Two sides in desperate need of a victory in Ligue 1 will face off this weekend when Clermont Foot take on Lorient at Stade Gabriel Montpied on Sunday afternoon.
Both of these teams are positioned towards the bottom of the league standings, with Lorient holding the 15th spot and Clermont trailing two places behind in 17th place.
Match preview
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Most would likely agree that Clermont Foot are a long way from the type of form that saw them end last season in eighth place and just eight points off the European spots.
The Lancers played out a 0-0 draw against Strasbourg last weekend, which took them to six points in ten matches this season, leaving them five behind their opponents in this match, who are the first side above the drop zone.
Pascal Gastien must certainly be feeling the pressure of late as his side have lost six, drawn three and only managed to win one match so far this season, which came against Lyon a few weeks ago.
Of particular concern for the Clermont boss will be his side's home performances this term, as they have only taken one point in five matches at Stade Gabriel Montpied and failed to score in any of their last four.
That is in stark contrast to their record from last season, when they recorded a tally of 30 points in 19 matches and ended the campaign with five straight wins, scoring nine and conceding just three in that time.
Clermont also have the unwanted record of being the lowest-scoring team in the league this season, with just seven goals to their name so far, while they have not found the back of the net in their last two games.
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It is a very similar situation for Lorient, who finished 10th last season but find themselves perilously close to the dreaded dotted line, currently one point above Metz in the relegation playoff spot.
Lorient began the season very promisingly, though, holding both Nice and PSG to draws in their first two matches before beating Lille convincingly in gameweek three, which saw them placed in the top half of the table.
Since then, though, Les Merlus have experienced a notable dip in form, managing just one win in eight matches coming into this one, which was against Rennes toward the back end of last month.
Regis Le Bris's side played out a 1-1 draw against Lens in their last match, which marked their second consecutive match without a goal, following a 1-0 loss away to Reims a couple of weeks ago.
However, a bigger issue that the visitors will need to address with haste is their defensive record this term, as they have already let in 20 goals this season, which is the most of any side in the league, one more than bottom club Lyon have conceded.
Team News
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Jeremie Bela is the only enforced absentee for the hosts in this match, which should mean that Muhammed Cham will continue in attack, possibly as part of a two-man front line including Shamar Nicholson.
After being tossed straight back into the starting 11 last week following his suspension, Neto Borges should line up in defence again this week, possibly alongside Maximiliano Caufriez and Andy Pelmard.
Meanwhile, Le Bris has a lengthy casualty list, with Ayman Kari (ankle), Aiyegun Tosin (thigh), Loris Mouyokolo (groin) and Dembo Sylla (foot) all expected to remain sidelined for extended periods.
Benjamin Mendy (thigh), Bamba Dieng (groin), and Quentin Boisgard (foot) are shorter-term injury absentees, though all three are only likely to return to action after the international break.
Clermont possible starting lineup:
Diaw; Borges, Caufriez, Pelmard; Konate, Gonalons, Gastien, Allevinah; Nicholson, Magnin; Cham
Lorient possible starting lineup:
Mvogo; F. Mendy, Talbi, Toure; Ponceau, Abergel, Bakayoko, Yongwa, Faivre, Mvuka; Doucoure
We say: Clermont 1-1 Lorient
Both these sides have performed well below their usual level, and based on their current records, it looks as though they are going to battle out this season at the bottom of the table unless they can put together a run of good results. Neither team have done enough this season to suggest they can go on to win this match, therefore we are backing a score draw in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
