Dijon, France – Olivier Giroud's breakout season has lifted Montpellier to the Ligue 1 summit, but it will have to hold that place without the emerging France striker this weekend.
Giroud had a goal and an assist Wednesday in France's 2-1 friendly win against Germany, adding to his 16 goals for Montpellier this season.
Montpellier rose to the top of the standings last weekend, but visits Dijon on Saturday with Giroud suspended, Nigeria striker John Utaka has enormous shoes to fill as his likely replacement.
"He is a class footballer who is also a real team player," Montpellier coach Rene Girard said of Utaka. "He's powerful and he's fast, and mentally, he's rock solid."
Utaka, who has six goals in 43 international appearances, has contributed five goals for Montpellier this season.
"Sometimes his finishing lets him down slightly, but he is capable of putting tremendous pressure on the opposition," Girard said. "And he's really starting to get his confidence back."
Montpellier leads PSG by one point in the table after a 1-0 win over Bordeaux, and has won five games during a six-game unbeaten streak. Dijon has lost three of its last five, and is just three points off the relegation zone.
PSG remained within one point of the summit last week with a 4-4 draw against Lyon, as a Guillaume Hoarau goal deep in stoppage time split the points.
The Paris squad remained undefeated under new coach Carlo Ancelotti, but three straight draws has seen the club lose its spot atop the table ahead of their home match Sunday against Ajaccio, another side fighting for survival.
"We slipped to second but that's not a problem right now. Maybe it will be at the end of the season but we just need to stay confident," Ancelotti said, "and play our football."
Marseille hosts Toulouse on Saturday with its sights on third place and a spot in the Champions League next season. Marseille also visits Evian on Tuesday in a make-up match, and could picked up ground quickly.
Just eighth entering the weekend, third-place Lille is just seven points clear ahead of its home match against Auxerre. Marseille lost ground in the chase in a 1-0 loss to Brest last week.
"We haven't been talking about the title this season but we have had our eye on third," Marseille midfielder Alou Diarra said. "This is our first defeat in three months, and we're pretty disappointed."
Fifth-place Lyon visits 18th-place Nancy on Saturday hoping to end a four-game winless skid. After the draw against PSG, coach Remi Garde remained positive.
"When you don't win, the top three slips away a little bit, but when you show such fighting spirit," Garde said, "and if you can repeat the performance, you know you still have a chance."
Also Saturday, St Etienne hosts Evian, Sochaux hosts Valenciennes and Bordeaux hosts Nice. Also Sunday, Caen hosts Brest and Lorient hosts Rennes.
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