Bordeaux key match

Bordeaux key match

Bordeaux boss Laurent Blanc will put his faith in his fringe players in Tuesday night's Champions League clash away to Maccabi Haifa.

Goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso, captain Alou Diarra, Jaroslav Plasil and Yoann Gourcuff are among a host of first-team regulars whom Blanc has left out of his squad for the trip to Israel.

The result at the Ramat Gan Stadium is of little significance to either side, since the Ligue 1 outfit have already sewn up top spot in Group A while their opponents are guaranteed to finish bottom.

Blanc's side have yet to lose in the pool - no mean feat given it also includes Juventus and Bayern Munich - and the boss has confidence in his less-experienced players.

"Some people are going to be making their debuts in this competition," said the former defender on the club's official website.

"It is very interesting for them as they need game time. It is an opportunity to see young players with a lot of talent."

The likes of Michael Ciani, Yoan Gouffran, Mathieu Chalme, Marc Planus and Benoit Tremoulinas will also play no part tomorrow.

Goalkeeper Ulrich Rame is, at 37, set to be one of the more experienced players on show.

And he knows, far from being a dead game, the match represents a chance for the club's second string to stake their claim.

"It is a match which is going to be very useful for those who need game time," he said. "I am part of this group. We are going to have to use it.

"To play in this type of match is a real chance for all the players."

Bordeaux defeated Maccabi 1-0 when the two teams met in their second group game in France in September.

The French side have since gone on to win home and away against Bayern and at home to Juventus, while Maccabi have yet to pick up a point - or even score a goal. But Rame expects a tough match on Tuesday.

"Maccabi Haifa are the team which posed us most problems during our first three matches," he said.

Bordeaux's first match was a 1-1 draw in Turin and their third a 2-1 home win over Bayern.

"They are a team which play good football." the veteran keeper added.

"They exploit spaces left by their opponents. Their players are technical and lively."

Tuesday night's match is sure to be an emotional occasion for Maccabi defender Alon Harazi.

The 38-year-old will play his last game before retiring.

The former Israel international has spent 18 years at Maccabi over two spells, and last weekend played his final league game in a 1-0 win over Bnei Sakhnin.

Maccabi president Jacob Shachar paid tribute to Harazi on the club's official website.

"Tomorrow's game against Bordeaux will be Alon Harazi's last as a player," he said.

"Alon played for 18 seasons with our squad, and he shared many successes with the Maccabi Haifa team."

Harazi has won eight Israeli titles with Maccabi, and nine in total.