Gameweek 25 in Ligue 1 will see a stuttering Le Havre look to pull away from the drop zone when they take on Toulouse at Stade Ocenane on Sunday afternoon.
With just 10 games left in the regular season, the hosts are uncomfortably close to the dotted line, currently in 15th place, while the visitors are in 10th place and five points above their opponents.
Match preview
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After earning promotion back to the top flight for the first time since 2008 last season, Le Havre are in real danger of heading straight back down to the second tier unless they can find a few positive results soon.
Les Ciel et Marine head into this match with 24 points in as many matches this season, just four points above the relegation zone and only a single point above Montpellier, who currently sit in the sole relegation playoff spot.
Luka Elsner's side suffered a 1-0 loss away to this season's surprise package Brest last week, extending their current losing streak in the league to four matches in a row - the longest active losing run in the division - while they have not won a match in their last six.
During that time, they were also sent packing from the Coupe de France, losing 3-1 to Strasbourg at the start of February, and since then, the side have only managed to score one goal in the next four games leading up to this one.
At home, Le Havre have an average record this term of four wins, two draws and five losses in 11 games, but they will gain some confidence from the fact that they beat this opponent 2-1 in the reverse fixture back in November.
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In contrast, Toulouse are playing some of their best football of the season at the moment and could trim the gap to the sides in the top half of the table to just two points with a win on Sunday afternoon.
Les Violets come into gamweek 25 off the back of a very impressive 2-1 comeback win over Nice last week, which took them to three league wins in a row, including a 3-1 victory over fourth-placed Lille and a 2-1 triumph on the road against third-placed Monaco.
Those victories have helped them to 29 points after 24 league matches, leaving them firmly in the mid-table, nine points clear of the drop and 10 points behind Lens, who currently sit in the final European qualification spot.
As it stands, Carles Martinez's side have already won more points (15) in their last seven games than they managed across the entire of the first half of the season, while only Rennes have earned more points than Toulouse over the same period (17).
In addition, the visitors are also riding a three-match winning streak in away games, and another victory here would mark the first time they have ever won four games in a row on the road in the French top flight.
Team News
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The hosts have just one injury absentee heading into this match, with Oussama Targhalline suffering from a hip injury and expected to remain on the treatment table for at least another couple of weeks.
Elsner is once again likely to look to Andre Ayew and Mohamed Bayo to provide the bulk of the attacking threat, with Emmanuel Sabbi, Christopher Operi and Oualid El Hajjam providing the support from midfield.
Martinez, on the other hand, has a few key players missing due to injury, including the defensive duo of Moussa Diarra and Mikkel Desler, who have already played 16 and 22 games this season respectively.
Further upfield, midfielder Denis Genreau is ruled out for this match with a groin injury, while forward Zakaria Aboukhlal is still working his way back to full fitness, having undergone knee surgery earlier this season.
Le Havre possible starting lineup:
Desmas; Sangante, Salmire, Lloris; Hajjam, Kechta, Toure, Operi; Ayew, Bayo, Sabbi
Toulouse possible starting lineup:
Restes; Keben, Costa, Nicolaisen; Kamanzi, Sierro, Spierings, Suazo; Donnum, Gboho; Dallinga
We say: Le Havre 1-2 Toulouse
Barring their Europa League disappointment against Benfica last month, Toulouse are arguably in the best form we have seen all season and come into this match having beaten three of the top five sides in succession. Le Havre, on the other hand, have lost four on the bounce ahead of this match and we feel they are likely to suffer a fifth consecutive defeat in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
