Monaco host Nice in a Cote d'Azur derby on Sunday looking to get back to winning ways in Ligue 1 after the blow of losing in the French Cup semi-finals.

The principality club were stunned by struggling Guingamp on Wednesday, losing 3-1 after extra time to end their hopes of winning major silverware for the first time in more than a decade.

It was a defeat that did coach Claudio Ranieri few favours at a time when his future at the Stade Louis II is the subject of much speculation, especially with sports daily L'Equipe reporting that the Italian changed his team selection three times in the corridors of Guingamp's Stade du Roudourou before the match.

However, the Italian, who became known as the 'Tinkerman' during his time in charge of Chelsea a decade ago, deserves some credit for taking Monaco into second place in the table with only five games left and he remained bullish as to his future when he faced the press on Friday.

"If one defeat makes your position fragile, then it must be 'au revoir'. It's not possible that one defeat can change things like that. And my president is very intelligent," said Ranieri, who has a year to go on his contract.

"The criticism is to be expected. Everyone said we were the team that had to fight with Paris Saint-Germain. But you (the media) know very well if the criticism is fair or not. And I get on with my job.

"That's football. It's not a problem. The problem is the next match and concentrating on it."

Monaco are second in Ligue 1, 10 points behind leaders PSG, who play Lyon in the League Cup final on Saturday.

A defeat for Monaco against their local rivals would leave the way clear for the capital club to secure the title with a win against Evian next Wednesday, and it would also leave third-placed Lille in with a chance of beating them to second place.

Only the top two sides in Ligue 1 qualify automatically for the Champions League group stage, with the third-placed team having to go through two qualifying rounds first.

The game will be a special one for Nice coach Claude Puel, who spent nearly two decades with Monaco as a player and later won the title with them as coach in 2000.

Lille travel to Marseille on Sunday evening looking to extend a 10-game unbeaten run as they try to secure a podium finish and keep the pressure on Monaco.

The game is also important for Marseille, who are sixth but can move level on points with Lyon as they try to snatch European qualification themselves.

"We don't want to talk about Europe. We have just taken six points from a possible six and we want to continue. Lille are a difficult team to play, very strong defensively and tactically strong," said OM's interim coach Jose Anigo.

At the bottom of the table, Ajaccio cross Corsica for the derby against Bastia knowing they have to win to stand any chance of further postponing their inevitable relegation.

Even if they do claim all three points at the Stade Armand-Cesari, their return to Ligue 2 after three seasons in the top tier will be confirmed if Guingamp take anything from their trip to Bordeaux.

Valenciennes are six points from safety and so desperately need a win against Nantes, while Sochaux know they must improve their away record if they are to stand a chance of pulling off a great escape.

They are five points from safety as they prepare to travel to Reims. Herve Renard's side have won five and drawn one of their last six home games, but they have not won on the road all season.

Fixtures (kick-offs 1500GMT unless stated)