Third-placed Bordeaux aim to make amends for the first defeat of the season, while rock-bottom Evian are desperate to end the barren run and close the gap behind safety.

Last season was fairly successful for les Girondins as they achieved a seventh-placed finish, but coach Francois Gillot was, nonetheless, replaced by Willy Sagnol.

The former France defender has inherited a virtually unchanged squad and that gave his team an extra edge in the opening rounds, with Bordeaux impressing to defeat Montpellier, Monaco and Nice in their first three fixtures.

Les Girondins have since suffered a dip in form, having shared spoils with Bastia at home before losing to Guingamp, but they remain 1.57 (4/7) favourites to defeat bottom-placed Evian.

Bordeaux won the same fixture 2-1 last season, and they hope for another triumph that would allow them to stay close to the top of the standings.

Henri Saivet, Jussie and Theo Pellenard are not yet ready to return, while midfielder Abdou Traore is also missing through injury.

The 26-year-old returned into action against Guingamp, but was unfortunate to suffer an ankle problem and was in turn ruled out of the Evian clash.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Carrasso – Mariano, Ilori, Pallois, Contento – Sane, Sertic – Maurice-Belay, Rolan, Khazri – Diabate.

Evian narrowly avoided the drop last term, recording two very important wins in the season finale, and they are set to face another difficult relegation tussle.

While keeping hold of key midfielder Daniel Wass, les Roses have done well to sign Milos Ninkovic, Gael Givet and Modou Sougou in the dying moments of the summer transfer window, and this could make all the difference.

Despite producing a decent performance, Evian were unable to match in-form Marseille, meaning they remain on just one point after five league matches.

But, having shown a great deal of promise in matches against PSG and OM, les Roses will be hoping to end the dismal run against Bordeaux, and they are 7.00 (6/1) to win at Stade Chaban-Delmas.

Youssouf Sabaly and Aldo Angoula have both served suspensions, but the latter remains unavailable through injury.

Meanwhile, coach Pascal Dupraz has decided to leave Gael Givet and Nicki Bille Nielsen out of the squad after a poor performance at the weekend.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Leroy – Abdallah, Mensah, Cambon, Juelsgaard – Kone, Ninkovic – Wass, Camus, N’Sinkulu – Bruno.