Olympique Lyon will be without playmaker Yoann Gourcuff and defender Cris when they host Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, the seven-times champions said on their website.
Gourcuff is suffering from a nasty bruise between his ankle and calf following a tackle in their 3-0 Champions League defeat at Schalke 04 on Wednesday, while centre back Cris has not recovered from a knee injury.
Lyon are eighth in the standings with 22 points from 14 games, one point adrift of third-placed PSG.
Paris Saint-Germain will rely on their away form when they travel to Lyon, midfielder Claude Makelele told the club's website.
"We have been playing very well away from our turf. We have already showed that we were able to win at teams that are gunning for the title," the former French international said.
PSG have lost only one away game in the league this season, and are unbeaten away from home since August.
Leaders Lille are wary of Alou Diarra as they face seventh-placed Girondins Bordeaux on Saturday.
Holding midfielder Diarra, the Bordeaux captain, is back from a six-game ban for shoving a referee.
"It changes a lot of things for them. They are going to be with their captain and a key player in their system again," Lille midfielder Rio Mavuba told his club's website.
Lille midfielder Eden Hazard, voted the Ligue 1 top prospect in the last two seasons, is willing to stay at the club at least until the end of this term despite drawing attention from big European clubs.
"I have no desire at all to leave in January. If we play the Champions League (next season), I will take it into account," Hazard told sports daily L'Equipe.
Olympique Marseille remain formidable opponents although they have not always played superb football this season, said Montpellier coach Rene Girard, whose team travel to the Stade Velodrome on Saturday.
"I can only see that they are efficient and that they are in the (title) race even if it has been said that it was not a great pleasure seeing them play," Girard told Montpellier's website.
Montpellier are second in the standings, level on 24 points with leaders Lille, and head fifth-placed Marseille, who have a game in hand, by two.
