Valbuena and Remy return for Marseille
Brief news from Ligue 1 before this weekend's matches:
Forwards Loic Remy and Mathieu Valbuena and midfielder Stephane Mbia return from injury for Olympique Marseille's trip to Ajaccio on Friday, while Andre Ayew is sidelined with left shoulder pain.
The match has been brought forward to allow Marseille to prepare for their Champions League last-16 return leg at Inter Milan on Tuesday.
"I know [the players] will have this match in mind. There's nothing I can do to keep them from thinking about it", coach Didier Deschamps told the club website.
Marseille, who have lost their last three league games, are eighth with 39 points from 26 games.
Olympique Lyon, eliminated from the Champions League by APOEL Nicosia on Wednesday, host third-placed champions Lille on Saturday.
Lyon, who are seventh and trail Lille by seven points, need to regroup if they are to take third place and qualify for the European competition for the 13th consecutive season.
"We have 12 matches left. This game will be special because Lille are third. It gives us a chance to revive our fortunes," coach Remi Garde told the club's television channel OLTV.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Lille have suffered a string of setbacks in defence, with centre-back Mauro Cetto banned for two games while Marko Basa is out injured. Goaleeper Mickael Landreau is doubtful with an ankle sprain but was due to resume training on Friday.
Midfielder Thiago Motta is suspended for leaders Paris Saint-Germain's match at lowly Dijon on Sunday.
PSG regained the top spot last week when they beat strugglers Ajaccio 4-1. They have 55 points, one clear of second-placed Montpellier.
Montpellier host Caen on Sunday and will be glad to welcome back Ligue 1 top scorer Olivier Giroud, who missed last weekend's 1-1 draw with Dijon through suspension.
Left-back Benoit Tremoulinas could be omitted from Girondins Bordeaux's line-up for their match at Brest on Saturday after he was detained this week for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.
"I made a mistake. I have no excuses. What I did was unacceptable. I thank God I did not harm anyone," the player told the club's website.
‘Scoring in a World Cup is like winning the title – can you imagine millions of people celebrating something you did? It’s insane and made me very proud’: Brazil legend explains how much 2002 goal meant to him
'He already had the ability but didn’t use it because he was afraid to shoot – I said, "You’re a player who has to decide games – you have to take risks, mate"': Liverpool star was forced to become confident by team-mates