Lyon warms up for Champions League against Caen

Soccer Betting Lines

02/10/2012 - Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon slipped 10 points behind Ligue 1 leader PSG last weekend, so a visit by Caen on Saturday - ahead of Tuesday's last 16 Champions League match against APOEL - has turned into a must-win match.

Since winning the last of seven straight Ligue 1 titles in 2008, Lyon has not finished atop the standings, and faces a tough ascent this season behind free spending PSG.

PSG has spent well over $100 million in the summer and this January, and with Carlo Ancelotti undefeated in five matches in all competitions as coach, Lyon cannot afford to drop any more points.

Although last week's result was a 2-2 draw against Marseille, it left both of PSG's rivals farther from the top.

"It's a good draw, but one that does leave us harboring a few regrets. My team has character, but we were lacking a little something to win it. But it's still a point more," Lyon coach Remi Garde said.

"That's important ahead of the big games that we've got coming up in the Champions League."

Caen is winless in its last eight Ligue 1 matches, and has not scored over its last three. The club's last win was against Dijon, in Week 13.

"Everyone wants to pull in the same direction, whether you play a lot or not, whether it be the oldest or the youngest member of the squad, whether you're at the end of your contract or not. You have to think about the club, and try and find that little spark," said Caen midfielder Frederic Bulot.

Caen would get a spark with a win at Lyon, and it has a lot to play for with a place in the relegation zone possible otherwise. With Champions League play on the horizon, and sight of the summit fading, Lyon has a lot to play for also.

Also Saturday, second-place Montpellier hosts Ajaccio, Auxerre hosts Lorient, Valenciennes hosts Nancy, Brest hosts Dijon, and Rennes hosts Sochaux. Evian was set to host Marseille, but the match has been postponed.

On Sunday, PSG visits Nice when it could need a result to pull clear of rival Montpellier, which enters the weekend just three points back.

"It's a perilous trip," said PSG's Mathieu Bodmer. "Nice need points, as do we in terms of the Ligue 1 title. We're going down there to take three points.

"We're going to be focused, highly-motivated, and will go out onto the pitch with the aim of playing better than we did against Evian, but it's the result which counts."

Third-place Lille hosts Bordeaux in a match of two of the last three champions and Toulouse hosts St Etienne in Sunday's other fixtures.

Wwwplayersonly Soccer Betting News

<< Dunfermline out to end dry spell against Rangers
Dunfermline, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dunfermline will try to snap a pair of negative streaks on Saturday when the club hosts second-place Rangers. In the last 30 meetings between the two teams, Dunfermline has managed just one win,

<< Blues place Arnott on IR
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues have placed forward Jason Arnott on injured reserve, the team announced Friday. Arnott has not played since suffering a shoulder injury against Los Angeles on February 3. The 37-

<< CFL extends Cohon through 2015
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Canadian Football League announced that commissioner Mark Cohon has signed a contract extension that will keep him in charge through the 2015 season. "Our Board of Governors is unanimously pleased to

<< Titans lock up WR Hawkins with multi-year deal
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tennessee Titans signed wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins to a multi-year contract on Friday. Hawkins caught 47 passes for 470 yards and recorded his first career touchdown last season. He ranked second o

<< Ferrero, Almagro post Davis Cup wins for Spain
Oviedo, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning champion Spain began defense of its Davis Cup title with a pair of singles wins Friday in an opening-round Davis Cup matchup with visiting Kazakhstan. The Spaniards grabbed their quick 2-0 l

Jiracek's brace lifts Wolfsburg over Freiburg >>
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Petr Jiracek scored the first and last goals as Wolfsburg downed Freiburg, 3-2, on Friday at Volkswagen Arena in the Bundesliga. Jiracek was one of the many new faces Wolfsburg signed in January, and

United and Liverpool renew rivalry >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - English Premier League play resumes this weekend with the latest installment of one of the country's fiercest rivalries. Manchester United and Liverpool meet at Old Trafford on Saturday, and

Everton's double proves too much for Twente >>
Enschede, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Everton scored a goal in each half as Heracles claimed a surprising 3-2 win at Twente on Friday, preventing the home side from joining PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar at the top of the league. Everton s

Royals sign 12 players to one-year deals >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sean O'Sullivan and Blake Wood have agreed to terms on one-year contracts with the Kansas City Royals. The pitchers were just two of 12 players to sign a contract with the Royals for the upcoming season

49ers extend GM Baalke >>
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers have extended the contract of general manager Trent Baalke through 2016. 49ers president and CEO Jed York announced the move via his Twitter account on Friday. Baalke, who was

Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.