Final preview

Lyon, 16 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 with nine games left and poised to become the first side from a major European league to win six titles in succession, face Girondins Bordeaux in the final at the Stade de France.

"The League Cup was not a major goal of ours at first but it is now," said Remy Vercoutre, who will deputise for Gregory Coupet in the Lyon goal.

"We're out of the French Cup and the Champions League but we still have the opportunity to please our fans by winning two trophies," he added.

Lyon were eliminated by AS Roma in the first knockout round earlier this month and were knocked out of the French Cup in January, losing to Olympique Marseille in the last 16.

Bordeaux, Ligue 1 runners-up last season and currently third in the standings, have won the League Cup once before, in 2002.

Lyon have won it once as well, in 2001, capturing their first title in decades and marking the start of a period of dominance that has lasted ever since.

It was only the next year, however, that they won their first league title and never in their history have they won a league and cup double.

"A double would be nice but in one match you never know what's going to happen," said Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas.

All eyes will be on Lyon's Brazilian playmaker Juninho, who has often lifted his side out of tight spots but, strangely enough, has never scored a goal in a League Cup match or in a game against Bordeaux.

"Being in the League Cup final is a great honour," Juninho said. "This is a competition we respect a lot."

It was not always the case. In recent years, Lyon neglected the domestic cups to concentrate on their Ligue 1 and Champions League campaigns.

Introduced in the 1994-1995 season, the League Cup is not as prestigious as the French Cup and its critics see it as a meaningless addition to a crowded calendar.

Finals have often paired less prestigious clubs, most recently last year's in which Nancy beat Nice 2-1.

It is different this year with Lyon and Bordeaux both belonging to the cream of the crop and each having excellent reasons to give it their best shot.

For Lyon, winning it would be the first step towards an historic double that would make up for their disappointing showing in Europe, while for Bordeaux, lifting the trophy would mean the assurance of playing in Europe next season, the winners qualifying for the UEFA Cup.