Gameweek 29's Ligue 1 action pits Clermont against Montpellier HSC, with the hosts in desperate need of maximum points at the Stade Gabriel-Montpied on Sunday.
The league's bottom side are five points off Lorient in the relegation playoff spot and seven off safety heading into this weekend's fixture against a side that have won two on the trot.
Match preview
While Pascal Gastien's men have had a pitiful season, last weekend's draw at a changed Paris Saint-Germain was a positive result for the bottom club in Ligue 1.
The 1-1 draw means the Lancers have secured four points in the last three games, losing 3-0 to Toulouse in their previous home game.
Having ended a four-month wait for a victory on their turf by defeating Le Havre, Clermont hope to not have to wait so long for another triumph at the Stade Gabriel-Montpied.
However, Gastien's team need to find goals from somewhere, with 20 in 28 games in 2023-24 by far the fewest in the French top division.
The Lancers won their final five Ligue 1 games last season, and while they do not have that many matches to play at their ground in the relegation run-in, goals and points are needed in Clermont-Ferrand to beat the drop.
Montpellier hope to thwart the plans of Clermont beating the drop as they plot their survival in the competition as well.
La Paillade have recovered from that 6-2 beatdown by PSG before March's international break to beat struggling Le Havre and Lorient without conceding.
They hope to claim another triumph against another club battling for their lives in the competition but should not expect the points to be handed to them by Clermont.
After losing six of seven road games, Michel Der Zakarian's troops have claimed consecutive victories on their travels and seek a third one on the trot on Sunday.
Montpellier last did that in 2023, securing victories in their final away matches of 2022-23 at Nantes (3-0) and Reims (3-1) before thrashing Lyon 4-1 at the start of the ongoing campaign, but they have not done so in the same season since 2020-21 when they notched four away wins at Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux, Lorient and Lens all without conceding.
With six points separating them from Lorient in 16th, a repeat will be timely for a club keen to avoid being sucked into a relegation battle.
Team News
Clermont defender Maximiliano Caufriez will serve a one-match ban in Sunday's game.
Mory Diaw and Jim Allevinah are touch-and-go for this weekend, with the latter likely to start, but Cheick Oumar Konate, Maxime Gonalons and Adam Mabrouk are expected absentees against Montpellier.
Boubakar Kouyate is not expected back in the Montpellier lineup this weekend after suffering a concussion at Le Havre a fortnight back.
Meanwhile, Issiaga Sylla (calf), Axel Gueguin (knee), Theo Sainte-Luce and Khalil Fayad are not expected to play any part on Sunday either.
Teji Savanier and Jordan Ferri, MHSC goalscorers in road victories at Nice and Le Havre, should start this weekend.
Clermont possible starting lineup:
Ndiaye; Matsima, Pelmard, Ogier; Allevinah, Gastien, Keita, Borges; Cham-Saracevic; Virginius, Magnin
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Lecomte; Mbiayi, Omeragic, Sagnan, Davin; Chotard, Ferri; Nordin, Savanier, Al-Taamari; Khazri
We say: Clermont 0-1 Montpellier HSC
Despite being undefeated in two home games against Montpellier in Ligue 1, the away side should take advantage of Clermont's dearth of goals and nick a marginal victory over the league's bottom club.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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