Two teams scrapping for Ligue 1 survival meet at Stade Gabriel-Montpied on Sunday, as rock-bottom Clermont host Toulouse.
Les Lanciers stayed stuck to the foot of the table despite recording a rare win before the international break, while their visitors have lost back-to-back games and are still far from securing safety.
Match preview
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Clermont's 5-1 defeat to Marseille heralded a changing of the guard earlier this month - long-serving boss Pascal Gastien is now working alongside successor Sebastien Bichard until the end of the season - and a struggling squad has since responded with one loss and one win.
Gastien is set to step down after seven years in charge but remains in situ for now, with Bichard being deployed as his assistant; such a curious arrangement did not stop Les Lanciers from overcoming their reverse to fellow relegation battlers Metz by beating Le Havre last time out.
Though they still occupy last place in Ligue 1 and are six points adrift of guaranteed safety, Clermont's 2-1 home victory saw them end a seven-game winless streak, despite Elbasan Rashani being sent off during the first half.
That was their sixth red card of a difficult campaign, which is the joint-most in the French top flight this season - incidentally, Sunday's visitors are yet to have anyone dismissed so far this term.
Following the clubs' 2-2 draw in September, when Florent Ogier struck in second-half stoppage time to salvage a point and record Clermont's latest-ever Ligue 1 goal, Gastien's side now reconvene with Toulouse in desperate need of a win.
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After their last-gasp fumble earlier this season, Toulouse are the only current Ligue 1 team yet to have beaten Clermont in the top flight, so they will be aiming to put that right at the fourth attempt this weekend.
Although their predicament is far less acute than their hosts, Les Violets only have a four-point cushion to the relegation playoff place following two losses before international football intervened midway through March.
Reverses to Le Havre and Lyon puts them in danger of suffering three straight defeats for the first time in a year, and the latter result left a particularly bitter taste in the mouth of head coach Carles Martinez Novell.
With his team leading 2-1 heading into the final 15 minutes, he may have expected to pick up maximum points on home turf, but a late collapse then saw Lyon leave Toulouse with a win that opened up a five-point gap between them.
Such naivety is perhaps understandable, as Les Violets have fielded Ligue 1's youngest starting XI on average this season (24 years and 90 days) and with team selection inconsistent, some 20 different players have been directly involved in at least one goal.
Team News
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In addition to Neto Borges, who wore the captain's armband for Clermont's last two matches, Elbasan Rashani will miss Sunday's game due to suspension following his red card last time out.
In their absence, Bilal Boutobba and Florent Ogier are among those in contention for promotion to the starting XI.
While Muhammed Cham - who scored both goals against Le Havre - and Shamar Nicholson are the hosts' joint-top scorers, France Under-20s star Alan Virginius has yet to find the net since arriving on loan from Lille; the latter pair will battle it out for selection up front.
Thijs Dallinga provides the main goal threat for Toulouse, having struck 10 times in Ligue 1 this season and laid on two assists, and he will be supported from midfield by captain Vincent Sierro, who recently made his debut for the Swiss national side.
Carles Martinez Novell will be without both Aron Donnum and Stijn Spierings through suspension, but Morocco winger Zakaria Aboukhlal made his return from a long-term knee injury just before the international break and should make another appearance off the bench.
Clermont possible starting lineup:
Diaw; Zeffane, Matsima, Ogier, Pelmard; Gonalons, Keita; Boutobba, Cham, Allevinah; Virginius
Toulouse possible starting lineup:
Restes; Mawissa, Nicolaisen, Costa; Kamanzi, Casseres, Sierro, Suazo; Magri, Gboho; Dallinga
We say: Clermont 0-1 Toulouse
Clermont have put just two wins on the board from 13 home games this season, and as Toulouse pose far more of a goal threat, the visitors should drag themselves further clear of the drop zone; deepening their hosts' danger.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
