Ligue 1 leaders Bordeaux will look to bounce back from a shock defeat to Lille a fortnight ago when they face Valenciennes on Saturday.
Bordeaux's lead at the top of the table is down to one point after a 2-0 defeat last time out, and defender Marc Planus is not expecting an easy time against Valenciennes either.
"They are a team that plays very good football and has very interesting offensive movements," Planus said.
"They have good players and will be difficult to contain but we also have a collective strength and we hope it will prevail over their offensive power.
"They play well and have assimilated the methods of their new coach (Philippe Montanier). They have nothing to lose in Bordeaux and we expect a complicated match.
"I think both teams will want to play. Valenciennes will not cower, although they will perhaps play a little on the counter attack.
"I look carefully at their results because (midfielder) Renaud Cohade plays for them and we were part of the same youth team before he moved to Strasbourg and now Valenciennes.
"I'm happy for him and I always look at their results."
Bordeaux may be top of Ligue 1 and already through to the knockout stages of the Champions League, but Planus believes they have yet to recapture the form which saw them lift the title last season.
"For now we are number one but many teams are close behind us, the ranking changes every week," he added on the club's official website.
"We are already qualified for the next round of the Champions League and of course we would have taken such a position at the beginning of the season.
"Afterwards, when we look at some games, some are better than others. We have lost three games so we do not rest on our laurels. We must redouble our work to find our rhythm from the end of last season."
Valenciennes are seventh in the table after three wins and a draw in their last four games and Montanier is treating the match like a cup tie.
"We're going to Bordeaux with great respect for this team that is positioned in the top 10 in Europe, but also with a feeling like the Coupe de France, the "small" also have their opportunities," he said.
"This is a game of football, anything is possible."
