AS Saint-Etienne: Sainte have a very strong argument, having won the Ligue 1 title more than any other club, 10 times in total. There was also a period in which they were one of the biggest clubs in Europe, although they have no continental trophies to their name.

Olympique de Marseille: OM are another of the major candidates, having won the title eight times, over a longer period, and since consistency is arguably an important factor in club status, this provides a bonus for OM. They are also one of the richest clubs in France, and have had considerable success in European competition, winning the inaugural Champions League.

Olympique Lyonnais: They are the richest club in France and by far the most successful over the last decade, winning seven titles from 2002-2008. The international stars they have attracted along with their greater foreign recognition make them another prime candidate.

FC Nantes: Although currently languishing in Ligue 2, Nantes have also won the title eight times, most recently in 2001. Another club with a strong history in France, though they have had limited success in Europe.

AS Monaco: Although not technically in France, AS Monaco is a key element of French football. They have won the title 7 times in their 85 year history, and participated in the Champions League final in 2004. They also host a world-beating array of former players.

Stade de Reims: Quickly after of the conception of the league, Reims became the dominant force. They won six titles from 1949-62, and achieved strong positions in the European Champions Clubs Cup. However, since then the club has fallen in status, and currently resides in the Championnat National, the third division.

FC Girondins de Bordeaux: The defending champions have a fairly strong history, but their main claim to the throne would be their current form. First place in Ligue 1 and top of their difficult Champions League group.

AJ Auxerre: They’ve never been relegated from Ligue 1. If that’s your criteria, than AJA is the largest club in France. Otherwise, you’d be hard pressed to find a reason.

So, what are your thoughts? Which club is the biggest in France? If you think I’ve left anything out, tell me in the comments. This is now open for discussion.

So can Ligue 1 make it 3-0 today?  Bordeaux and Marseille both managed some amazing wins yesterdays with Bordeaux beating Munich 2-0 in Germany and Marseille crushing Zurich 6-1 at the Velodrome. Today Lyon are the last Ligue 1 team to play this week in the Champions League.  Be sure to check back tomorrow for my Europa preview. 

Lyon vs. Liverpool

Lyon  already managed to beat Liverpool at Anfield two weeks ago– now they just have to manage the same feat at home.  Sounds easy, right?  Well, except this is Liverpool– a team known for coming back strong when their backs are against the wall.  Rumor has it that Rafa’s back is so hard against the wall that if he doesn’t win this match, he will be clearing out his desk tomorrow.  Gerrard is out, and Torres is injured but they are so desperate that he may be called up anyways.  For more details– check out the Lyon-Offside for their preview.

Matchday 4 begins shortly (literally in almost an hour from the time of this post).  So let’s quickly rundown what Ligue 1 action is happening today. 

Marseille vs. Zurich

Marseille are once again in an all or nothing position where they have to win game 4 in order to have a chance of getting 3rd place (and maybe, a small possibility of 2nd place).  Zurich is facing the same consequences, though they are under less pressure with lower expectations.  It will be interesting to see how OM react– will they step up or wash out?

For a more extensive review– see the Offside-OM.

Bayern vs. Bordeaux

Bordeaux lead their group and are undefeated in Europe this season.  The same cannot be said for Bayern after losing to Bordeaux in game 3.  It will be interesting to see how Bayern react, especially in front of their home crowd.  Bayern are suffering some serious injury problems with Franck Ribéry (knee), Ivica Olić (calf), Breno (illness) and Christian Lell (illness) all out, as well as Arjen Robben (knee) and Edson Braafheid (ankle) looking doubtful.  Bordeaux are only expected to be missing Henrique (knee).  That being said, Bayern are unbeated in 8 games at home in Europe, while Bordeaux have lost three of their last four away games in Europe (though they managed a draw against Juventus in matchday 1).  For more details check out the UEFA preview.

On Wednesday, Bordeaux took on FC Bayern Munich and Marseille took on Zurich. Bordeaux, who had made a good start with a draw away to Juventus followed by a win against Maccabi Haifa, greatly aided their chances for qualification in what could be described as the most difficult group. They came out of the match victorious, it was a 2-1 scoreline, but they missed two second half penalties and the result easily could have been 4-1.

Marseille picked up their first win of this Champions League campaign in Switzerland, but will need a result at the San Siro to have a chance of qualification. Here’s the Marseille Offside’s analysis of the match.

In the Europa League, French clubs had mixed fortunes. Lille recorded an astounding 3-0 win against Genoa, who are touted as one of Serie A’s better sides.

However, Toulouse were completely dismantled by defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk, the match ending 4-0.

Watch out Europe!

It is that time again– the time where heroes are made and dreams are crushed (at least until the next game).  But, seriously I think that games 3 and 4 of the group qualifications are the most important games in the competition.  By important, I mean that they are the most critical moment in the whole competition to either build momentum for a long, successful campaign to the finals, are an opportunity for teams to turn the tide for a come back or they can solidify your team’s fate as a bottom feeder.  And yes, my assertion that these games are the most important includes the finals– which I think tend to be overrated.  In most finals (the Milan-Liverpool final is an exception), the players are so nervous and tired that they play horribly.

So, going into game 3 the Ligue 1 teams participating in Europe have accumulated mixed results.  Lyon has managed to win their first two games against Fiorentina (1-0) and Debreceni (4-0) and is currently sitting a the top of Group E.  Bordeaux are sitting on four points, drawing in their first game against Juventus and winning their second game against Maccabi Haifa.  And it pains me to admit it, but OM are the least successful Ligue 1 team in the Champions League at the moment with zero points, having lost to both Milan and Madrid.  But, what’s done is done– and now is the chance for teams to either shine and flop as we head into the homestretch of qualification.

Liverpool vs. Lyon

Lyon face their toughest competition in their group this week with a tough test against Liverpool.  Liverpool have been struggling in both their domestic and European campaigns lately– having lost to Fiorentina in matchday 2 and their last three games in all competitions (coincidentally, the last time this happened was in 2005– the year they won the CL).  Both teams are enduring a serious injury crisis.  Lyon will be without Anderson (knee, calf, shoulder), Jean-Alain Boumsong (groin) and Mathieu Bodmer (groin); doubtful players includes Michel Bastos (ankle) and César Delgado (thigh).  Liverpool will be without Fernando Torres (adductor), Alberto Aquilani (ankle), Andrea Dossena (groin), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (knee) and possibly Steven Gerrard (groin).  When Lyon travel to Anfield, this will the third year in a row that a Ligue 1 team has competed against Liverpool in the group stage of the Champions League– Marseille famously won at Anfield two years ago, but OM couldn’t pull off a win in either group game last year.

Prediction:  The injuries on both teams make this game interesting– and a little closer than one would expect (they do say to never count Liverpool out in Europe).  Liverpool will be looking to make a statement and exploit home-field advantage.  Liverpool will win 2-1.

For more information, check out the Offside-Lyon.

Bordeaux vs. Bayern Munich

Munich’s trip to Bordeaux will be their second successive year they have played a Ligue 1 team in the group stage of the Champions League.  Last year they played Lyon, managing to get a draw (1-1) in game two at home and winning in Lyon (3-2).  That win helped them finish on top of the group, while Lyon who finished second were forced to play Barcelona in the first knock out round.  But, these are not the same teams– Bordeaux, though having a rough time as of late domestically, are the reigning champions and currently sit third in Ligue 1.  Having lost their last two domestic games (1-0 against Auxerre and 3-1 against St. Etienne), Bordeaux will be anxious to make a statement early on.  Bordeaux will also have their talisman Gourcuff back (he was injured during the St. Etienne game and came off the bench against Auxerre), which should boost the team’s confidence.    Bayern are also experiencing trouble domestically– they are currently sitting in 6th place.  They are expected to still have several key players out of this game, including Ribery, Olic, Breno and Braafheid.  Though defender Martin Demichelis, Mark Van Bommel and Luca Toni will be available.

Prediction: A tough draw.

Make sure to check the Offside-Bordeaux for their match preview.

Zurich vs. Marseille

This game is literally try-or-die for Marseille.  For more information, check-out my Offside-OM preview here.

Check back tomorrow for my Europa League Preview!

UEFA Champions League
It was an auspicious start when Stade de Reims-Champagne reached the final of the inaugural European Champion Clubs’ Cup, only to fall to a late Hector Rial inspired comeback from Real Madrid.

French clubs continued to impress in the following years, Including another final appearance for Reims in 1959 along with numerous appearances in the quarterfinals from Nice. A period of European drought followed, without a team in even the quarterfinals until AS Saint-Etienne did one better by making it into the semifinals in 1975. Sainte continued to up their European performance, making the final in 1976, only to lose to FC Bayern Munchen by a score of one to zero.

For the next nine years the only events of note were a single quarterfinal appearance apiece for Les Verts and Strasbourg.  However, in 1985 Bordeaux famously gave Juventus a run for their money in the semifinals, coming off of a three-zero drubbing in Turin to put in two late goals at the Chaban Delmas.

In the late 80’s Bordeaux and Monaco’s occasional appearances in the quarterfinals were the only events of note, so It came as a bit of a surprise when Olympique de Marseille began to dominate in the early 90’s. In 1990, their first appearance in the later rounds, they lost to Benfica in the semi’s on away goals. The next year they went one better, making the finals against Crvena Zvezda only to suffer a heartbreaking loss. The match ended 5-3 on penalties after a zero-zero draw.

Only two years afterward, Marseille were in the final again. This time it was against giants AC Milan, in the first ever UEFA Champions League.

Nearly forty years after Reims lost at the Parc des Princes, a French club had won the European Cup. The next three years brought three successive semifinal appearances. In 1994 AS Monaco lost to eventual champions Milan (video). The next year PSG were eliminated in the last four, again by the Rossoneri (first leg, second leg). FC Nantes barely lost to Juventus in 1996, missing out on a final appearance by a goal (first leg, second leg). French clubs continued their good fortune, Auxerre losing to eventual champions Dortmund in the quarters in 1997 (first leg, second leg), while Monaco made another semifinal appearance the year after that, this time losing to Juventus (first leg, second leg). There was a short period of relative quiet after that, until Monaco shocked many by making a run to the final.

As you can see, the principality club were embarrassed by Jose Mourinho’s FC Porto in a resounding defeat. In the next few years, as you probably know, Lyon became the dominant French force in the Champions League, making three consecutive quarterfinal appearances from 2004-06, but have failed to come further than the first knockout round in the past three years.

It’s that time again already. The next couple of days will see Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse (Europa League) and Lille (Europa League) matched up against some of the strongest teams in Europe (and arguably the world).

Debreceni vs. Lyon (Tuesday, 9/29)

Preview: This may be Debreceni’s first time in the Champion’s League and they may have lost their first game to Liverpool, but the team is only feeling more confident since their narrow 1-0 loss at Anfield. The Hungarians will look to preserve their 100% home record on Tuesday as they face Puel’s team which will be missing several key players (Lopez, Boumsong, Bodmer and Bastos). Despite these setbacks, Lyon will look to add to their game 1 win. They can take confidence in their comparative wealth of experience and their fantastic away record in Europe (winning 10 and just losing two away games since 04/05). Also, check the The Offside-Lyon blog tomorrow to see if they post a match preview.

Prediction: Lyon will win 1-0. It will be close. Lyon’s injuries will make it even closer than usual. But, I think they will crank out a very close win.

Bordeaux vs. Maccabi Haifa (Wednesday, 9/30)

Preview: Haifa will hope their historical success against French teams continues on Wednesday when they travel to Bordeaux. Their most recent European match in France was in the 98/99 Uefa Cup group stage against PSG. Haifa managed a draw in Paris, went on to beat PSG 3-2 at home and rode the momentum of that victory until the Quarterfinals. They also managed a 3-1 win against Auxerre in the 06/07 Uefa Cup competition. Bordeaux, on the other hand, have never faced an Israeli team. But the Girondins are notoriously strong at home, having only lost one home game in their last ten European matches (3-1 loss to Roma last year). Also, check the The Offside-Bordeaux blog tomorrow to see if they post a match preview.

Prediction: Bordeaux will win 2-1. They are confident, in form and focused.

Real Madrid vs. Marseille (Wednesday, 9/30)

Preview: Check out Rich’s excellent match preview on The Offside-OM blog here. I agree with Rich– I think we have a chance. However, I am concerned about the team just rolling over and accepting defeat the moment they step out onto the pitch. In today’s press conference, our two most experienced players admitted that the team was nervous (including themselves). Morientes stated in today’s press conference that OM needed to be physical in order to get respect from Real, and that the OM team is at a serious disadvantage because most of the players had never played in such an intense atmosphere before. Heinze admitted that he was nervous about playing against his former team, especially Ronaldo. Let’s hope that these EXPERIENCED players can pull it together.

Prediction: 1-1 draw. Real will choke (as they often do in Europe), Sergio Ramos will go in for a ridiculous tackle and get a red card and Real will be forced to sit back with 10 men. I think that Benzema will continue to exert his in-front-of-goal dominance against Ligue 1 teams and be on target for Madrid.

Toulouse vs. Club Brugge KV (Europa League, Thursday, 10/1)

I’m going to be honest and admit I don’t know a lot about Toulouse and I don’t know anything about Club Brugge (Belgium) so take this preview and prediction with a grain of salt. For those people that do know stuff about Toulousse, consider blogging for the team on The Offside (more information here).

Preview: Toulouse will be looking to build on their 3-2 win over FK Partizan on matchday 1 and redeem themselves in their tough loss against Lyon this past weekend. Brugge will hope to make amends for their 4-1 opening game loss against title holders FC Shakhtar Donetsk. Neither team appear to gain a strong advantage from the game being played at Toulousse. Toulouse have only won one of their last six European home matches and Brugge haven’t won away in the last five matches. Neither team have ever qualified past the group stage in European competition.

Verdict: Toulouse will win 1-0. Take it with a grain of salt.

SK Slavia Praha vs. Lille (Europa League, Thursday, 10/1)

Preview: Drawing matchday 1 with Valencia 1-1, Lille will be hoping to make up ground by defeating Slavia at home. Slavia will hope for a historic first win against a French team in order to get their qualification back on track after being defeated 2-0 at Genoa. Four French teams have visited Slavia, registering two draws and two wins. Slavia will hope their home form continues, as their 3-0 win at home in qualifying was the first time in 4 European matches they managed to score at home. Also, make sure to check The Offside-Lille blog to see if they post a preview.

Verdict: Lille will win 1-0.

In all fairness, the same can’t be said for Marseille, who kicked off their campaign with a bang, beating Besiktas at home and slaying the giant Liverpool at Anfield, but who haven’t won since then.

Here’s the thing: Nothing at all is definite at all in Group A at all. At all. Not to say that Lyon’s encounter with Rangers at Ibrox will be devoid of suspense, mind you.

But just if things aren’t clear for you (they aren’t clear for me, let me tell you), here is everything that could happen.

After Matchday 5:
Porto 8
Marseille 7
Liverpool 7
Besiktas 6

1. Marseille wins, Porto wins
Porto 11
Marseille 10
Liverpool 7
Besiktas 6

2. Marseille wins, Porto draws
Marseille 10
Porto 8
Liverpool 7
Besiktas 7

3. Marseille wins, Porto loses
Marseille 10
Besiktas 9
Porto 8
Liverpool 7

4. Marseille draws, Porto wins
Porto 11
Marseille 8
Liverpool 8
Besiktas 7

5. Marseille draws, Porto draws
Porto 9
Marseille 8
Liverpool 8
Beskitas 7

6. Marseille draws, Porto loses
Besiktas 9
Liverpool 8
Marseille 8
Porto 8

7. Marseille loses, Porto wins
Porto 11
Liverpool 10
Marseille 7
Besiktas 6

8. Marseille loses, Porto draws
Liverpool 10
Porto 9
Marseille 7
Besiktas 7

9. Marseille loses, Porto loses
Liverpool 10
Besiktas 9
Porto 8
Marseille 7

Bear with me now, this is kind of complicated. Keeping in mind those nine scenarios (number 6 was excruciating to figure out), these are the mathematical probabilities.

Model: Team (Possible first place finishes, possible second place finishes, possible third place finishes, possible fourth place finishes)

Porto (4,2,2,1)
Marseille (2,3,3,1)
Liverpool (2,2,4,1)
Besiktas (1,2,0,6)

So by looking at those numbers, it’s almost a sure thing that the Turks will finish bottom, but we can’t be so sure. And the “advantage” Marseille has over Liverpool is as slight as can be. Porto are guaranteed entry if they scrape one point off Besiktas, which I think they’ll do. Oh dear how this is stressful.

Oh, right, Lyon.

If they win, they’re through. If not, they’re in the UEFA Cup. That’s just about as complicated as I can put it.

But of course, this article wouldn’t be complete without my predictions, would it?

Group A: Marseille 1-2 Liverpool
Porto 2-0 Besiktas

Porto 11
Liverpool 10
Marseille 7
Besiktas 6

Group E: Rangers 0-1 Lyon
Barcelona Who Cares-Not me Stuttgart

The big story was of course Lyon’s first win (and first goals) in the Champions League, beating VfB Stuttgart at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion. Goals from Fabio Santos (I mean it!) and some guy named Karim Benzema.The win gives Lyon a crisp three points in third place. Barring a major fuck-up from Barça or Rangers, Lyon will have to go with the UEFA Cup.

As for Olympique de Marseille, they’re still rolling. Although dominated by a vivacious bunch of Portuguese opponents, they shared the points, with Niang scoring first for OM and Lucho Gonzalez cancelling it out from the spot. With Liverpool’s loss in Turkey, Marseille is still top of the Group, two points clear of Porto in second.

In the UEFA Cup, the biggest game, featuring Bordeaux at home against Galatasaray (who are now repped on The Offside!) played out in favor of the good guys, though the Turks did score first through Nonda. Cavenaghi and Chamakh struck back to give les Girondins the three points.

Sadly though, the two others participating today couldn’t even manage a goal against the pretty rough teams they were playing against. Basel beat Rennes in Switzerland on the strength of a Marco Streller goal, and Toulouse conceded the all-important first-half goal to Leverkusen and couldn’t fight back.

Once again, I apologize for the vastness of my posting, and for the shittiness of this article itself. I’m busy, I really am, and have an unhealthy obsession with minesweeper.

Toulouse, who ended up in this spot by being spanked by Liverpool in the Champions League qualifying stage, travelled to Sofia to keep their dream alive, after drawing nil-nil at home two weeks prior. And boy did they get a break. After having gone behind midway through the second half, it looked all but over for the boys in light purple, but in the sixth minute of added time (merci l’arbitre!) , Pierre-André Gignac levelled, putting them through on away goals.

Bordeaux also drew by a goal apiece at home, but after having beat Tampere United in dramatic fashion in the away leg. Marouane Chamakh for the hosts and Savolainen for the Finns in quick succession were the only notable moments in the match that was thoroughly dominated by the French.

The final goer-through from France is none other than the black and red of Brittany, Stade Rennais, who despite their loss to Lokomotiv Sofia, went through 4-3 on aggregate, albeit with a bit of a scare. Sylvain Marveaux scored first for Rennes, but two goals later they really had to work for it. Shazback at the Rennes Offside has it in detail here.

Now for the sadder news. Sochaux. Sucks. It’s a shame we had to waste a chance on them, as harsh as that sounds. Even though they did beat the modest Greek side of Panonios over in Zeus’ native land, it was not enough to level the aggregate score, which had taken a slant to the Greeks after a 2-0 humiliation at Auguste Bonal. The only goal in the second leg came from a Panonios defender who deflected a shot past his own keeper.

Now for the sadder, sadder news. Lens, who drew 1-1 in Copenhagen and were always capable of breaking through, ended up getting attacked by surprise and lost out. Having gone in front early through Éric Carrière, they suffered an equalizer from none other than Marcus Allback, and in extra-time, with a man more than their opponents, were cursed with a very questionable penalty that Gronkjaer converted to drown their misery even further.

The draw for the Group Stage is to be held on the ninth in the cozy nestlement of Nyon in Switzerland, also known as “The Place Where All The UEFA Draws Are Made, Except Sometimes Monaco”. Follow the news and stuff with Ian at the UEFA Cup Offside.