Preview: Angers vs Le Havre - prediction, team news, lineups

Separated by one spot around the lower echelons of the Ligue 1 table, Angers and Le Havre will go head to head this weekend at Stade Raymond Kopa.

The 13th-placed hosts are nine points above the playoff spot and four clear of the Normandy visitors, who will be eager to put more breathing room between themselves and the drop.

Match preview

Having finished just three points above the relegation-playoff position on their return to the top flight last term, Angers’ current standing represents progress, with the West France outfit just three points shy of matching that tally and holding a relatively comfortable cushion above danger.

It is fair to say Alexandre Dujeux’s side did much of the heavy lifting in the closing stages of 2025, when they won four of five matches (L1), but a return of just three victories from 13 league outings this year (D2, L8) leaves them among the division’s least in-form teams.

As a matter of fact, Le SCO have lost six of their last eight in that stretch (W1, D1), including last weekend's 2-1 defeat at Rennes, where Prosper Peter's second-half effort pulled one back before Amine Sbai missed the chance to draw Angers level from the penalty spot.

Les Noirs et Blancs’s struggles can largely be traced to their bluntness in the final third, with the side managing just three goals across their last eight matches, the fewest of any team in the division during that spell.

However, a return to familiar surroundings should offer some encouragement for Angers, given six of their nine league victories this term have come on home soil, with 16 of their 25 goals in the campaign also scored at the ground, and the hosts will hope those numbers count as they aim to end a four-game (D1, L3) winless run.

Also seeking to halt their ongoing slump, Le Havre are without victory in seven matches (D3, L4), with only bottom-placed Metz enduring a longer drought among teams in the division.

Didier Digard’s men come into this clash on the back of consecutive draws in relegation battles, first recording a 1-1 result against Auxerre before posting a similar outcome in last weekend’s trip to Nice, where Ally Samatta’s first-half strike was cancelled out after the interval.

While that result ensured Le Havre maintained their five-point cushion above the playoff spot, it leaves the Normandy club without a win in each of their last nine away matches (D3, L6) and with just one success from 14 such outings this season, making them the second-worst travellers in the division.

Meanwhile, Digard’s side have scored a league-low eight goals on the road, underlining their attacking struggles, having found the net just 24 times overall in the Ligue 1 campaign – the joint-second fewest in the French top flight this term.

However, recent success in this fixture offers some encouragement for Le Havre, who ran out 2-1 winners in the reverse meeting, a result that puts the Normandy club on course for their first-ever top-flight double over Angers.

Angers Ligue 1 form:

Le Havre Ligue 1 form:

Team News

Angers will once again be without defender Abdoulaye Bamba, who is recovering from a thigh problem that has kept him out of the matchday squad in the last two outings.

Carlens Arcus will also miss out due to an abductor issue, while Yassin Belkhdim is ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on a fractured forearm.

Youngster Marius Courcoul has missed the last two matches due to an injury picked up during the international window, with Harouna Djibirin also facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to an ankle problem.

As for Le Havre, midfielder Abdoulaye Toure is still recovering from a serious knee injury sustained in November against Paris Saint-Germain.

Elsewhere, 25-year-old forward Felix Mambimbi will also sit this one out, having missed the last two outings due to injury.

Angers possible starting lineup:

Koffi; Raolisoa, Louer, Camara, Lefort, Ekomie; Mouton, Van den Boomen, Belkebla; Machine, Sbai

Le Havre possible starting lineup:

Diaw; Nego, Sangante, Seko, Vinette; Gourna-Douath; Ebonog, Boufal, Ndiaye; Samatta, Soumare

We say: Angers 0-0 Le Havre

This encounter has all the makings of a low-scoring affair between two sides struggling in the final third, with a lack of momentum for both teams leaving little to separate them.

A draw would do little harm to Angers’ survival push, and such an outcome may also suit Le Havre given their poor away record, so a share of the spoils looks the most likely result here.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.