Ligue 1 strugglers Angers will play host to Montpellier HSC in the seventh round of French top-flight fixtures on Sunday.

Les Noirs et Blancs sit on just two points after four straight defeats, while their visitors have managed nine points thus far.

Match preview

After a 14th-placed finish in Ligue 1 last season, Angers again set out to, first and foremost, avoid relegation again this time around, but they have endured a concerning start, firstly playing out draws with Nantes and Auxerre.

Consecutive 3-1 defeats to Brest and Troyes then followed, with Les Noirs et Blancs reduced to 10 men on both occasions as Halid Sabanovic and Batista Mendy were sent off respectively, both exiting in the first half.

It was then Angers' turn to have a man advantage when they took on Reims, and they drew level at 2-2 going into the final 25 minutes with their opponents down to 10 but were unable to capitalise as Folarin Balogun renewed the visitors' lead and Junya Ito sealed a 4-2 win with a late finish.

On the back of that particularly disappointing outcome, Gerald Baticle's side faced the unenviable test of a trip to Lyon last time out, and they were beaten comprehensively as Karl Toko Ekambi hit a brace alongside goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Castello Lukeba and Moussa Dembele in a rampant 5-0 home win.

Now heading into the weekend with four straight defeats on their record, Les Noirs et Blancs will be desperate to stop the rot and post a first league win of the campaign.

They meet a Montpellier side who have experienced a season of extremes so far, with three wins and three defeats coming from their six games, while only Paris Saint-Germain have topped their tally of 16 goals and just five sides have conceded as many as the 12 goals that they have shipped.

An opening-day 3-2 win over Troyes was followed by back-to-back losses to Paris Saint-Germain and newly-promoted Auxerre, before Olivier Dall'Oglio's side bounced back in eye-catching fashion against Brest, dishing out a 7-0 thrashing as Elye Wahi and Valere Germain hit braces alongside goals from Faitout Maouassa, Wahbi Khazri and Nicolas Cozza.

La Paillade would then take on AC Ajaccio and make it consecutive wins, eventually prevailing thanks to goals from Nordin and Wahi and a second straight clean sheet.

Hoping to make it three on the bounce, Dall'Oglio's side most recently travelled to take on Lille, and after Wahi initially put them ahead, Jonathan David levelled the scoring and Germain was sent off prior to half time, with Les Douges taking advantage in the second half and picking up a 3-1 victory.

With that result still leaving them on a relatively pleasing tally of nine points from six outings, La Paillade will now aim to establish some consistency and build a winning run starting on Sunday.

Team News

Baticle may look to make several changes to his Angers side to inspire a turn in form, with the likes of Sada Thioub, Abdallah Sima, Himad Abdelli and Pierrick Capelle all pushing to come in from the outset.

Sofiane Boufal remains a key man in their attack, having contributed two goals and two assists in five Ligue 1 appearances thus far after hitting the net eight times and providing five assists in the French top flight last time around.

Further back, former Tottenham Hotspur man Nabil Bentaleb should again anchor the midfield in front of a back three.

Montpellier are unable to call on forward Valere Germain, who will serve a suspension after his red card last time out, while Wahbi Khazri could again miss out through injury alongside the likes of Stephy Mavididi, Theo Sainte-Luce and Christopher Jullien.

Given those attacking absences, Elye Wahi will be relied on heavily to lead the line, having already notched up four goals in six league appearances this term.

Further back, Mamadou Sakho came back in from the start last time out and could again partner Maxime Esteve in the middle of the back four if deemed fit.

Angers possible starting lineup:
Bernardoni; Bamba, Houtondji, Mendy; Bentaleb; Sabanovic, Abdelli, Capelle, Ounahi; Boufal, Sima

Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Carvalho; Sacko, Esteve, Sakho, Cozza; Chotard, Ferri, Leroy; Nordin, Makouana; Wahi

We say: Angers 0-2 Montpellier HSC

Even considering the notable absences in Montpellier's squad, we back them to triumph against an Angers team who are devoid of any confidence at either end of the pitch, with the visitors excelling going forward.

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