Bordeaux eye unprecedented treble
PARIS - Girondins Bordeaux, at homte to Ligue 1 strugglers Boulogne on Saturday, are strong enough to become the first French side to land an unprecedented domestic treble, said coach Laurent Blanc.
The runaway Ligue 1 leaders, who won the league and League Cup double last season, have also targeted the French Cup in this campaign and dream of becoming the first side to claim all three trophies in the same year.
"Whatever the conditions, we approach every game to win it," Blanc, whose side have reached the Cup last 16 and the League Cup quarter-finals, told reporters.
"We have a squad that enables us to play for all three competitions and we are making progress," the 1998 World Cup-winning defender added.
Defender Matthieu Chalme is equally confident. "We all believe the treble is possible," he told French sports daily L'Equipe.
"We have a very healthy squad. We're not there to create trouble but to win titles together."
Bordeaux, who have also reached the knockout stages of the Champions League, are eight points clear of second-placed Montpellier in Ligue 1 and on paper look too strong for Boulogne, promoted for the first time this season and second from bottom.
LYON TEST
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Surprise package Montpellier, back in the top flight after a long spell in the second division, face a test at home to fourth-placed Olympique Marseille on Saturday.
Paris Saint-Germain, lying a miserable 11th, 18 points off the pace, visit seven-times champions Olympique Lyon on Sunday knowing that only a good result can calm down their fans.
At recent matches, PSG supporters have vented their anger at main shareholders Colony Capital, accusing them of not investing enough in the Paris club.
"I understand your frustration, I accept criticism and I'm ready to hear everything," Sebastien Bazin, managing director in Europe for Colony Capital, an investment firm, wrote to the PSG fans in an open letter released on the club website.
"The club's recent results are not up to your expectations or mine," he added. "Like you, I suffer from this and am far from happy with the current situation."
Colony Capital would keep putting money into the troubled Paris club, who have won the last of their two Ligue 1 titles in 1994, Bazin confirmed, while welcoming other would-be investors.