Strasbourg take on Troyes at Stade de la Meinau on Sunday afternoon in what is a clash between Ligue 1's bottom two sides as things stand.
In fairness to the two teams, they have each faced Paris Saint-Germain in one of their first two games - where they would not truly be expected to come away with points - but both will be determined to get their seasons up and running.
Match preview
© Reuters
Strasbourg made a go of it in their game against the Parisian superstars, after a disappointing 2-0 defeat at home to Angers on the opening day.
Julien Stephan could have been forgiven for shutting up shop and trying to hold on for a draw against a PSG side missing many of its big names, but instead he went for it.
Unfortunately, that resulted in his side being 3-0 down within half an hour. They regrouped during the break, though, and came back with renewed fight, suddenly finding themselves within one goal of their hosts after headers from Kevin Gameiro and Ludovic Ajorque, but a red card for Alexander Djiku nine minutes from time ended their charge and Pablo Sarabia sealed a 4-2 victory.
It has not been the kind of start that new manager Stephan would have hoped for, but he will still have plenty of credit in the bank and time to shape the team as his own given the optimism that accompanied his appointment.
A win this weekend is very much required to get the ball rolling, though, and anything less will likely see the Strasbourg fans starting to resign themselves to another season battling relegation, after four consecutive defeats including their pre-season friendlies.
© Reuters
Troyes also made an impressive effort against PSG in their season-opener, even briefly taking the lead before their opponents restored the status quo, playing out a comfortable 2-1 victory.
Their second game provided a far better opportunity for points, though, against fellow Ligue 1 newcomers Clermont.
Laurent Batlles's men started the first half well, beating the Clermont high press, and were holding their own in an intense match, but an Issa Kabore red card changed the complexion of the game.
It was ultimately a pair of corners which was their undoing, with two superb Jason Berthomier deliveries being headed in by Mohamed Bayo to seal a 2-0 win and condemn ESTAC to the relegation zone.
It is arguably a harsh position for the team, but small mistakes are almost always punished at this level and Troyes must attempt to get some points on the board soon or they could find themselves heading rapidly back towards their never-ending yo-yoing between divisions.
- L
- L
- L
- W
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- W
- L
- L
- D
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
After experimenting with a 5-3-2 formation against PSG - a system that saw the likes of Adrien Thomasson and Anthony Caci start on the bench - Strasbourg will likely return to something more familiar for this game.
The hosts will dearly miss Djiku after the aforementioned red card, but expect Ibrahima Sissoko to partner Lucas Perrin in the back line as a result.
Stephan will also be without Jean-Eudes Aholou, who was forced off with a groin injury at the weekend, and joins Moise Sahi Dion and Lebo Mothiba on the sidelines.
The visitors will be missing a defender through suspension too after Kabore's sending off, with Mama Balde his potential replacement.
Youssouf Kone is still a doubt, meaning new arrival Giulian Biancone could start at left-wing-back in a 3-4-3 setup.
Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Sels; Caci, Sissoko, Perrin, Fila; Lienard, Bellegarde, Waris, Thomasson; Ajorque, Gameiro
Troyes possible starting lineup:
Gallon; Salmier, El Hajjam, Giraudon; Biancone, Kouame, Tardieu, Balde; Chambost, Ripart, Lumeka
We say: Strasbourg 2-1 Troyes
Strasbourg have looked open at the back at times and Djiku's absence will give Troyes hope, but they have defensive issues of their own and home advantage has played a big role in the history of this match-up.
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 Strasbourg win with a probability of 37.96%. A win for Troyes had a probability of 33.58% and a draw had a probability of 28.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Strasbourg win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.09%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (7.87%) and 2-0 (7.17%). The likeliest Troyes win was 0-1 (11.19%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.26%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13.3% likelihood.
