STRASBOURG – LORIENT | Sunday 5:05pm
Lorient’s incredible run, which had surprisingly remained in the wake of the heavily favoured Psg for a long time, has suffered a nasty setback. After two draws in a row against Reims and Troyes, came the two home defeats against Nice and Psg, both 2-1, which brought the orange fans back down to earth. Les Merlus remain in the large group of teams fighting for a place in Europe, but they seem to have now lost contact with the Champions League zone, destined perhaps to remain a dream for the Breton club. In any case, with salvation practically already in their pockets, they have the opportunity to face a return leg without too much pressure and it is not to be excluded that, in the end, they will be able to take some important satisfaction. Coach Regis Le Bris will try to turn over a new leaf from the Strasbourg game, the last before the long World Cup break, but will have to do so without the injured Mvogo, Abergel and Meite.
Lorient, in some ways, look like the Strasbourg of last year, the one that came close to Europe by a whisker. Times long gone for Racing aficionados, who now see their team floundering in the lower reaches of the Ligue 1 table. Julien Stephan’s men just can’t seem to turn the tide and are momentarily third-bottom on 10 points. All is not lost, but the fact that they have won only once in 14 matches is a major problem. And the coach is increasingly in the balance.
Delaine from Strasbourg
The Prediction
For Stephan, this could be the last call. Strasbourg are one of the lowest-scoring teams at home, and defensively they are not at all solid: they will need a feat to snatch at least a point from Lorient, who are looking for redemption after their two losses to Nice and Psg. You can put a token bet on the visitors in a match with at least two goals in total.
Strasbourg-Lorient’s likely line-up
- STRASBOURG (5-3-2): Sels; Pierre-Gabriel, Djiku, Nyamsi, Le Marchand, Liénard; Bellegarde, Aholou, Thomasson; Ajorque, Gameiro.
- LORIENT (4-1-4-1): Mannone; Kalulu, Laporte, Talbi, Le Goff; Innocent; Ouattara, Le Fée, Ponceau, T. Le Bris; Moffi.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
