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Bordeaux Tackle Valenciennes Without Injured Yoann Gourcuff

Gourcuff picked up a problem on international duty and won't be available to Laurent Blanc on Saturday night...

Nov 21, 2009 12:34:59 PM

Champions League: Bayern Munich - Girondins Bordeaux, Gourcuff - Butt (Bongarts/Getty Images)

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Champions League: Bayern Munich - Girondins Bordeaux, Gourcuff - Butt (Bongarts/Getty Images)

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Yoann Gourcuff

Ligue 1 leaders Girondins de Bordeaux will not boast key playmaker Yoann Gourcuff amongst their ranks when they host Valenciennes on Saturday evening at the Stade Chaban-Delmas.

Gourcuff, who featured for France in both legs of the highly controversial World Cup play-off against the Republic of Ireland over the course of the last week, has been omitted from the squad because of an adductor problem, the club’s official website has announced. A similar issue has previously ruled the Ballon d’Or nominee out of a handful of games this season.

Though Gourcuff is not in the 19-man panel, France team-mate Alou Diarra, who played all 120 minutes of Wednesday’s infamous fixture at the Stade de France, is expected to be involved.

Meanwhile, Blanc will have to tiptoe around another couple of selection issues. Gregory Sertic is ill and will not be involved in the squad, while defender Franck Jurietti is carrying a problem and is also sidelined.

Bordeaux’s tremendous unbeaten home record in league play now stretches back over two years, though they will face a surprisingly stern test on Saturday night as Valenciennes have been building momentum on the road in recent weeks. Having been persistently one of Ligue 1’s travel sick teams since re-entering the top flight in 2006-07, they now boast the best away record in Le Championnat this term.

Robin Bairner, Goal.com

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