PARIS (AFP) - French champions Lyon suffered a 1-0 defeat at Le Mans on Saturday which not only threw the title race wide open but also dented their planning for Wednesday's Champions League clash with Manchester United.

Lyon, the French champions for the last six years, still lead the championship but will see the advantage slashed to just one point if Bordeaux defeat Monaco on Sunday.

With one eye on Wednesday's European showdown with United, Lyon coach Alain Perrin decided to leave Karim Benzema, the championship's top scorer with 16 goals, on the bench despite already missing injured Brazilian attacker Fred.

It was another Brazilian who stole the headlines as Tulio De Melo scored the only goal of the game in the 70th minute from a cross by Ibrahima Camara.

The victory was also a repeat of Le Mans' 1-0 win in the French league Cup semi-final in January, a win secured on that occasion by Japanese midfielder Daisuke Matsui.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas was critical of the pitch at the Stade Leon Bollee.

"Le Mans are not our bogey team even if we have suffered two defeats to them in such a short space of time," said Aulas.

"The pitch doesn't explain our defeat but if you want to see a good match, you need a good pitch. Sadly a lot in France are not worthy of the top flight."

Le Mans moved into fifth place in the table with 37 points to maintain their hopes of a European place next season.

That relegated Marseille to sixth place ahead of their clash with arch-rivals PSG on Sunday where the faltering Parisians will bid to improve their mid-table standing.

PSG lie ninth from bottom, just three points off the relegation zone.

Marseille's outspoken president Pape Diouf claimed that Sunday's match would be "the easiest of the season" for PSG given their role of the underdog.

"In my eyes, this match is a real trap for Marseille because PSG will come as the outsiders," Diouf said.

"They will make us favourites, like they did in the final of the French Cup" in 2006 which Marseille lost to PSG, said Diouf, whose team is fresh from a 3-0 midweek hammering of Spartak Moscow in the UEFA Cup.

Marseille's Belgian coach Eric Gerets preferred not to get dragged into a game of cat-and-mouse semantics.

"PSG has a lot to lose, as we do," he said. "These stories of favourites and underdogs really make me laugh."

Around 2,000 PSG fans are expected at the Stade Velodrome for what will undoubtedly be a highly-charged atmosphere and Diouf expressed his confidence that there would be no security issues with home supporters.

Bordeaux, flying high in second, travel to Monaco bidding to rebound from their 2-1 UEFA Cup away loss to Anderlecht.

In Saturday's later matches, third-placed Nancy travel to St Etienne, and Nice will look to consolidate their fourth spot away to Lens.

Bottom club Metz host sixth-placed Valenciennes, while Caen travel to Sochaux, Lille play Rennes, Auxerre entertain Toulouse, and Strasbourg face an away game at Lorient.