By D. Crossan
LOSC are looking to reclaim second position in the table and bounce back from losing at PSG when they entertain Strasbourg in Ligue 1 Conforama on Friday evening.
LOSC – RC Strasbourg Alsace 
>> LIVE scoring and statistics from 20:45 CET on Friday!!!
The club from Alsace will be no pushovers, coming north unbeaten in six matches in all competitions, including a 2-0 Coupe de la Ligue victory over LOSC in the round of 32 when Christophe Galtier named only two of his usual starters. Galtier’s men fell 2-1 in Paris in a battle of the league’s top two in Week 12 and saw Montpellier move above them on goal difference thanks to a convincing win over Marseille last Sunday.
Galtier: “A lot of frustration”
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Galtier said: “After losing to Paris, there was a lot of frustration in the dressing room. Once I had another look at the video, I realised that we’d come up against a PSG side playing at their best and that it was very difficult to express ourselves. I asked the squad to move onto other things. We need to prepare for the Strasbourg game in an equally serious way, with the determination and desire to play a great game before the international break.”
LOSC had won four league games in a row before falling to PSG but Galtier refuses to set a lofty target for his charges, saying: “It’s too early to talk about surprises at the end of the season. There’s the reality of the first half of the season and then there’s the reality of the second half of the season with the transfer window to come for all clubs. The standings mustn’t hold us back.”
Anelka on the way to help young forwards
LOSC are totally free of injuries and they appear to have a big name on his way as Galtier revealed: “I know Nicolas Anelka is in discussions with the club in order to pass on his top-level experience to the young forwards in the youth system, although there’s nothing official as of yet.”
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Friday hands Lebo Mothiba a chance to score against the club he left in the summer. The South African forward has already netted six times this league season, once for LOSC in their opening 3-1 success against Rennes, and five in his last seven Ligue 1 Conforama outings for Strasbourg.
Jovial Mothiba a threat against former club
Thierry Laurey, the Strasbourg boss, told Canal+ Afrique: “It’s a pleasure to coach him and when you see him on the field, you say to yourself ‘wow’. He’s got very good technique and is equally as good playing back to goal as running in behind defences. He’s very cool in front of goal. I think he could be more selfish and create more chances for himself.”
The jovial 22-year-old told the TV channel: “I think it’s how I grew up in South Africa, the way I was taught how to behave by my family. I must respect the elders and treat everyone equally and always smile. That’s why I’m always smiling, laughing and enjoying what I’m doing.
Mothiba scored five times for LOSC in the second half of last season after being recalled from a loan spell at Valenciennes to help save them from the drop and commented: “Lille is a club that will always be in my heart. Lille is the club that took me from South Africa.”
Probable Teams:
LOSC: (to follow)
Strasbourg: (to follow)
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