Lorient and Bordeaux will both be aiming to steer clear of the Ligue 1 drop zone when they lock horns at the Stade du Moustoir on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts fell to an agonising 3-2 defeat to Marseille in their most recent fixture, while Bordeaux's torrid run continued with a 3-0 loss against title-chasing Monaco.
Match preview
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A brace from the effervescent Terem Moffi proved inconsequential for Lorient against Marseille, as the European hopefuls had their own two-goal hero in Pol Lirola to thank for their enthralling 3-2 success over Les Merlus last weekend.
Moffi struck either side of a delightful Dimitri Payet volley and a Lirola strike at the Orange Velodrome, and with the game seemingly destined to end 2-2, Lirola powered home an injury-time effort into the far corner to condemn Lorient to back-to-back defeats after their previous loss to Lens.
Christophe Pelissier's side have given themselves a fighting chance of staying up with their improved performances since the turn of the year, but they remain embroiled in a scrap for survival as they lie 17th in the table, with just one point separating them from Nimes in the relegation playoff spot.
Les Merlus cannot drop into the bottom two no matter what happens this weekend, but with seven goals conceded in their last two games - and a league-high 61 across 33 matches - Pelissier may have to rely on the brilliance of 11-goal Moffi to stave off the threat of relegation.
However, Lorient's most recent two defeats both came on the road, and they boast a remarkable record of five wins from their last seven at the Stade du Moustoir, with the only defeat in that sequence coming against leaders Lille on February 21.
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Bordeaux boss Jean-Louis Gasset may also be indebted to the brilliance of his own centre-forward in Hwang Ui-jo if his side stay up, but the South Korea international was powerless to prevent his side falling to a humbling 3-0 defeat to Monaco last time out.
Les Monegasques struck through Kevin Volland, Gelson Martins and substitute Stevan Jovetic to condemn Bordeaux to their fourth defeat in a row, as the pressure continues to mount on Gasset's shoulders amid a torrid spell of form.
Thankfully for 16th-placed Bordeaux, they cannot be caught by Lorient this weekend should they lose - although Les Merlus could close the gap to just one point - and as unthinkable as it is for Bordeaux to ply their trade in Ligue 2, demotion is a real possibility if results do not improve.
Les Girondins have conceded at least three goals in each of their last four games and have lost 10 of their last 12 in the top flight, with their only positive results in that run being a goalless stalemate at home to Marseille and a 3-1 win away at basement side Dijon, so it is hardly surprising that Bordeaux are reportedly eyeing replacements for Gasset ahead of the new season.
Bordeaux did manage to defeat Lorient 2-1 at home before their fortunes took a turn for the worse, but Les Merlus are unbeaten in four Ligue 1 games against their upcoming opponents on home soil, most recently losing 4-0 in November 2012.
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Team News
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Lorient striker Moffi worryingly came off injured in the 83rd minute against Marseille, but his issue is not believed to be anything serious and he should be cleared to play on Sunday.
Goalkeeper Paul Nardi was surprisingly named among the substitutes last time out, but after Matthieu Dreyer shipped three to Les Olympiens, Nardi should return in between the sticks.
Jonathan Delaplace's calf problem will also keep him out of Sunday's game, and one change could see Enzo Le Fee recalled in place of Armand Lauriente, but Pelissier will likely resist the urge to make too many alterations.
Bordeaux lost veteran defender Laurent Koscielny to what is now confirmed to be an Achilles tendon injury, and there are fears that the former Arsenal man may not play again this season, so Mexer should see out the final few games in defence.
Tom Lacoux was a surprise starter against Monaco, but the 19-year-old was sent off in that defeat and will not be available here, meaning an immediate recall to the midfield for Jean Michael Seri is likely.
Otavio continues to recuperate from his own Achilles injury, and Nicolas De Preville is uncertain, but Gasset has confirmed that Samuel Kalu is in the squad and could play a part.
Lorient possible starting lineup:
Nardi; Hergault, Laporte, Gravillon, Chalobah, Le Goff; Abergel, Monconduit, Le Fee; Moffi, Wissa
Bordeaux possible starting lineup:
Costil; Sabaly, Baysse, Mexer, Benito; Basic, Adli, Seri; Oudin, Hwang, Ben Arfa
We say: Lorient 2-1 Bordeaux
Lorient will certainly view the visit of Bordeaux as a game they should be winning given their opponents' miserable form, and they always seem capable of coming up trumps on home soil.
Gasset's team became renowned for their solid defence earlier in the season, but Moffi will be eyeing success against a Girondins side without their leader Koscielny, so we are backing Lorient to boost their survival prospects at the expense of Bordeaux's.
Top tip
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 Lorient win with a probability of 39.84%. A win for Bordeaux had a probability of 32.79% and a draw had a probability of 27.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Lorient win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.35%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.34%) and 2-0 (7.31%). The likeliest Bordeaux win was 0-1 (10.06%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.95%). The actual scoreline of 4-1 was predicted with a 1.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Lorient would win this match.
