Now under the wing of David Guion, Ligue 1 basement side Bordeaux will hope to avoid being on the wrong end of another crushing defeat when Monaco visit the Matmut Atlantique on Sunday afternoon.
Les Girondins went down 3-2 to Lens during their most recent encounter, while Philippe Clement’s side were forced to settle for a point against Lorient.
With Bordeaux now seeking to erase any memories of the doomed Vladimir Petkovic era, former Monaco midfielder Jaroslav Plasil assumed caretaker charge for the trip to Lens, which went about as well as the struggling Girondins could have hoped for.
Arnaud Kalimuendo, Seko Fofana and Gael Kakuta propelled Sang et Or into a 3-0 lead before the 30-minute mark as another humiliating goal-laden defeat loomed, but Alberth Elis and Hwang Ui-jo managed to reduce the deficit to just a one-goal loss for Les Girondins.
As Bordeaux remain rooted to the bottom of the rankings, the Girondins board have responded with the appointment of ex-Reims manager Guion – who threatened a European charge with Les Rouges et Blances not so long ago – and instilling a sense of defensive stability will be a mandatory requirement for the 54-year-old.
The tight nature of the bottom of the table means that Bordeaux could pull themselves to safety if results go their way in gameweek 25, but they have conceded a whopping 61 goals in their 24 league games so far – including 17 in their last four – as Guion prepares for a baptism of fire.
Incredibly, not even Lyon and Lille have scored as many as Bordeaux’s 36 at the correct end of the pitch – by far the best record in the bottom five – and Monaco’s form on the road does not make for pleasant reading for the visiting party.
There was simply no way past the impenetrable wall that was Lorient goalkeeper Matthieu Dreyer at the Stade Louis II last week, as Monaco were forced to shake hands on a goalless stalemate with Les Merlus in gameweek 24.
While that result may have marked a very welcome third clean sheet on the bounce for Clement’s side, their prospects of returning to the Champions League or Europa League are not looking great, with Les Monegasques down in sixth in the table ahead of the weekend.
Clement’s side could rise above Rennes into the top five with results going their way this weekend, but Strasbourg and Nice boast unassailable four and five-point leads over Les Monegasques respectively, as Monaco pay the price for continued inconsistency on the road.
Indeed, Monaco can only boast a paltry tally of one win from their last seven Ligue 1 games on rival territory – hardly form of a Champions League-chasing side – and even more alarmingly, they have failed to find the back of the net in five of those games.
However, the Principality side ought to have a smirk on their faces stepping out onto the Matmut Atlantique turf, as they have won their last three encounters with Bordeaux by a combined score of 11-0 – easing to a 3-0 win at the Stade Louis II back in October.
Bordeaux Ligue 1 form:
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Bordeaux form (all competitions):
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Monaco Ligue 1 form:
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Monaco form (all competitions):
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We say: Bordeaux 1-3 Monaco
With the new manager bounce in full effect for a Bordeaux side whose issues clearly do not lie in the final third of the field, Monaco’s defensive resistance is there to be broken.
However, the odd goal or two is likely where the joy will end for Guion’s side, who will take some time to find their feet under the Frenchman and should see their ongoing defensive instability exposed by a Monaco frontline with a point to prove.