Title-chasing Lens head into Sunday's clash with Lorient knowing that Paris Saint-Germain will secure the Ligue 1 silverware if they better the Blood and Gold's result and at least match Marseille's result on Saturday.
Accordingly, Franck Haise's men will be desperate to claim all three points at the Stade du Moustoir, but the hosts will also be able eager to maintain their recent upturn and finish the campaign on a high.
Match preview
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Lorient enter Sunday's showdown on the back of a 1-1 draw with Montpellier HSC, but the Brittany outfit were seconds away from notching a third successive victory last weekend, only for Faitout Maouassa to score a 94th-minute equaliser for the hosts.
Les Merlus claimed a hugely impressive 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last month, despite the fact that Achraf Hakimi was sent off after 20 minutes, and they followed that up with a 2-1 victory against Brest, courtesy of an Ibrahima Kone brace.
Having taken seven points from their previous three outings, Lorient find themselves ninth in the Ligue 1 table with three matches remaining, meaning that Regis Le Bris's men could still snatch a European spot if they maintain their unbeaten run until the end of the campaign.
Given that Lorient finished just two points outside the bottom three in 2020-21 before finishing four points clear of the drop zone last season, it seems crazy that European football could return to the Stade du Moustoir for the first time since 2002-03.
Les Merlus have been especially strong in their own backyard this term, losing only five of their 17 home league games, with two defeats coming in their previous nine, so they will be confident of picking up another positive result this weekend.
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While securing European football would be a huge achievement for Lorient, winning the Ligue 1 title would be nothing short of remarkable for Lens, who have managed to keep pace with PSG throughout this season while also keeping Marseille at bay.
Trailing the league leaders by six points with nine points left to play for, the Blood and Gold will need to win their remaining matches and hope that PSG suffer a monumental collapse in order to take the trophy away from the Parisians, but there is still a glimmer of hope.
You can guarantee that Franck Haise's men will fight until the very end, as they have lost just four of their 35 league games this season, suffering two defeats fewer than both PSG and Marseille while achieving the best defensive record in the division.
Not only have Lens won each of their last four matches, but they have also won eight of their previous nine, suffering a solitary defeat since February, so Haise's side head into Sunday's clash as one of the most in-form teams in Ligue 1.
Thanks to a run of three clean-sheet victories in four away games, Lens have ensured that the title race will go down to the wire, although last month's 3-1 defeat at the Parc de Princes could prove to be the result that sealed the club's fate.
Team News
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Lorient look set to be without Brazilian defender Igor Silva this weekend, as the 26-year-old has missed the past three games due to a thigh injury, while goalkeeper Vito Mannone will miss Sunday's clash with a foot injury.
As a result, Vincent Le Goff, Montassar Talbi and Bamo Meite will continue as the back three, with Yvon Mvogo deputising between the sticks.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Ibrahima Kone will continue to lead the line, while Enzo Le Fee and Romain Faivre are expected to provide the lone striker with attacking support.
Lens, on the other hand, look set to be without the injured trio of Jimmy Cabot (knee), Wesley Said (muscle) and Wuilker Farinez (knee) for the trip to the Stade du Moustoir.
Having taken his tally for the season to eight goals and five assists in last weekend's 2-1 victory over Reims, Seko Fofana will operate behind Florian Sotoca, who has racked up seven goals and nine assists this term.
Top scorer Lois Openda will aim to net his 20th goal of the campaign this weekend, while former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Brice Samba will go in search of his 15th clean sheet.
Lorient possible starting lineup:
Mvogo; Meite, Talbi, Le Goff; Kalulu, Innocent, Abergel, Yongwa; Faivre, Le Fee; Kone
Lens possible starting lineup:
Samba; Gradit, Medina, Haidara; Frankowski, Abdul Samed, Fofana, Machado; Sotoca, Thomasson; Openda
We say: Lorient 2-3 Lens
Knowing that they must win to keep their title hopes alive, Lens look set to notch a fifth successive victory this weekend, although the hosts are expected to make life difficult for their visitors.
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