Bordeaux's fate has all but been confirmed as they currently sit bottom of Ligue 1 and seven points away from certain safety with just two games to play, while Saturday's visitors to the Stade Matmut-Altantique are looking to avoid dropping into the relegation playoff position.
Lorient sit 17th and three points clear of Saint-Etienne heading into the penultimate round of fixtures, meaning that a positive result this weekend could confirm Lorient's top-flight status for next year.
Match preview
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This season has been a campaign to forget for Bordeaux, and their recent form means that they are guaranteed to at best play in a relegation playoff match, but seem certain to be heading to the second tier directly.
David Guion's side travelled to Angers last time out but fell to a 4-1 defeat at the Stade Raymond-Kopa, where Bordeaux failed to contain the home team's attacking chances.
That defensive display perhaps comes as no surprise to Bordeaux fans, as they have watched their side concede 89 goals in 36 matches this during this campaign.
This weekend the hosts are expected to have more solidity at the back, having let in 23 fewer goals on home soil, but Bordeaux will still be vulnerable to Lorient's attacks after only winning on three occasions on their own patch this year.
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Facing a team that has already been relegated perhaps presents a good opportunity for Lorient to ensure their safety in Ligue 1 before the final day next weekend, especially considering 18th-placed Saint-Etienne play a side 12 points better off than themselves this Saturday.
Christophe Pelissier's side enter this game on the back of three consecutive defeats, most recently suffering a 3-0 loss at the hands of second-placed Marseille on Sunday.
Lorient's last two victories have both come against teams currently below them in the table, suggesting that they are picking up the points they need to survive from their closest rivals in the table.
Three points could also lift Lorient into 16th spot, which if they can maintain once the final whistle of the season has been blown next week, would equal their finish from last year.
In the reverse fixture between these two teams in October, Julien Laporte's 76th-minute strike cancelled out Alberth Elis's earlier opening goal for Bordeaux as that encounter ended in a 1-1 draw.
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Team News
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Striker Elis has not featured for Bordeaux since the beginning of April and he will remain sidelined due to injury, which is a major miss for the hosts as the 26-year-old has netted nine goals this season.
Danylo Ignatenko, Issouf Sissokho, Stian Gregersen and Timothee Pembele are all ruled out of this clash as well due to injury, but there are no suspension concerns for the hosts.
Anel Ahmedhodzic, Josuha Guilavogui and Marcelo will make up the defensive trio, which could be turned into a back five at times with wing-backs Ricardo Mangas and Gideon Mensah dropping deeper.
Lorient attacker Stephane Diarra made his first appearance earlier this month since being absent from the middle of March, but he remains doubtful for this weekend's outing.
Pelissier set his side up in a more defensive shape against Marseille, but Saturday's visitors are expected to return to a 4-3-3 formation with Enzo Le Fee, Terem Moffi and Armand Lauriente leading the attack.
Ibrahima Kone has also been an attacking threat for Lorient since arriving at the club from Sarpsborg 08 in January, but he is likely to make an impact from the bench.
Bordeaux possible starting lineup:
Costil; Ahmedhodzic, Guilavogui, Marcelo; Mangas, Fransergio, Onana, Mensah; Oudin, Niang, Dilrosun
Lorient possible starting lineup:
Dreyer; Le Goff, Petrot, Laporte, Mendes; Monconduit, Innocent, Abergel; Lauriente, Moffi, Le Fee
We say: Bordeaux 0-1 Lorient
Both teams are in poor form entering this clash, but with more incentive for Lorient as Bordeaux are already relegated, that is likely to give the visitors the edge in this match.
Despite both sides having leaky defensive records, this could be a low-scoring affair as neither team have found the back of the net on many occasions recently either.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Bordeaux win with a probability of 59.7%. A draw had a probability of 20.6% and a win for Lorient had a probability of 19.73%.
The most likely scoreline for a Bordeaux win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.85%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.69%) and 1-0 (8.25%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.35%), while for a Lorient win it was 1-2 (5.3%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 3.9% likelihood.
Top tip
Sammy Wynne
