Marseille skipper Lorik Cana has urged the Stade Velodrome supporters to get off the back of misfiring striker Djibril Cisse and cheer the Mediterranean club on to a win against Porto that would "open the doors to qualification".
A place in the last 16 can not be secured this week, but victory against the Portuguese champions on Wednesday would mean Marseille had taken nine points from their first three Group A matches.
Cana told the club's official website: "We are playing against immediate competitors for qualification for the last 16. It is a chance for us to open the doors to qualification."
However, the Albanian is concerned at the treatment meted out to France international forward Cisse who has found goals in short supply this season.
Cana admitted recently-installed coach Eric Gerets was baffled at the treatment of Cisse in Marseille's 1-0 win over Lens at the weekend.
He said: "He (Gerets) was surprised because it was his first (home) match but Djibril was not. He already experienced it last season. We are not enjoying it because he is an important element of the squad. No-one is enjoying it. As captain I don't like one of my team-mates being whistled, especially when he is trying his best."
Cana nonetheless hopes that Cisse can pull out of his slump.
"Djibril knows that the supporters expect a lot from him," said Cana.
"With another player it would be different. All the same it's encouraging because people know what he is capable of but that he is unable to free himself at the moment. We are all helping him. These whistles will help him keep his head up so that things start to work again."
Cana is expecting Porto to provide stern opposition, saying: "They are a redoubtable team that is used to playing in the Champions League."
Porto have won the European club title twice, in 1986-7 and 2003-4.
"Porto play in this competition every year, unlike us. They are in form, they are leading their championship and they won in Turkey and, if you know how tough it is to win in Turkey, that's a real achievement."
Porto have started the campaign well with a home draw with Liverpool and a win against Besiktas.
Porto coach Manuel Jesualdo Ferreira has named a 19-man squad for the trip to Marseille.
Helder Postiga and Edgar return to the line-up while Adriano and Ernesto Farias did not board the plane.
Defender Fucile has passed a fitness test and was named in the squad by the Portuguese champions.
Jesualdo Ferreira struck an upbeat and humorous note in the build-up to the game, telling www.abola.pt: "I have no doubts that Porto are a fashionable club. Like fashion, football is very aggressive and very beautiful. We will play to our maximum potential."
22 October 2007
Olympique Marseille defender Julien Rodriguez will be out for two weeks with a thigh injury, the Ligue 1 club said on Monday.
Centre back Rodriguez was replaced midway through the first half of his team's 1-0 victory over RC Lens in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
He will miss Marseille's Champions League clash at home against 2004 champions Porto on Wednesday. The Provence side are top of their Group A after beating Besiktas and Liverpool in their first two outings.
09 October 2007
Mali have a full strength side for their decisive African Nations Cup qualifier away to Togo in Lome on Friday where the winner will progress to next year's finals in Ghana.
Coach Jean-Francois Jodar will have Sevilla's Frederic Kanoute to lead the attack while Mahamdou Diarra of Real Madrid and the Liverpool midfielder Momo Sissoko are expected to start in midfield.
Mali and Togo are both on nine points in the Group Nine standings.
Mali failed to qualify for the last Nations Cup finals in 2006 but were semi-finalists in 2002 and 2004.
Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has been left in England in order to recover from a concussion during the international period.
Vidic had to leave the field during United's 4-0 victory over Wigan on Saturday, suffering from concussion following a blow to the head.
Serbia are preparing for two must-win games in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, with Armenia and Azerbaijan on the horizon.
They are currently three points behind second-placed Finland in Group A, with a game-in-hand, but that has not tempted coach Javier Clemente to force Vidic's condition.
Team doctor Dragoslav Djordjevic revealed the United defender will need at least five days to recover, ruling him out of the first match in Yerevan.
"Manchester United's medical staff informed us by fax that Vidic's condition is not good enough for him to practice and play for the national team in these matches. His concussion will sideline him for at least five days, and in the next 10 days he won't be allowed to touch the ball with his head."
Serbia have called up Lens defender Milan Bisevac as Vidic's replacement.
02 October 2007
Lyon midfielder Kim Kallstrom is confident the French champions are hitting their stride as they prepare to face Rangers at the Stade Gerland in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The six-times French champions lost 3-0 to Barcelona in their opener at the Nou Camp but coach Alain Perrin has always insisted that it is the club's home form that will determine whether they qualify for the last 16.
Lyon's 3-0 victory over Lens at the weekend has put them on top of Ligue 1 with Les Gones hunting a seventh consecutive domestic title.
Sweden midfielder Kallstrom is confident that Lyon are in fine fettle ahead of the Rangers game.
"We are in the best shape possible," Kallstrom told the club's official website.
"Apart from the game with Lille we have been in good form in Ligue 1. We have no problems in term of confidence - everything is going well."
