Lorient will be bidding to give their Ligue 1 survival hopes a boost when they head to Stade de la Mosson on Saturday afternoon for a contest with Montpellier HSC.
The visitors are currently 16th in the table, one point behind 15th-placed Le Havre, while Montpellier occupy 13th, just three points above their opponents in this intriguing contest.
Match preview
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Montpellier will enter Sunday's contest in relatively solid form, having picked up seven points from their last four matches at this level, which has left them in 13th position in the table on 29 points.
Michel Der Zakarian's side have been victorious in two of their last three league games, beating Nice and Le Havre on their travels either side of a 6-2 home loss to the champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Montpellier have actually been more productive on the road in Ligue 1 this term, with 16 of their points coming away from their own stadium, where they have won just one of their last 11 matches.
La Paillade are only three points above 16th-placed Lorient heading into this contest, so they are looking over their shoulder at this stage of the campaign, demonstrating the importance of this match.
Montpellier are actually unbeaten against Lorient in France's top flight since December 2013, and they recorded a 3-0 victory when the two teams locked horns for the reverse match back in October.
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Lorient, meanwhile, have a record of six wins, eight draws and 13 defeats from their 27 league matches this season, which has left them in 16th position in the table on 26 points.
Regis Le Bris's side are currently in a relegation playoff spot, but they are only one point behind 15th-placed Le Havre and just three from Montpellier, so it is not quite time to hit the panic button.
Metz in 17th are only three points behind Lorient, though, and it is a fascinating battle at the bottom of the division, as Clermont in 18th are also not out of the picture in terms of survival.
Lorient have not been victorious in Ligue 1 since beating Rennes at the start of March, picking up just one point from their last three games, with the run including a 1-0 defeat to Brest last weekend.
The visitors have not travelled well this term, picking up only 13 points from 13 matches, while as mentioned, it is more than 10 years since they last overcame Montpellier at this level of football.
Team News
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Montpellier will be without the services of three first-team players on Sunday through injury, with Issiaga Sylla, Joris Chotard and Axel Gueguin unavailable for selection.
Head coach Der Zakarian will have been pleased with his team's performance against Le Havre last time out, so it could be a case of same again in terms of the starting side here.
Akor Adams has found the back of the net on seven occasions in France's top flight this season, and the 24-year-old is set to continue as the centre-forward for Montpellier this weekend.
As for Lorient, Montassar Talbi, Bonke Innocent, Igor Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Quentin Boisgard will miss out on Sunday afternoon due to fitness problems.
However, Aiyegun Tosin, who was suspended for the clash with Brest last time out, is available for selection, and he is expected to be on the bench for this contest.
Mohamed Bamba has scored six times in nine Ligue 1 appearances since his arrival at the club during the January market, and he will again lead the line for the strugglers here.
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Lecomte; Tchato, Kouyate, Sagnan, Davin; Al Ta'mari, Savanier, Omeragic, Ferri, Nordin; Adams
Lorient possible starting lineup:
Mvogo; F Mendy, Adjei, Toure; Katseris, Abergel, Bakayoko, Yongwa; Bouanani, Bamba, Ponceau
We say: Montpellier HSC 2-1 Lorient
Montpellier have enjoyed their recent meetings with Lorient, triumphing in four of their last five league matches, and we can see another success for the home side here. Lorient have enough quality to score, but we are finding it difficult to back them to pick up a positive result on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
