French football/soccer : French League 1 2009/2010 season preview

Bordeaux clinch first French title in 10 years

Bordeaux won the French league crown for the first time since 1999 in final the round of the 2008/09 season, ending Lyon's seven-year title monopoly. Unbeaten at home, they finished the campaign with 80 points, three ahead of Marseille. Coach Laurent Blanc had no managerial experience when he took over a lackluster Bordeaux team two years ago. Bordeaux finished runners-up to Lyon last year. Lyon, who had won the last seven titles, ended third and will play in the UEFA Champions League play off round.

• Champions and League Cup winners: Bordeaux (UEFA Champions League)
• Runners-up: Marseille (UEFA Champions League)
• Third place: Lyon (UEFA Champions League play off round)
• Fourth place: Toulouse (UEFA Europa League)
• Fifth place: Lille (UEFA Europa League)
• French Cup winners: Guingamp (UEFA Europa League)
• Relegated: Caen, Nantes, Le Havre
• Promoted: Lens, Montpellier and Boulogne.

Toulouse, fourth, and fifth-placed Lille will take part in the Europa League as Bordeaux's League Cup win freed a place in the former UEFA Cup. Second-division Guingamp produced one of the shocks of the season by coming from behind to beat top-flight Rennes 2-1 in the the French Cup final. Guingamp's surprise cup win will also see them rewarded with a place in the inaugural Europa League next season. Caen and Nantes were relegated along with Le Havre, while Montpellier and Boulogne Ligue 2 champions Lens were promoted to Ligue 1.

Old friends on opposite sides

Coach Laurent Blanc has signed a two-year contract extension with Bordeaux. The 43-year-old, who was given his debut role as a head coach by Bordeaux in June 2007, led the club to the runners-up spot in Ligue 1 in his first season. His side have continued to impress last campaign and won the championship. In April, coach Eric Gerets has confirmed he will not be in charge of Marseille this season. The 54-year-old Belgian, who took charge in September 2007, said he would be leaving the club because of the lack of trust between him and owner Robert Louis-Dreyfus.

The new coach is a well-known figure, former France captain Didier Deschamps, who has agreed a two-year contract with Marseille. As a coach, the 40-year-old led Monaco to the 2004 UEFA Champions League final. He returns to management after quitting Juventus at the end of the 2006/07 campaign, when he guided the Italian giants back up to Serie A. Many eyes in the new seasion will settle on the tussle between former France team-mates Blanc and Deschamps. The pair won exactly 200 international caps between them - 103 for Deschamps, 97 for Blanc.

This page is introduction to the 2009/2010 French League 1 season. Latest news, statistics, results and predictions you can find on our main Euro Football > France page.

Marseille and Lyon put faith in summer spending sprees

Marseille have been busy in the transfer market and Deschamps has had a highly successful summer, bringing in 10 players including Gabriel Heinze, Stephane M'bia, Fernando Morientes and Lucho Gonzalez. The team who have spent the most since last term are Lyon, however, the seven-time champions having paid out a French-record total of around €70m for Lisandro Lopez, Bafetimbi Gomis, Michel Bastos and Aly Cissokho. With Karim Benzema now at Real Madrid and Juninho at Qatari champions Al Gharafa, Lyon coach Claude Puel is under no illusions that his side face a monumental task to reclaim a Ligue 1 title.

Antoine Kombouare to coach PSG

Antoine Kombouare will coach Paris Saint-Germain this season, taking over for the departing Paul Le Guen. Kombouare, a former Valenciennes coach and PSG player, signed a three-year contract. Valenciennes, meanwhile, have appointed Philippe Montanier as their head coach on a three-year deal. The 44-year-old was named the Ligue 2 coach of the year for his work in guiding Boulogne to third place last season, behind Lens and Montpellier. Montanier lifted Boulogne up from the amateur leagues into the top flight for the first time in their history in just five years. Boulogne have appointed Laurent Guyot as Montanier's successor. Guyot, 39, a former director of Nantes' youth academy, has agreed a two-year deal with the Ligue 1 newcomers.

Lacombe makes Monaco move, Antonetti at Rennes

Guy Lacombe has been named the new coach of Monaco with his former post at Rennes going to Frederic Antonetti. Lacombe, who is taking over from Ricardo, signed a two-year contract. Lacombe, 53, led Rennes for 18 months, helping them to the final of last season's French Cup and seventh place in Ligue 1, just outside European qualification. Meanwhile, Rennes announced that Antonetti would leave Nice to take over the club on a two-year deal. Antonetti, 48, ended a four-year spell at ninth-place finishers Nice, who have announced that Didier Olle-Nicole is their new coach. Olle-Nicole, 47, guided Ligue 2 side Clermont last term.

Le Mans have also appointed a new chef, Paulo Duarte, who has put pen to paper on a two-year contract. The Portuguese takes over from caretaker boss Alain Cormier, who was in charge for just four games after Daniel Jeandupeux stepped down to work as an adviser to club president Henri Legarda. Le Mans, who narrowly avoided relegation to the second division last season, said Duarte, 40, will also continue in his role as Burkina Faso boss until March 31, 2010.

Big spenders to challenge Bordeaux

Marseille are the favourites to win the Ligue 1 title this season, according to a poll among French football professionals. Amongst 409 players, coaches and club presidents polled by French sports daily L'Equipe, 47.43 percent named Marseille favourites, compared with 20.54 for champions Bordeaux and 10.51 for Lyon. These three clubs will surely battle it out for the title, just as they did last season. According to bookmakers, Lyon are favorites to win the championship.

French Cup (Coupe de France) finals in last five years

2005   Auxerre - Sedan   2:1
2006   Paris St. Germain - Marseille   2:1
2007   Sochaux - Marseille   2:2   (5:4 on penalties)
2008   Lyon - Paris Saint-Germain   1:0   (after extra time)
2009   Guingamp - -Rennes   2:1

League Cup (Coupe de Ligue) finals in last five years

2005   Strasbourg - Caen   2:1
2006   Nancy - Nice   2:1
2007   Bordeaux - Lyon   1:0
2008   Paris Saint-Germain - Lens   2:1
2009   Bordeaux - Vannes   4:0