A crunch battle in the Ligue 1 basement takes place at the Stade de la Mosson on Sunday afternoon, as Montpellier HSC pit their wits against Metz.
La Paillade succumbed to a Lyon fightback in a 2-1 loss to Les Gones last time out, while Les Grenats benefitted from Marseille's indiscipline in a 1-1 draw with Gennaro Gattuso's side.
Match preview
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Taking a leaf out of Lyon's revival book would not go amiss for Montpellier, who were condemned to their third successive loss in all competitions when Pierre Sage's resurgent side paid a visit to the Stade de la Mosson in gameweek 21.
Despite entering the final 20 minutes with a one-goal advantage thanks to Arnaud Nordin's early header, Montpellier were pegged back by Alexandre Lacazette's finish from a tight angle before a long-range stunner from Maxence Caqueret completed the Lyon turnaround in the 82nd minute.
As Lyon created some breathing space between themselves and the relegation spots, Michel Der Zakarian's charges have been dragged closer to the danger zone in 15th place, only clear of Lorient in the relegation playoff spot on goal difference, and they could be dragged into the bottom two by the close of play this weekend.
Since 2024 rolled around, Montpellier's only two triumphs have come in the Coupe de France against lower-league opposition in Amiens and Feignies Aulnoye, but a 4-1 thumping at the hands of Lille quickly put paid to any hopes of a redemption tale in France's premier cup tournament.
La Paillade's abysmal winless run in Ligue 1 home fixtures now stands at a worrying seven matches, and Der Zakarian's men have just one victory under their belts from their last 12 top-flight contests, although their upcoming visitors will need no reminding who it came against.
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Entering last Friday's battle with Marseille on a horrendous eight-game losing streak across all tournaments, Metz would ostensibly be condemned to consecutive defeat number nine at the Orange Velodrome, but they would have the luxury of playing with an extra man for a full hour thanks to Samuel Gigot's straight red.
The 10-strong Marseille unit still managed to fire first through Faris Moumbagna, but Matthieu Udol replied just five minutes later to steal a hard-earned draw for Les Grenats, who had previously not put any points on the board since edging past Lorient in November.
On account of their respectable share of the spoils in Marseille, 17th-placed Metz only have a two-point gap to make up to both Lorient and Montpellier, meaning that victory on Sunday would propel Laszlo Boloni's side out of the automatic relegation zone and potentially into complete safety, at least momentarily.
While Les Grenats are the division's worst-performing side on home soil, Metz have interestingly accrued 11 of their 17 points this season on rival territory, although they have shipped at least one goal in each of their last nine away matches in Ligue 1.
The visitors ran out 2-0 victors on Montpellier's turf as recently as December 2020, although that triumph represents their only win from their last eight affairs with La Paillade, who prevailed 1-0 in the reverse fixture two months ago thanks to a winner from Burnley loanee Maxime Esteve.
Team News
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Newly-acquired Montpellier full-back Silvan Hefti - a January loan signing from Serie A side Genoa - was taken off midway through the second half against Lyon with an unspecified injury, so Enzo Tchato and Falaye Sacko are waiting in the wings if required.
Fellow defender Christopher Jullien is also expected to spend another couple of weeks in the medical bay with a foot problem - Khalil Fayad is in the exact same boat - while ACL victim Axel Gueguin will not play again this season.
On a brighter note, seven-goal striker Akor Adams returned from a brief absence alongside Nordin for last weekend's loss to Les Gones, and goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud is due to come back from the Africa Cup of Nations, where his DR Congo side achieved fourth place.
Likewise, Metz were also forced into an unplanned alteration in their draw with Marseille, where Kevin N'Doram only lasted until half time due to a thigh injury, and the 28-year-old is expected to be missing for the remainder of the month.
Ablie Jallow - another hamstring victim - will keep N'Doram company in the treatment room for this weekend at least, but the visitors are otherwise in good shape heading into Sunday's crucial encounter.
Neither Didier Lamkel Ze nor Georges Mikautadze had the desired impact up front against Marseille, but the pair's places should not be in any danger here, while Joseph Nduquidi is the most likely candidate to fill in for the stricken N'Doram.
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Lecomte; Sagnan, Kouyate, Omeragic; Tchato, Ferri, Savanier, Chotard, Sylla; Nordin, Adams
Metz possible starting lineup:
Oukidja; Van Den Kerkhof, Herelle, Sane, Traore, Udol; Jacques, Nduquidi; Camara; Lamkel Ze, Mikautadze
We say: Montpellier HSC 1-0 Metz
Home wins are a rarity when La Paillade and Les Grenats lock horns, as Montpellier have suffered three defeats and two draws from their last five clashes with Metz at the Stade de la Mosson, going without victory in this exact fixture since 2014.
The visitors' efforts against Marseille were commendable, but they must be taken with a pinch of salt owing to Marseille's numerical disadvantage, and Montpellier boast a couple of difference makers in Adams and Teji Savanier capable of conjuring up a magic moment.
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Ben Knapton
