for a place in central defence.

Meanwhile, Auxerre have long since banished the memory of last month’s shock 5-0 defeat at Grenoble, and Saturday’s win over Valenciennes was their third on the bounce. That run has taken Jean Fernandez’s men into sixth place, and so tight is it at the top of the table that a win at the Stade Chaban-Delmas will lift them to within a point of top spot.  Auxerre are also looking to do the double against the champions after winning 1-0 in the return fixture in October.

The visitors’ only absentee for the match is Kamel Chafni, who has a thigh injury. The only doubts surround who will start on the wings, with Roy Contout and Dennis Oliech competing for a start on the right, while Valter Birsa and Aurélien Capoue fight it out for the left-wing berth.

Probable teams:

Bordeaux: Carrasso; Chalmé, Sané or Henrique, Planus, Trémoulinas; A Diarra; Plasil, Gourcuff, Wendel; Cavenaghi, Chamakh

Auxerre : Sorin ; Hengbart, Coulibaly, Mignot, Grichting ; Pedretti (cap), Ndinga, Contout or Oliech, Birsa or Capoue ; Jelen, Niculae