Bastia vs Lille OSC preview - Girard comes out fighting

Lille manager Rene Girard has come out fighting as his side look to get some life back in their season this weekend.

Lille sit 11th after 25 of the scheduled 38 matches, with 32 points. That leaves them six points above the drop zone and nine points behind the European places and, in reality, in little present danger of troubling either.

It is a situation that has seen some Lille fans call for Girard's head, but ahead of this weekend's clash with in-form Bastia, he stood his ground.

"It does not please me because it hasn't happened to me in my career - I find it a shame," he said on www.20minutes.fr.

"The fans have their reasons and it is much easier when all is well. I would rather be ranked higher, but I have never resigned and today is not the day I am going to. I will go to the end and do the best possible."

Lille's league position means enthusiasm is thin on the ground, but Girard is trying to get his men up for the job.

When asked what the motivation for the game was, he answered at his pre-match press conference: "The three points are. This is still the championship and we must get maximum points."

Standing in Lille's way are a Bastia side who defend an eight-game unbeaten run in the league and have lost just once in 13 games in all competitions.

They looked relegation certainties two months ago but will leapfrog Lille with a win.

Lille's last road trip saw them win 2-1 at Montpellier and Girard wants to see his men tap into that performance.

"We would like to replicate what we did at Montpellier, to repeat that," he added.