Lorient will be looking to record their first Ligue 1 victory in three matches when they host relegation-threatened Troyes at Stade Yves Allainmat on Sunday afternoon.

The hosts have struggled in recent weeks and failed to beat Lyon last time out, whereas Troyes desperately need three points to keep their survival hopes alive.

Match preview

Lorient have only won one of their last seven encounters in all competitions following a goalless draw with Lyon at Groupama Stadium last Sunday - a game which saw plenty of chances, yet none was taken by either side.

Despite a significant dip in form since the start of the campaign - which included a spell of six-straight wins - Lorient still remain ninth in the Ligue 1 standings and look set to comfortably beat last season's final rank of 16th.

Regis Le Bris has suffered from losing key players in the January transfer window - most notably Terem Moffi and Dango Ouattara - yet his men still have plenty of attacking threat, as shown during their 3-0 demolition of AC Ajaccio three weeks ago.

Les Merlus will be hoping to avoid a repeat of their fate the last time they faced a side in the bottom four, with a second-half goal from Rayan Raveloson handing Auxerre maximum points in Lorient a fortnight ago.

During Troyes' first game of 2023, a marvellous performance at Strasbourg produced a perfect start to the calendar year, with Xavier Chavalerin's goal securing a much-needed 3-2 success.

Since then however, Patrick Kisnorbo's men have failed to win a single game in any competition, leaving their hopes of maintaining their first-tier status very slim as the season approaches its business end.

Troyes have collected a mere two points in their last nine Ligue 1 games, a record which has them sitting 19th in the standings, two points from safety with 12 matches still to play.

A cause for cautious optimism this weekend is the fact that three of ESTAC's four league victories this campaign have come away from Stade de I'Aube, although admittedly they have still only collected nine points in 13 away outings this term.

Team News

Lorient have suffered a major injury blow amongst their defensive ranks in the past month, with centre-back Julien Laporte suffering a knee injury - one which is expected to keep him out until the latter stages of April.

First-choice goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo is also sidelined for Les Merlus, with the 28-year-old expected back in a few weeks following a tendon injury sustained during November's loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Troyes also have a long-term absentee in the form of midfielder Florian Tardieu, with the 30-year-old sidelined for the remainder of the campaign following an Achilles tendon injury.

Canadian Ike Ugbo scored a last-minute equaliser against Monaco last time out and should be rewarded with a place in the starting XI, with Renaud Ripart potentially being the man to drop out of the side to make room.

Lorient possible starting lineup:
Mannone; Kalulu, Meite, Talbi, Le Goff; Abergel, Diarra, Makengo, Le Fee, Cathline; Dieng

Troyes possible starting lineup:
Gallon; Palmer-Brown, Rami, Salmier; Bruus, Kouame, Odobert, Chavalerin, Abdu; Lopes, Ugbo

We say: Lorient 1-0 Troyes

Both of these sides are coming into this clash off the back of respectable points last time out, although the long-term form of Troyes is something that cannot be ignored.

Les Merlus have shown their ability to pick up results despite losing their star men in January, and they should be confident of beating a troubled Troyes side on Sunday afternoon.


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