formed excellent midfield partnerships with box-to-box midfielders Alejandro Alonso and Fernando Menegazzo who gave Diarra the freedom to distribute the ball and dismantle impending attacks from the opposition. On 2 December, Diarra scored a goal in Bordeaux's 4–3 win over Derby de la Garonne rivals Toulouse. Diarra also participated in European competition with Bordeaux during the season. He played in four matches during the club's UEFA Cup campaign. Bordeaux reached the Round of 32 where the club was eliminated by Belgian club Anderlecht on a 3–2 aggregate scoreline. In the Coupe de France, Bordeaux reached the quarter-finals. Diarra appeared in all four matches the team contested, which included playing 120 minutes in back-to-back rounds. He scored two more goals for the club; both of which came in the league in wins over Metz and Rennes. Bordeaux finished the season in second place; four points behind the champions Lyon. It was the closest gap Lyon had endured since the 2003–04 season when the club won the league by three points over Paris Saint-Germain. Diarra finished the season with 44 total appearances and four goals. In the 2008–09 season, Diarra remained a starter as Bordeaux was boosted by the arrival of the influential Yoann Gourcuff. He appeared in Bordeaux's 5–4 win on penalties in the 2008 Trophée des Champions. Bordeaux capitalized on the momentum by going undefeated in eight of its nine opening league matches. Included in those matches was Diarra's first red card for the club, which came in a 1–0 win over Grenoble after he collected two yellow cards. The two infractions came within a span of five minutes. On 21 December 2008, Diarra scored the second team goal in Bordeaux's 4–3 comeback win over Monaco at the Stade Louis II. Bordeaux had trailed 3–0 with 40 minutes to go in the match. In the Coupe de la Ligue, Bordeaux won the competition. Diarra missed the final match due to injury, but did play in the semi-final match, a 3–0 win over Paris Saint-Germain, that resulted in Bordeaux qualifying for the final. In the 2008–09 edition of the UEFA Champions League, Diarra appeared in all six group stage matches Bordeaux played in and scored a goal against English club Chelsea in a 1–1 draw. The club's third-place finish in its group meant a return to the UEFA Cup where Bordeaux was eliminated in the Round of 32 for the second