Lorient host Lyon in a Ligue 1 fixture on Wednesday evening.
This match was rearranged from its originally scheduled date of August 14, after Lorient's pitch was deemed unsafe to play on by Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) prior to the game.
Match preview
Despite having issues with their pitch, Lorient have made an excellent start to the season, gaining 10 points from their opening five matches to sit in sixth position in the table ahead of Wednesday's visit of Lyon.
Les Merlus can move level on points with their forthcoming opponents by beating them, which seems unthinkable for a club which has finished 16th in Ligue 1 in each of the last two seasons.
Despite getting them promoted and keeping them safe from relegation, Christophe Pelissier was replaced by rookie manager Regie Le Bris earlier this summer, but the 46-year-old has defied his lack of managerial experience to make an excellent start to his career.
Their 1-0 win away to newly-promoted AC Ajaccio suggests that they should have enough about them to avoid any serious relegation danger this season, although there remains a long way to go and Le Bris will undoubtedly have far tougher times of adversity to overcome.
Having already beaten Rennes away from home this season, though, Lorient will be confident that they can cause another upset against Lyon on Wednesday and prove their strong start has been no fluke.
Despite finishing eighth in Ligue 1 last season, Lyon have kept faith with Peter Bosz as their manager, with the Dutchman rewarding their loyalty so far in the form of four wins and one draw from their opening five games.
Should they beat Lorient on Wednesday, Bosz's side would move into second spot in the table, sandwiched between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille, who both have 16 points.
With no European football as a distraction this season, Bosz will be confident of a strong domestic showing this time around, having added Alexandre Lacazette, Corentin Tolisso and Nicolas Tagliafico to their squad during the summer transfer window.
However, the transfer deadline day sale of Lucas Paqueta to West Ham United has left a sour taste in the mouth of the fanbase, having been left with very little time to replace the talented attacking midfielder.
That said, any frustrations were channelled in a positive manner in the form of the weekend's 5-0 thrashing of Angers, which should stand them in good stead for their trip to Lorient on Wednesday.
- W
- D
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
Team News
Lorient will remain without Quentin Boisgard (muscle) and Adil Aouchiche (knee) for at least a few more weeks, while Igor Silva is a doubt due to a thigh strain.
Le Bris may bring Bonke Innocent into the midfield in order to provide more defensive stability, with Theo Le Bris likeliest to make way, but the 46-year-old will not want to make too many changes from a winning side.
Lyon, meanwhile, will travel without Houssem Aouar, Jerome Boateng and Sinaly Diomande due to injury.
Ahead of a tricky trip to Monaco on Sunday, Bosz could provide 31-year-old Lacazette with a rest, allowing Moussa Dembele a start in attack in the former Arsenal man's place.
Lorient possible starting lineup:
Mvogo; Kalulu, Laporte, Talbi, Le Goff; Innocent, Abergel, Le Fee; Kone, Moffi, Ouattara
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Gusto, Mendes, Lukeba, Tagliafico; Faivre, Tolisso, Caqueret; Tete, Dembele, Ekambi
We say: Lorient 1-2 Lyon
Lyon have started the season in excellent form, and we expect them to edge a competitive match on Wednesday.
Lorient have made a strong start under Le Bris's management, but they are yet to face a side of Lyon's quality and may struggle with a second match in four days.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
body check tags ::
Previews by email
