The last two French champions clash in Ligue 1 this weekend when Olympique Lyon meet Girondins de Bordeaux.

Reigning champions Bordeaux currently top the table and hold a four point lead against the second place Montpellier though the Mediteranean side do have a game in hand. Lyon missed out on the title last season for the first time in eight years having won seven in a row  – their only titles – in the years prior to that.

This season has been similarly unspectacular so far which is possibly to be expected with the departure of strike sensation Karim Benzema to Real Madrid in the summer. Lyon are treading water in fourth place with just one win from their last four league games but they will take heart from their midweek thumping of Debrecen in the UEFA Champions League.

Bordeaux either win or lose having drawn just once this season. They will also be buoyant after their European escapades having finished top of a tricky group ahead of Bayern Munich and Juventus.

Ther should be a rocking atmosphere at the Stade Gerland and if you are going to be in the area there are still tickets available – check out the Ligue 1 tickets on this website.

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After the conclusion of Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League the group stage has finally come to an end giving us the names of all the 16 teams that will fight it out in the knockout section of the competition.

No nation is currently dominating the competition though England’s Barclays Premier League and Spain’s La Liga both had three group winners – those teams constituted their total amount of representatives after Liverpool and Atletico Madrid fell at the first hurdle. There are also three teams from Italy’s Serie A left in the competition while France’s Ligue 1 and Germany’s Bundesliga each have two teams  left in the tournament. The final three spots are made up of one team each from Portugal, Russia and Greece.

The list of qualifers for the second round in full:

Bordeaux (FRA)

Manchester United (ENG)

Real Madrid (ESP)

Chelsea (ENG)

Fiorentina (ITA)

Barcelona (ESP)

Sevilla (ESP)

Arsenal (ENG)

Bayern Munich (GER)

CSKA Moscow (RUS)

AC Milan (ITA)

FC Porto (POR)

Lyon (FRA)

Inter Milan (ITA)

Stuttgart (GER)

Olympiacos (GRE)

The draw for the second round will take place on December 18.

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Group E in next summer’s FIFA World Cup is very well balanced group and one that is not all that straightforward to predict.

Holland are the seeded team in Group E and they will rightly be favourites to qualify top of the pile after their flawless record in qualifying. Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael Van Der Vaart will cause any defence problems as will Arsenal’s Robin Van Persie assuming he suffers no complications recovering from his long-term injury. One area which might be considered a weakness is at the back where they have failed to convince in recent years. But the Dutch play with the attitude of ‘you score one, we’ll score two’ and they certainly have the talent to do that.

Denmark will take part in their first major tournament for six years when they pitch up in South Africa and they will be confident of making it through the group. The Danes suffered just one defeat in qualifying for the tournament and finished above much-fancied Portugal to secure an automatic berth. The team lack any superstars but a strong collective work ethic means they are capable of felling supposedly superior opposition.

Japan have been regulars at the World Cup of late and they made it to South Africa with the minimum of fuss – losing just once on the road to qualification. A good showing on home soil in 2002 was not followed up in 2006 when they managed just a single point but with skills of former Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura in their midst they will certainly pose a danger especially if needless free-kicks are conceded within shooting distance.

Cameroon will be making their sixth appearance at World Cup finals and though they may not reach the heights of the 1990 side they are not to be discounted. Led my former Lyon and Rangers manager Paul Le Guen they are a tough outfit which also has a major goal threat in the form of Inter Milan’s Samuel Eto’o.

Prediction: Holland and Denmark to edge through in a very tight group

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Fiorentina top Group E going into Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League and will be hoping to remain in that position by the time of the draw.

La Viola reached that lofty position by beating Lyon 1-0 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Matchday 5; a result that knocked cup specialists Liverpool out of Europe’s premier competition.

Now the Italian side must travel to Anfield for their final match knowing that their Merseyside opponents will be aiming to exact some sort of revenge for being dumped out of the tournament.

Only a win will guarantee first place for Fiorentina as Lyon face Debrecen at home, a game they will be expected to win handsomely. But winning on Liverpool’s own patch when they on cold Wednesday night in Europe is easier said than done.

It all depends on who Rafela Benitez selects in his line-up but winning breeds familiarity and professional pride will be the foundation of Liverpool’s performance.

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