Lorient will endeavour to build on two positive February results when Montpellier HSC pay a visit to the Stade du Moustoir for Sunday's Ligue 1 battle.

Christophe Pelissier's side managed to hold Monaco to a 0-0 draw last time out, while their visitors went down 1-0 to wounded champions Lille.

Match preview

One week on from ending their embarrassing winless run against Lens, Lorient stole points off another European-chasing side in Monaco in gameweek 24, but they could only take one point rather than all three against the Principality outfit.

An inspired performance from Matthieu Dreyer in between the posts saw Les Merlus cling on for a draw against Monaco, as the 32-year-old's quintet of saves prevented the likes of Wissam Ben Yedder and Kevin Volland making Les Monegasques' journey worthwhile.

Despite taking four points from their last two clashes to begin February in ideal fashion, Lorient are far from safe in the division, as Pelissier's 17th-placed crop sit level on points with Saint-Etienne in the relegation playoff place and just one clear of Metz and Bordeaux.

However, Lorient's fate is now in their own hands due to their slightly superior goal difference, and Pelissier will undoubtedly welcome a pair of successive clean sheets for a side that have fared much better at home than on the road this term.

Indeed, Les Merlus may have only won one of their last eight at the Stade du Moustoir, but they have - rather incredibly - kept the goals conceded column to single figures with nine strikes shipped. Only Paris Saint-Germain (6) and Rennes (8) can boast better defensive records on their own turf this season.

While Lorient have seemingly turned a corner since the start of the month, Montpellier have been busy embarking on a downward spiral, as Olivier Dall'Oglio could not prevent his side falling to defeat against the reigning champions last week.

With 77 minutes on the clock, Portuguese midfielder Xeka tapped home into an empty net to undo La Paillade's hard work at the back, and the margin of victory could have been greater had Jonas Omlin not stood firm to deny Burak Yilmaz later in the contest.

Defeat to Les Dogues marked a third consecutive loss in all competitions for this topsy-turvy Montpellier outfit - who have now also lost five of their last six - and Dall'Oglio's side have slipped to 11th place in the standings as a result.

Montpellier could return to the top half with a win if other results go in their favour this weekend, but they have shipped a concerning 10 goals in their last five top-flight matches without old favourite Hilton - still going strong in the third tier with Sete at 44 - marshalling the backline.

However, La Paillade eased to a 3-1 win over Lorient at the Stade de la Mosson back in August - their fourth win from their last five in all competitions versus Les Merlus, whose most recent win in this fixture came in the 2015-16 Coupe de la Ligue.

Team News

Lorient are set to welcome defender Moritz Jenz back after COVID-19 infection, while midfielder Laurent Abergel may also be fit to return following hamstring trouble.

However, Fabien Lemoine, Stephane Diarra and Jeremy Morel make up a trio of injury-related absentees for the hosts, who will surely see little reason to make many changes either way.

Leo Petrot may be harshly sacrificed for the returning Jenz at the heart of the back four this weekend, and there may be an opportunity for Enzo Le Fee to displace Quentin Boisgard in the middle.

Montpellier cannot welcome Stephy Mavididi back to the fold from a knee injury quickly enough, but president Laurent Nicollin has confirmed that the English forward will not be available.

Pedro Mendes, Maxime Esteve and Thibault Tamas also continue their spells out of action through injury, but bit-part left-back Ambroise Oyongo is now back after the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Cameroon international has only played 23 minutes of league football this term so is unlikely to be a realistic option for rotation, with Valere Germain's recall the only possible alteration Dall'Oglio might make.

Lorient possible starting lineup:
Dreyer; Mendes, Laporte, Jenz, Le Goff; Le Fee, Innocent, Monconduit; Lauriente, Soumano, Moffi

Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Omlin; Souquet, Cozza, Sakho, Ristic; Ferri, Chotard; Mollet, Savanier, Wahi; Germain

We say: Lorient 1-1 Montpellier HSC

In spite of their remarkable defensive resilience on home soil, goals continue to be an issue for this relegation-threatened Lorient outfit, who are still more than capable of pulling off a positive result here.

Montpellier held their own for long periods against Lille - who are a far cry from their 2020-21 selves - and with Mavididi's absence continuing to affect them, we can only envisage Dall'Oglio's side taking a point home.

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