Monaco's money talks in French league

PARIS (AP) Promoted Monaco has already reaped the benefits of its offseason investments as it leads the standings in the French league after four rounds.

Owned by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, Monaco spent about 170 million euros ($226 million) to upgrade its squad, which has gelled faster than expected as Monaco and fourth-place Paris Saint-Germain are the only clubs still undefeated in the French league.

"It's a great start to the season and that was not obvious to predict since the squad has changed a lot," Monaco defender Ricardo Carvalho said. "We're still in a building process. In such a context, it's very interesting to win and rack up points."

Monaco will look to cement its status as a serious contender for a Champions League spot when it hosts mid-table Lorient on Sunday.

The successful partnership between Emmanuel Riviere and Colombia striker Radamel Falcao has significantly contributed to Monaco's rise to the top. They have scored all their team's goals.

James Rodriguez scored in Colombia's 1-0 win over Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier last week, but he hasn't found the net yet with Monaco.

PSG had a sluggish start with two draws. However, the defending champions seem to have hit their stride by winning their last two matches as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani are still working on their understanding on the field.

In World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday, Ibrahimovic scored the lone goal in Sweden's 1-0 victory over Kazakhstan while Cavani scored the opener in Uruguay's 2-0 win over Colombia.

PSG needs a victory at Bordeaux on Friday to keep climbing up the standings. The Parisian club rallied to beat Bordeaux 2-1 last month in the Champions Trophy, which is a traditional curtain-raiser pitting the French league champion against the French Cup winner.

"Bordeaux is among the teams that can defend very well and be efficient in counterattacks," PSG defender Christophe Jallet said. "We know what to expect and what we must improve to create more problems for them."

Bordeaux is a potential contender for a European spot. But it sits in 15th place after a string of mediocre results.

"This match is very important for us to kickstart our season," Bordeaux defender Mariano said. "So far, our start to the season has not been good. Two losses, a draw and a win are not good enough. It will be a tough match against Paris, but it's a great opportunity to recover."

Second-place Marseille, a runner-up last season, will visit last-place Toulouse on Saturday.

Also Saturday, it's: Ajaccio vs. Evian; Guingamp vs. Bastia; Montpellier vs. Reims; Nantes vs. Sochaux; and Valenciennes vs. Saint-Etienne.

On Sunday, Lille plays Nice and Rennes travels to Lyon.