Round up-Marseille have defensive woes before AC Ajaccio game

Posted Friday, October 21, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

Brief news from Ligue 1 before this weekend’s matches:

* Olympique Marseille could be without their usual central defensive pairing when they take on AC Ajaccio on Sunday with Souleymane Diawara suspended and Nicolas Nkoulou doubtftul after taking a knock in their Champions League defeat by Arsenal.

Coach Didier Deschamps also has concerns over the fitness of midfielder Lucho Gonzalez and forward Andre Ayew, who also picked up knocks in Wednesday’s game.

Marseille, 15th in the standings with nine points from 10 games, have won only once this season while promoted Ajaccio lie second from bottom on seven points.

* Girondins Bordeaux captain Jaroslav Plasil has urged his team mates to stop the talk and get back on track after a terrible start to the season.

“We are just talking and at the end of the day, there is nothing,” Plasil told reporters earlier this week. “So, it’s best that we shut up and work.”

Bordeaux, the 2008/09 champions, are third from bottom with eight points and take on Brest on Saturday.

* Montpellier centre back Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa returns from suspension when they travel to Caen on Saturday.

Yanga-Mbiwa has been a key element in a brilliant start to the season that has lifted the southerners to second place in the standings, three points adrift of leaders Paris St Germain.

* Paris St Germain coach Antoine Kombouare said he was still very happy with Javier Pastore’s performances despite the Argentine’s lacklustre displays in their last two games.

“Obviously we’d like him to be constant over 90 minutes but what he has been showing is still superb,” Kombouare told reporters after PSG’s 0-0 draw at Slovan Bratislava in the Europa League.

PSG take on Dijon on Sunday.