PARIS (AP) -Lyon needs a convincing win over Rennes on Sunday to boost confidence after a dismal run of form that has seen the seven-time former French league champions win only one of their last six games.
Tuesday's 1-0 loss to Fiorentina in the Champions League followed an embarrassing 1-1 draw at last-place Grenoble last weekend, when it conceded a late equalizer when Grenoble - without a win all season - was reduced to 10 men.
"We need a big win to get our confidence back," Lyon winger Michel Bastos said. "It would be perfect to do it on Sunday, in front of our own fans."
Third-place Lyon has not won this month, drawing 1-1 at home with Liverpool in the Champions League and 5-5 at home with Marseille in a game that saw Lyon come back from a 4-2 deficit to lead 5-4 with just seconds remaining.
Hit by injuries, particularly in defense, Lyon coach Claude Puel has rarely been able to field a settled team.
"We have to lift our heads up and keep going," Lyon midfielder Miralem Pjanic said. "We feel sad, because we tried everything (against Fiorentina) and it didn't work."
Lyon's dip in form and Bordeaux's back-to-back league losses opened the door for Auxerre to move into first place with its neat one-touch football and stylish approach under veteran coach Jean Fernandez. He nurtured young talents such as former France great Zinedine Zidane and Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri.
Auxerre has 26 points from 13 games, while second-place Bordeaux and Lyon are a point behind. Bordeaux has a better goal difference than Lyon.
Bordeaux, which beat Juventus 2-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday, travels to play Nancy on Sunday, while Auxerre is at struggling Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday.
Auxerre lost the first three games of the season without scoring a goal, and won only once in the opening seven games. After Poland striker Irinieusz Jelen came back from injury, the team was transformed and can now earn its eighth straight win of the season at Parc des Princes.
But Fernandez must do so without Jelen, who took a blow to his right knee in training Wednesday.
Knowing how much his team relies on Jelen, Fernandez sounded pessimistic about his team's chances.
"It's easier for everyone when he's around. He's the only player who can make runs from deep," Fernandez said. "Without him, we'll have the same problems we had (at the start of the season)."
Anything but a win for PSG will heap the pressure on coach Antoine Kombouare and his players after Friday's 1-0 loss to rival Marseille. PSG's notoriously hostile fans have not seen a home win since the team beat Lille 3-0 on Aug. 30.
Kombouare is losing patience just weeks before the transfer window opens again.
"It's been a hard week for me, because I was not at all happy with my players," Kombouare said. "It wasn't just the defeat, it was the fact that they got stuck into us and we couldn't find a way to respond."
Kombouare added that Marseille "walked all over" PSG, and he sent out a stern warning to his players.
"It's hard to accept. I hope I never have to watch a match like that ever again," he said. "Given where he are in the league, a lot of teams are ahead of us and every game becomes complicated. I expect a huge response from my players."
Kombouare hopes to welcome back Claude Makelele from injury, but has a doubt over midfielder Clement Chantome, who is struggling to recover after taking a heavy tackle from Marseille striker Brandao.
"Claude is better now," Kombouare said. "He is training regularly and getting treatment so I hope he will be available."
Also Saturday, it's: Lille vs. Valenciennes; Lorient vs. Grenoble; Sochaux vs. Nice; Toulouse vs. Boulogne; and Lens vs. Marseille.
On Thursday, the French football called off Saturday's game between Monaco and Montpellier because three Montpellier players have swine flu. They were not named.
Marseille's game against rival Paris Saint-Germain was called off last month because three PSG players had swine flu.
Le Mans plays Saint-Etienne in Sunday's other game.
